The "Wave" Hits from Grants Pass
CALVARY CHURCH SENDS A TEAM
Tree of Life (which consists of just ME lately! check out Prayer and Praise for more on that...) just finished hosting a team from Calvary Church in Grants Pass, Oregon. For most of the team it was their first time overseas, doing missions work and for one gal it was even her first time to fly! (Way to go, Caitlin!) :)God showed just how faithful He was in "jointly knitting together all members of the Body of Christ" in that each one had unique gifts that they brought.Caitlin lead us in worship each day, and at different places where we ministered (English camp, church in Borodyanka, and the "Babushka Tea") with a sweet spirit that loves Jesus. David and Ray were great examples of Christian young men that have both strength but gentleness. In a country where alcoholism, domestic violence, etc. is a problem, this is no small witness. All of the team worked hard, played hard, and overall planted a ton of seeds of love, Christian example, and a good witness for the local church.
The team was lead by Greg and Kelly and they were such blessings to me, personally. Kelly loves her Lord and has a humble servant's heart that was willing to do whatever was needed, even if it meant being stretched. Her gentleness really encouraged me. Greg was thorough and greatly prepared the team before they got here with cultural,historical and other information that when I saw it I thought "why do they need me?!?" J Once the project started Greg's solid leadership, yet flexibility in sometimes pretty crazy situations was really a relief to me...for once the buck didn't stop with me! Not only that, he's a great teacher and the kids in the little town of Borodyanka got a level of English teaching and introduction unprecedented there. This is a huge blessing and great reflection on the local church who hosted us.ENGLISH CAMP, “BABUSHKA” TEA, AND MUSEUMS GALORE!As I mentioned, we were in Borodyanka for a 3 day English camp / VBS. Borodyanka is at the edge of the Chernobyl Zone (the restricted zone established after the 1986 nuclear reactor disaster at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant). It is a very small town, but by US standards - based on the facilities it has to offer - we would consider it a village. Around 25 - 35 kids came each day and many of them showed up for Sunday School the day after the camp ended. Pray that they would continue to come and learn of God's love for them!We also helped out with a girl’s Bible study while there in Borodyanka. Again Caitlin played some songs for us and Kelly shared of her experiences in Africa on a previous mission trip. I know the girls at the study were encouraged and glad to meet new friends. Please pray that God would draw these girls to a deeper relationship with Him and give -them strength for the trials they face (long commutes to universities, low paying hard jobs, hard home lives, etc.).
We also helped with the local Kyiv church’s monthly “Babushka Tea”. This is a time when the church I go to here meets with a group of Grandma’s or “Babushkas”. Some attend our fellowship, while some have so many health problems they can’t get out to church anywhere. But once a month we gather and have a little time of worship, teaching, some tea and home baked goodies (the team from Oregon made banana bread! Yum!) Each Babushka gets a care package of non-perishables, too (oil, flour, rice, etc.).
Kelly shared a sweet story of her grandmother’s example of faith. When she would stay with her grandma, no matter how early she got up, Kelly would find her grandma already sitting at the table enjoying a cup of coffee and reading her Bible. It fit in perfectly with the verses that God had already put on my heart to share about how the “older women are to teach the younger…in their example of godly living”. A miscommunication left us without a translator and so God helped me translate for the team and share the short devotional without a hitch in Russian. All the details worked together for a sweet time with these little old ladies. Everyone got some kisses and hugs from them all before we left. (Not as intense as the Babushki in Borodyanka, but a good showing nonetheless.) J Please pray that God would continue to teach and encourage these Babushki in their relationship with Him.
We had some “down-time” swimming in the Dnipro river and playing volleyball with believers and missionaries in the town of Rzhshv outside of Kyiv. The team got some good, but often painful history lessons by visiting the Chernobyl Museum (chronicling the nuclear disaster), the World War II museum with all the atrocities of war and the Nazi concentration camps that took the lives of so many Ukrainians, and various other historical sites around Kyiv. All in all it was a very full and fruitful time! They are welcome back anytime! J
