Ukraine Challenge

Ukraine Challenge ~ Torchinovichi ~ 04 July through 20 July, 2003

By: Thomas S. Morris

Team members:

·        Ron Zedick

·        Mark Scism

·        Ray Scism

·        Angela Morris

·        Tom Morris

Translators:

·        Illya

·        Stapan

·        Slovic

Activities:

·        Backyard Bible study / Vacation Bible School

·        Sport camps (Basketball / Volleyball)

·        Small group discussions / meetings

·        Visitations

Team activities in Torchinovichi:

     The mission for our team was to travel to the Ukraine and participate as a team in Church building activities.  The village that was targeted for visitation was Torchinovichi, a small village in Western Ukraine where Ron Zedick’s paternal grandfather was born.  From this village, he escaped to Poland during the Bolshevik Revolution, and then immigrated to the United States .    Relatives of Ron still live in the village and were hosts for Ron’s visit.  Two other families in the village hosted Mark and Ray Scism in one house and Angela and Tom Morris in another.  Meals were prepared and provided to the team by the hosts of Angela and Tom. 

Ron and previous mission teams (including Dr. Frank Zedick and his wife Mary) have visited the village of Torchinovichi , but it has been about three years since the last mission team had spent any amount of time there.

A Ukrainian Baptist Church missionary has been identified for Torchinovichi, but Sergei Klovka and his wife presently do not live in the village. Sergei seems quite knowledgeable with the Bible and is deeply devoted to his role in ministering to the people of the village, although he is limited in his ability due to location and lack of transportation.  Sergei is very involved in the Sambir Baptist Church . 

A mission house has been acquired in the village of Torchinovichi with plans for its eventual use as a Baptist Church .  Quite a bit of work is still required before the mission house can be utilized.  It would appear that no work on this house has been accomplished in several years.  An older house immediately adjacent to the mission house is vacant and available for purchase.  It was discussed that Sergei and his wife could potentially move into this house, which would not only provide them lodging in Torchinovichi, but would also be next door to the mission house so that they could keep an eye on it.  Price was discussed with the owner of the house, but an agreement could not be reached while the team was still in town.  An amount of money was left with Sergei with instructions to either acquire the house next door if affordable, or for him to contract for construction of doors and windows to help secure the mission house.

      The people in the village of Torchinovichi seem to be quite content with their Ukrainian Catholic religion, although there did seem to be some interest in what we had to say.  Most of our discussions with adults in the village centered on icons, the worship of Mary, the confession of sins to a Priest, and the origination of our church, along with a few other topics. 

The teenagers didn’t seem to have much of an interest in religion whatsoever, but were very open to our discussions with them.  They volunteered to return night after night to spend more time with us.  At each session we steered the discussion toward the Bible and that seemed to end the two-way communication that we had been enjoying.  They didn’t run from the room or anything, but they became quiet and wouldn’t open up to us about their beliefs.

The younger children truly seemed to enjoy the Vacation Bible School that we held for them each day.  At the end of the first week, Ron talked with the rest of the team and we decided to continue our mission in Torchinovichi the second week as well.  This was partially because of the response that we received from the children – over 100 the last couple days of the first week (numerous children coming from other nearby villages).  Also, the other activities we were sponsoring for the other segments of the village, i.e., sports camps for the teenagers and evening small group discussions we felt would be better served if we stayed in Torchinovichi.

Ron was able to secure permission from the mayor to use the “Club” (similar in nature to a convention center) in Torchinovichi for indoor activities for VBS due to the inclement weather.  An arrangement was made for Sergei and any other “Baptist affiliated group” for future use of the club facilities due to Ron’s purchase of a heater for one of the rooms of the facility.  At least the club will be accessible until more permanent facilities are available in Torchinovichi for ministry.

Translators:

             Illya was with us the longest, having met us in the airport and continuing with us until the last night in Irpin.  He was nice and friendly and had an excellent attitude and went along well with all the changes that we constantly had without skipping a beat.  When you said “flexibility”, we didn’t realize just how much that would really dominate all of our activities.  Illya did pretty well as far as his translation ability went; however, he did seem to have a little bit of difficulty when he was in the thick of things.  It was almost like he had to translate what was being said from Ukrainian to Russian and then into English – and the same from English into Russian and then into Ukrainian.  Several times he seemed stumped and wasn’t able to keep up with the conversation.  A number of times he used Russian words and was questioned on them.

            There was an aspect to Illya that was not apparent with either Stapan or Slavic, and that was that he was easily distracted by the teenage girls and boys.  If there wasn’t anything in particular that we needed for Illya to do, he would take off and get together with some of the teenagers in Torchinovichi.  This was especially frustrating several times during VBS when we would need an interpreter and he would be across the field or in the back of the room just talking with one of the teenage boys.  Additionally, there were a few times when Illya would leave the house late at night and stay out until 0200-0300 in the morning.  His bedroom was immediately adjacent to Tom and Angela’s, so they were aware of when he came in.  It was brought to our attention by Stapan and Slavic that Illya was found by them late one night with his arm around the waist of one of the teenage girls in village.  Several of the team spoke to him about this activity, and as far as we know the incident didn’t repeat itself, and he was home by midnight every night after that.

            Stapan and Slavic were absolutely WONDERFUL to work with.  It was quite obvious that they were extremely adept at translating from Ukrainian to English and back without any hesitation at all.  Additionally, they were intimately familiar with the Bible and could assist us with finding particular Bible passages and offered suggestions for responses.  There were even times when they got into discussions with our small groups to help clarify things and then let us know what had been discussed.  A number of times they would suggest a plan of action when it seemed like we were at a loss.

            Once we learned that Slavic was such a gifted storyteller, we utilized him daily in assisting with VBS by having him tell one of the many stories that he has in his repertoire.  This would give us an opportunity to prepare refreshments or crafts without being needed to work with the children at the same time.  Additionally, both Stapan and Slavic seemed to be more interested in the young children and were able to communicate with them in a way that Illya didn’t even attempt.

            Stapan and Slavic also volunteered to do laundry for the team.  On Friday of the first week, Stapan took laundry for Ron, Mark, and Ray; while Slavic took Angela and Tom’s laundry home to wash.  It was all returned on Sunday, clean and neatly folded.  This was a Godsend, as the team had packed for much warmer weather and all of our jeans and long-sleeved shirts were dirty. 

The team - minus Ron and Illya - went to Rivne on Saturday to the orphanage where Ray and his wife had adopted their son, Taras, last August.  That was quite the experience and we were fortunate that Stapan and Slavic agreed to take us there.  We did reimburse them for the van, but their willingness to go, coupled with their showing us a number of different sights and being our tour guides was absolutely wonderful.

On Monday of the second week, all of our team went to Borislav to Stapan’s house for lunch.  After seeing some of the sights around there (including his swimming hole, his brother-in-law’s painting loft where we purchased a few paintings, and the Western Ukraine Baptist Seminary), we went to Slavic’s house for desert.  We were able to meet Tanya and Stapan’s children as well as Nadya and Slavic’s children.  It was sincerely a magnificent feeling to be welcomed into their homes.

Once again, it was truly a blessing that we met Stapan and Slavic.  Their familiarity with the area, as well as providing transportation and translating skills, together with their infectious attitudes toward our mission and Christianity in general, were enough to overcome any of our doubts or worries about where we were and what we were doing.

Other activities of the Team:

·        Immediately going to church in Sambir on Sunday morning when the team first arrived in Western Ukraine was a wonderful way to start our mission.  Ron, Mark, and Ray all participated in the communion service.  The second Sunday, Ron and Tom were asked to speak and Ron rendered a wonderful message on “building on a strong foundation” (very appropriate given the Ukraine Challenge motto).

·        We met with an elderly woman and her son whom Ron had visited on a previous trip to Torchinovichi.  She needed medicine and we were able to purchase it and provide it to her.

·        A young couple who had just given birth to a baby with some major birth defects was visited and comforted.

·        A woman who had been having severe earaches and was preparing to go to the local witch doctor was prayed for and anointed with oil.  A few days later she appeared much better.

·        Numerous small group discussions were held and seeds were planted by referencing in the Bible different passages when the team was asked why we didn’t believe in some of the things that they (the Ukrainian Catholics of Torchinovichi) believed in.

·        Vacation Bible School was held daily with the children.  While not all of them grasped the full impact of what we were there for, it is believed that they got the message that we were there to spread the love of Jesus.

·        Basketball sports camp was held for the teenage boys and girls during the afternoon of the first week.  Basic fundamentals were instructed and practiced prior to actually playing games at the end of the week.  Ron worked with the boys while Angela worked with the girls.  The final day of basketball camp, the boys challenged the girls to a game.  Three games were played and the teenage girls dominated.

·        A volleyball net and ball were purchased and used for volleyball sports camp during the second week.  The net and ball were given into the custody of Sergei so that they could be used on other occasions for ministry.

·        A “mini boom-box” was purchased for ministry for the youth of Torchinovichi.  This CD/cassette/radio was also given into the custody of Sergei for continued use in mission with the village.

·        The “Jesus” movie was shown on Sunday evening with approximately 160 adults and children in attendance.  The choir from Sambir Baptist Church provided singing entertainment during the changing of the movie reels.

·        The Sambir Baptist Church invited our team to a shish-kabob cookout on the side of a mountain near Staryy Sambir.  It was interesting and fun to be with them and enjoy the wonderful food.

·        The group discussion with the teenage girls was probably one of the most meaningful parts of our mission.  They initiated the discussion and, at their own urging, kept coming back night after night to discuss more.  They truly seemed to enjoy our being in their country and were fascinated that we were there to spread the love of Jesus.  When the evening found its way to our testimonies and to the Bible, they listened respectfully, but it was difficult to get them to open up to us.  It seemed as if we were finally able to get a few of them to communicate some of their religious beliefs the night before we left, but we just ran out of time.  If we could have been there another few days who knows how much they might have come out of their shells.  It was truly a sad time when we had to say goodbye to them.

Activities of the Ukraine Challenge coordinators:

·         There is no way that it can be explained as to how much it meant to the team to be expeditiously ushered through Customs and Immigration!  We were hot, tired, and more than a little bit unsure of what to do next when along came someone who took charge and got us through everything.  It saved us MUCH time and aggravation!

·        Hot showers at the Baptist Church in Kiev !  These were MUCH needed and MUCH appreciated!  It is amazing how much better we felt after these showers!  Just a small touch, but they truly meant so much.

·         Brief sightseeing and dinner in Kiev after first getting there.  This kept us going and provided us with a little bit of ease in transitioning from civilization in the United States to Ukraine .  I was especially glad that we ate at the Taras ’ restaurant in Shevchenko Park .  This gave us our first taste of good Ukrainian food and a brief introduction to Taras Shevchenko and some of the Ukrainian culture.  It was also interesting to see the underground mall! 

·         The transportation arrangements were extremely well coordinated, and we were able to proceed to our destinations without any difficulty - both heading to Torchinovichi and on our return trip.  It was really great to look out the train window and see your friendly face and Janada’s friendly face when we arrived back in Kiev . 

·         Our airline reservations were a little bit rushed, but that was mostly because of delays in our flights and because of boarding times being much more advanced than we are used to in the United States .  It was probably better to be rushed than to have too much time on our hands at each airport.

·         Arrangements with Stapan and Slovic for transportation and for translator duties cannot be complimented enough!  It was a true pleasure to meet these two individuals, as well as the work that they did for us. 

·         Visits to the Kiev souvenir market, the Chernobyl museum, and the World War II museum were fantastic experiences that we probably wouldn’t have even thought about had it not been for your suggestions.  The museums were incredibly powerful and will stay with us for quite a while.

·         “ Arizona ’s” and “McDonald’s” were nice ways to reintroduce us to American food after being “in country” for two weeks!  Angela was especially appreciative of the nice clean restrooms at Arizona ’s!  This really hit the spot after the overnight train ride from L’viv to Kiev .

·         The accommodations at the Irpin seminary were nice and the dinner at the kabob place was really good.  Also the detour back to the church so that we could buy candy and something to drink was much appreciated!

·         Everywhere we went and everyone we came into contact with from Ukraine Challenge and the Ukrainian Baptist Church were very friendly and courteous to the team.

·         Finally, everything that you do behind the scenes to ensure that each team is fully taken care of, and all the coordination that you manage is deeply appreciated!  If not for the efforts of you and Janada, we would not have enjoyed ourselves nearly as much as we did!

 Negative notes:

 ·        Ron lost his carry on suitcase somewhere between the railroad station in L’viv and Torchinovichi.  This luggage was never found and it cannot be narrowed down as to exactly where it could have gotten lost.  Most of his clothes were in that suitcase, so we were forced to see him in the same outfit for several days.  (Now you know why we were so happy when Stapan and Slavic offered to do our laundry!)

·        The morning of the second Sunday when we were at the Sambir Baptist Church , we met with the Pastor and a few other men in their anteroom to discuss the structure of the worship service and whom would do what.  During this meeting, the Pastor brought out two $100 bills and said that they were from a missionary group and that they had been inadvertently washed in the pocket of a pair of shorts.  He said that they had been ironed, but that the exchange would not take them.  He asked us to “make it right”.  A few minutes later his story changed and he stated that they were being kept in the basement of a house and had gotten wet and now they were not acceptable to the exchange.  Upon close examination of the bills, they appeared to have been made on a material (paper) that felt different than other bills.  Additionally, there was no “watermark” showing the face on the right side of the front of the note.  We all thought that there was something “fishy” about the whole situation, but didn’t say much to him.  Ray offered a $100 bill that he had with him, but no one else had that kind of money on them.  The Pastor asked Ron to take them back to the Catawaba Heights Baptist Church in Charlotte and have them “make it right”.  We took both bills with us, and upon returning to the States found out that they are both counterfeit.  The whole situation just seemed extremely strange, especially immediately before worship service.

·        It seemed that wherever we went, prices had risen from the last time a team was in Torchinovichi, and the previously agreed upon price was not enough.  This happened on several occasions, and was always rectified by giving a little more money.

Personal Conclusion:

    I realize that this report probably appears too complementary and platitudinal to be of much use in critiquing the mission, but there really aren’t any exceptional incidents that I can think of that need to be aired (other than what I’ve already mentioned).

    I truly believe that many seeds were planted and that a few seeds from previous plantings were fertilized.  Given time and the diligent efforts of Sergei and others, the village of Torchinovichi may one-day have a thriving Baptist population, and a permanent Church building in which to meet.

   If the opportunity presents itself to us again, I know that Angela and I would be very interested in returning to the Ukraine to help in whatever area we could be most effective.  We would love to return to the village of Torchinovichi to visit with the people and see how things are progressing, but if there is another village or mission in which we are more needed we are willing to attend to that as well.

   The efforts of Ukraine Challenge and especially the efforts of you and Janada were invaluable to our marvelous experience.  We will always treasure our memories, and the two of you are truly a part of them.  This was an experience that we will always remember, and one that we will share with others throughout the rest of our lives.  It was even more valuable to Angela and me, because it was something that we shared together as a couple. 

   We had always heard that as a missionary you will be a blessing to others and you will touch other’s lives in ways that you will never know.  One thing that we found out is that our lives have been touched and blessed by many others:  the members of our Church and people in our community who, through their unselfish efforts and financial backing enabled us to go on the mission; by the other missionaries on our team with whom we worked and experienced the mission; by the people working to make our mission a success (including our translators, other coordinators with the Ukrainian Baptist Church, and you and Janada); by the people of the village of Torchinovichi; and by God.

 Very respectfully submitted,  

 Thomas S. Morris

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