The last three weeks have been action-packed. We held Vacation Bible School for two weeks in local neighborhoods. Jake, our son, came for a visit and helped with the last week of VBS. During Jake’s second week here we toured the city and got together often with the young people in our church for fun.
Vacation Bible School is done differently here than in the states. We determined the two neighborhoods we wanted to target. The first day of camp we hand out flyers to any children we see in the neighborhood and issue personal invitations. Then an hour before camp starts, we begin playing games. The children join in and also run and get their friends to come. The first day we typically had eight children in both neighborhoods and by the end of the week we were up to eighteen by word of mouth. Our team was made up of mostly Ukrainian young people from our church with a few Americans.
Because we had the camp outside and not in a church building, we encountered some opposition from the older people who live in the area. Some are angry because they are Orthodox and are concerned that any form of Christianity outside of orthodoxy is a cult and trying to change the faith. Others agree with former Communist atheistic teachings and believe that we are stupid, have been brainwashed, and are trying to brainwash the children.
We had one man who accused us of this and called the police. A police jeep with several officers in it pulled up to see who the trouble makers were. When one officer saw that the children were playing, doing arts and crafts, and having fun he made a sarcastic comment that “this kind person called to tell us there was some trouble here.” He got names and numbers just so that something official was done and left. The older man came back later and tried to attack one of our workers with his cane. The same day we had three neighborhood babushkas (grandmothers) come and yell at us. Their complaints were that we were ruining the grass (50% weeds), making too much noise (laughing children), and, sadly, that there were dark-skinned children there (Armenians). We moved to a basketball court the next day so as not to be accused of ruining grass. We just had to sweep the court first to clear off the broken glass (drunks break bottles for fun most nights).
We reached several children and many seemed to have an understanding of Christ by the end of the week. We are hoping to be able to follow up through a weekly Saturday morning club but as yet have no Ukrainians who are able to lead it on a regular basis because of work schedules.
Matthew 19:14 …Jesus said “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”
Prayer requests: Pray for follow up with the children that came to VBS.
Pray for the current political situation with Russia and how it will affect
the spiritual future of Ukrainian believer and unbelievers.
