Over the next few weeks I am going to introduce you to several people who have been spiritually impacted through the missions of Christ Fellowship in Ukraine.
Meet Oxana, Tolik, Anastasia, Katya, and Nadia. The picture is of the cover of Christian Women Magazine in Ukraine. Their youngest daughter (Nadia) is not pictured on this cover but is pictured on the cover of the Christian Children Magazine in Ukraine.
Oxana was my first translator during our first orphans’ camp in Odessa Ukraine in 1994. At that time, Oxana was a student in the Pedagogical Language University in Nizhen and a member of the Christian group at the university.
I still remember the first time I met Oxana. I was in Ukraine with a group of Americans to conduct a camp for orphans that were affected by the Chernobyl Nuclear accident. Our first day in Ukraine was in a University dorm in Kiev. After a night’s rest I got on the elevator to go to breakfast and a young lady got on the elevator with me. She began to sing. ‘I woke up this morning with a song in my heart, I woke up this morning with a song in my heart, I woke up this morning with a song in my heart, Oh glorious day. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face …” That was Oxana. From the very beginning, Oxana impressed me.
During our first four days in Ukraine, we met with our Ukrainian counselors / translators. During this time we went over the program for the 18-day camp and discussed the children with whom we would be working. There would be one hundred children, age 6 to 13, divided by age into groups of 15 to 20 children. During these meetings, we were informed that a group of children age 14 to 18 had come to camp and that they would be sent away for other children of the proper age to be brought in. I suggested that that if GOD had brought these children to the camp we should honor HIS direction and that I would work with the older children. Oxana agreed to work with me. The Ukrainian director warned us that these were street children from Siberia and he did not want them in camp. We insisted and we took these children in the camp.
After Oxana and I met our group of youth (I am reluctant to call 18 year old street kids from Siberia “children”), I asked Oxana to meet with me. During this meeting, I asked Oxana how she wanted to conduct our time with the children. She replied that she had been told that she was only a translator in the camp and was to only translate for the Americans. I replied that it was obvious to me that she was a Christian and that we had the curriculum we would use in camp. I further stated that we Americans would be gone in 18 days and this was her country, these were her children and her responsibility. From that point on we had a great relationship and a great camp. During the last week of camp, I baptized Oxana in the Black Sea.
Oxana continued to work with us for several years in the camps. After graduation she married Tolik and together they conducted Christian camps for University students and Teachers. Eventually they started a church in Cerkasy Ukraine with Tolik as its pastor. Oxana translates Christian material for publication in Ukraine.
I am in continued contact with this family and they have become some of my closest friends.
Johnnie
