Monday morning update
This mission trip must be a very important one, for the forces of evil have attempted several hindrances even in our travels to Ukraine. Two of the groups were stranded by the powers of the air as snow dropped on the transfer airport where William and Adele needed to change planes. Their first plane was delayed permission to land until ten minutes after their next flight had already left. There were no choices of flights from any airline available until the next morning; thus they had to spend the night in the airport as the blizzard conditions and temperature of five degrees continued to tie up ground traffic as well as plane flights. Several hundred other stranded plane passengers shared pads on the terminal floor. Ear plugs and eye masks helped to provide some sleep. In the groggy hours before the six o’clock boarding time, the gate number was changed. In spite of all these inconveniences, they arrived as early as they would have if they had flown on directly to JFK and spent the night in a local hotel. Another volunteer, David, was unable to hear the plane departure announcement and thus missed his flight. Quick work on the part of the Dallas office and Royal Travel enabled him to take an alternate route to JFK, arriving at less than an hour before the international flight boarding time. In all of these cases, the powers of heaven prevailed and they all boarded for the over-night flight across the Atlantic.
Karla met us at the hotel in Kherson as we arrived, having been safely accompanied by an elder brother of the Ukrainian son she has adopted. We were finally all accounted for, ready to do what He called us here for. So all of your prayers are gratefully appreciated by us and granted by Him whom we praise.
Monday Evening Update
Our first day of ministry got off to an easy start with a visit to a baby house where the children are kept until their fourth year. Sergey’s youngest sister had been adopted by his parents from this orphanage, and he knew the director and the facility. We were treated very hospitably and the children were a delight to visit. The GAiN boxes and wheel chairs were out on display and many thanks were relayed to us for this aid. Adele was the first one to grab up a baby into her arms. Soon many of the children were being held. We gave gifts of teddy bears to the infants and gospel explanations to the care givers. Later we were treated to chai in fine china cups and cookies. Karla experienced another joy in the kitchen as all four cooks prayed the prayer of repentance.Then it was back to the bus for our sack lunch, but the bus would not start. So we had time to eat our lunch without the usual bumpy jostling. It was decided to send half of the group in a “mastruka” or mini bus to ride out to Hope House where our GAiN supplies area warehoused. We loaded a number of boxes into the little vehicle and went on to the first afternoon site, a children’s hospital where mothers bring their ailing child for special care. We were able to visit a number of mothers and children, presenting the gospel and distributing CarePacks and books. The second site visited this afternoon had an outbreak of small pox, so only those of us who had contracted small pocks previously were allowed to go into the youth shelter. These children are temporarily cared for at state expense until one parent is again able to resume custody. The children are not at fault, but simply victims of parental indiscretion. Often it is a single mother who has received a short jail term and thus no other care is available for the child. There were older siblings here taking on the role of guardian for younger ones. Michelle S. was drawn to Lila, a 13 year old girl. In their conversation, when asked what she wanted to become, Lila replied that she wanted to go to school to join the police force so that she could protect children from abuse. There must have been a deeper story left untold. We prayed for Lila; you may also hold up this young lady and future police woman. Prayer Requests for Tuesday & Wednesday
Tuesday, Mar 3
* This morning we travel out to Tsyurupinsk Boarding School in the morning and Stara Zburivka Boarding School in the afternoon.
* Ask our Father to make us totally dependent on the Holy Spirit to speak boldly the gospel of Jesus that will have an everlasting impact for God’s kingdom.
* Pray for God to send us “divine” appointments to minister to these children who are struggling alone, away from parents influence, and have no hope.Wednesday, March 4
* We are scheduled to spend the morning in Kherson at the Tropinka Hospital for children up to the age of 16. The facility can house up to 50 patients who are cared for by 33 staff. Pray that we might be a bold witness to both patients and staff of the healing power of the Divine physician.
* After our brown bag lunch on the bus we will be in Tavriysk at the boarding school of that area. This facility currently has 168 children ages 6 to 17 that are taught and cared for by 130 adults. May even the kitchen cooks feel the love that only God can give as we minister to the souls of all people.
* Pray that the humanitarian aid that we deliver will meet their physical needs in a way that shows God’s love for them, and for other opportunities to fulfill any special needs at the sites we visit. This school has asked for underwear, socks, toys, and sporting supplies.