Ukraine
Challenge
UPDATE 7:
July 27-Aug 2, 2003
“Last
week update”
July 27 at 10:00 A.M. Grace Baptist Church in Brovary began
their worship service in the new auditorium in the typical Ukrainian way with
Pastor Boris Medianik leading in prayer. The
service was anything but typical as the congregation celebrated their ten-year
anniversary as a church. There were
many guests including a team from their sister church in Mansfield, OH.
These volunteers had just completed a week of camp with over 300 children
and were planning another week in a village where the church is hoping to plant
a new congregation. (300 children!
—that’s why this area needs the big building for those of you who have seen
this construction site!) 2003 is
also the tenth anniversary for many Ukraine Challenge volunteers.
Mike Ayers continued his personal ministry as he moved to Gorenechee this
week. He worked at the construction
site with the pastor, his son and other workers to complete the bottom floor of
the new building to be used by the congregation in the fall.
Steve Dobbins’ team (team members listed in Update 6) continued to work
with the pastor and other members of the congregation in the Mironovski Park
area of Fastiv to remodel the house that will be used for services.
“Project 25” is the title given to a new plan undertaken by the
International Mission Board and the Ukrainian Baptist Union to reach the city of
Kiev with the gospel message through prayer walking, children’s day camps,
youth activities and small-group Bible studies.
Each of the 25 geographic regions is assigned to a young, energetic
Ukrainian missionary. Troy
Meachum’s team (team members listed in Update 6) worked with Viktor and his
wife, Tanya, in the Venegrada area of Kiev leading a day camp with around 120
children from 11:00 until 4:00 followed by youth activities in the evening.
A major drawing card for the teenagers was basketball and soccer games
played on a court between the high-rise apartments.
After the sports time each evening, the team members presented the gospel
through a wordless drama to spark discussion within small groups.
The adults and young people of this team rose to the challenge of
planting seeds of salvation in this difficult area.
Pray that God will send others to water and work the soil and ultimately
harvest will come.
Thank you for your gifts of shared family members, time, prayer efforts
and financial contributions. Missions
through Ukraine Challenge could not exist without all of these.
However, the definitive statement about mission work for the summer of
2003 came from an email written by Elizabeth Laney, volunteer missionary at the
seminary in Prague who was a guest in Ukraine from July 25 through 27.
“I have thought a lot about mission work, both long-term and short
term; both paid and volunteer. I have come to this conclusion: the
most important thing is to have lots of hugs, lots of smiles, lots of
compliments, lots of laughing, and a lot of planning -- with flexibility.”
Continue to let God’s love flow through you out to others on whatever
mission field God gives you. “As
you go, make disciples…”
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