Sep ’09 – August Mission Trip Summary
Greetings!
This August trip was a great success. Although we didn’t get to visit all the orphanages we wanted to, many great things were accomplished during our 9-day visit to Eastern Ukraine. I wish to thank all of you for your prayers and financial support. And we will be calling on your support again as we are already planning for our January 2010 trip.
Kharkov
In Kharkov, in the town of Bogodukov (which means “God’s Spirit”) we visited about 40 orphans at their summer camp and gave 200 slippers to the orphanage director. During summer, most of the children stay with relatives if they have them. That’s why there were so fewer here at summer camp, as would have been during the normal school year. But the 40 kids we saw were blessed. They heard the Gospel and accepted Jesus. And we prayed individually for several orphans including Olya and Vovo, whom the Lord caused a great turn-around in their Spirit. And as I mentioned in our last newsletter, Olya was profoundly changed by all of your prayers and by our visit. She had been struggling with the hold that the devil had on her. But when we prayed for her this time, she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was delivered from the evil one! Notice how she looks in the 2 photos taken before and after we prayed with her.
Pretty amazing isn’t it!!! We also gave Russian New Testaments to some of the older kids including Olya and Vovo. We ask for your continued prayers for all of these boys and girls.
While we were there, we also learned of two very good things that happened since our last visit here in March 2009: 1) There is now a Christian church in this same town that has been visiting this orphanage and developing an on-going relationship with these children – praise God, with these new Christians!! 2) The maintenance man who was encouraging the children to become involved in witchcraft and magic was fired! Dear friends, prayer works! The devil has been defeated and God’s Spirit is present and acting in these children of Bogodukov!
Rehabilitation Center in Kharkov. I have been visiting this Christian rehab center for drug addicts and alcoholics now for the last 2 years accompanied by Pastor Yevgeniy Stanaslavich, who was also our gracious host while staying in Kharkov City. The center is run by 2 pastors both of whom have addictions in their past; and one of whom found the Lord in prison after Christians evangelized there. The men and women are provided with food, lodging and counseling. And their program includes daily Bible lessons, sermons and worship services. On this visit I learned that about 30 of them attending our meeting already have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
But there were two men, fairly new, who were joking around during the meeting and were obviously not ready to consider making God the Lord of their lives. Yet, I believe that our preaching, testimonies and prayers have planted seeds into their souls that will soon sprout into belief in the One Who Saves.
Hearts for Ukraine Team … Yuri Gulyanitsky & Nina Chuyikova
Yuri is a deacon and officer in the European Salvation Army. Yuri is from Yalta, Ukraine. He travels all over the former Soviet Union with ministries such as mine and also preaches and teaches Bible studies. I met him at an orphans ministry conference last March. He also joined us for the first time on this trip as our translator, guide and new friend. Besides being an excellent translator, Yuri provided the team with pertinent historical, cultural and political perspectives that only a scholar and native Ukrainian could!
Thanks Yuri for your outstanding service and friendship. We look forward to working with you again.
Nina joined Hearts for Ukraine for the first time on this trip. She attends Christian Church in Avteevka, a suburb of Donetsk. It was a delight to have her with us. Although she is Ukrainian, this was her first visit to an orphanage. She shared with us privately after the visit how emotionally draining it was to see these kids who, as she remarked, “…were not well cared for. Their clothes were dirty and their hair was dirty.” I can recall having a similar reaction on my first orphanage visits 3 years ago. It is truly shocking and heart wrenching to see some of the conditions they live with. We take so much for granted living in comfortable homes, caring for and loving our children.
Nina also visited the Rehab Center with us. She shared her brief testimony which touched the hearts of these men and women in recovery. A few days later Nina remarked at how important this ministry is: to visit, care for and pray for these children and adults.
Thanks Nina and welcome to the Team! Moladyets! [Good job] We look forward to working with you in the New Year!
Return to Donetsk
For a few reasons we were unable to visit an orphanage here in Donetsk region this visit. Many of the orphans as well as the staff are away or off during summer. And we did not reach our financial goals for this trip. Typically, taking a team to an orphanage of 150 children, say 2 hours away, requires about $500 in gifts, food, gas and other expenses.
However we made good use of our time. We spent much time in prayer including prayer meetings and prayer walks. We prayed in churches & homes, in city squares & parks. There are many things to pray about here, besides the obvious orphans problems. There are social problems like drugs, alcohol and crime (especially here in Donetsk) and economic problems. In addition to the current global economic crisis, Ukraine has been struggling for the last 2 decades with 500 to 1500% increase in the cost of some goods and services. And there are political and cultural problems as well as problems with the infrastructure. Roads, for instance, are in terrible shape.
One thing my pastor taught me about prayer was during a Prayer Tour in Spain. He said take out your Bibles and pray the Word of God. That’s exactly what we did on our prayer walk in the center of Donetsk. Reading the Word gives us sound Godly direction, and praying it serves as a jumping off point allowing us to be led by God’s Word and his Spirit to pray for current situations at hand. For example, I prayed Psalm 140. Reading this immediately reminded me of the plight of orphans often having neglect or abuse as part of their past. It seems very fitting to imagine some verses being the cry of these orphans. Verse 1 reads, “O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent” and verse 12 says, “But I know the Lord will help those they persecute; he will give justice to the poor.”
With the guidance of these and several other verses the team came up with, we prayed for the orphans and their social and spiritual well-being, the economy, the government and the upcoming election, even the roads.
Finally, on behalf of my team members, Nina and Yuri, we thank God that through our partnerships with local churches, pastors and other child relief organizations we had and still have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of many Ukrainians, knowing that as we minister and pray we are acting as God’s hands, feet and mouth.
Taking the Gospel to the Nations,
Sincerely,
Al Scoglio