Christ Fellowship Missions

Update and Prayer Requests

Here is an excerpt from an email received from Lena, one of our Ukrainian coordinators of the camps.

"Some words about the camps. Everything is going well. In Mena there were 110 children, at school # 5 there were 94, now in the church there are more than 180 children. It is more than we expected but we are very excited.

On Saturday we are planning to go to the orphanage and give them clothes and shoes.

We have a prayer request. Natasha... has a relative. This woman is dying of cancer. She has 2 weeks to live. She is 35. She is not a christian. Please, pray for her to accept Jesus.

God bless you."

Please partner with us to pray for the camps, the orphans, and especially Natasha's relative. Thank you for your support.

Ukraine Update 7/9/08

Week 1 of camp in Mena and at the school in Nizhen went great. By the end of the week, the camp in Mena had over 100 kids, and the camp at the school had about 90. Here is an excerpt from one update received about the Mena mission opportunity: "The camp this week went really well, so I think. There was this girl about 11 or 12 who came every day in the same clothes. I felt compelled to buy her some. We went to the store and decided to buy her shoes and groceries. Her mother had mental problems and severe paranoia because she lost her son in a terrible kitchen accident 10 years ago. She thinks every one is trying to kill her and her children. The house was the worst house in the village. The girl's father was a severe alchoholic. It broke my heart so badly. Igor had been trying to witness to the mother and it had been difficult because of her paranoia issues. When we came bearing gifts, it opened a door, and they talked for over an hour. I know God was there. I just stood there praying and it was one of those "God moments". . . . took my breath away." God really answers prayers!

This week, the team is conducting a camp in our partner church (Nizhen Prayer House) in Nizhen. On Monday, we received this update:
"Camp has started!!!! Prayers Answered!! 180 students!!! 35 counselors!!!"

Please continue to pray for the team of CF and NPH counselors who are working in the field reaching out in a tangible way with God's love.

Ukraine Update 7/2/08

The Ukraine mission team left a week ago on June 25th and arrived safely on June 26th. Thank you for your prayers for safe and smooth travel! After one night in Kiev, they moved on to Nizhen and settled in.

On Monday, the team split into two groups. Half are in Nizhen, working with half of the youth from our partner church (Nizhen Prayer House) and in partnership with one of the other baptist churches in town, to conduct a camp in a school. This camp is an outreach for the other church, who is trying to reach out and build a children and youth program in their area of town. The other half of the team is with the other half of the youth from Nizhen Prayer House in Mena, a village a few hours away. There is a small church in Mena that has a real heart for reaching their city, especially from the younger generation up. We worked with this church last year to conduct a day camp for the children of Mena. After the day camp, the church immediately started a Sunday School program for these kids. The first Sunday they had 50 kids in Sunday School! They have been following up with the kids regularly all year long. Now our team (CF and NPH combined) has returned to conduct another camp.

Both camps (one in Nizhen and one in Mena) started yesterday and run through Saturday. The camp in Nizhen has over 75 kids this week. The camp in Mena has 95 kids. Both groups are having a great time with the kids and everything is running very smoothly so far.

Please pray for open hearts of the kids who will be hearing of God's love this week. Please pray for energy and enthusiasm for all of the counselors. Please pray for relationships with city officials of Nizhen and Mena who approve and inspect the camps. Also, Sveta's two young children (both under age 3) have had fever for several days now. Sveta is our cook and our contact with the Mena church. Please pray for healing for both children. Thank you so much for your support!!!

God Working in Ukraine

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

Photo from Ukraine Group

Just got an email from the group in Ukraine. The camps so far have been very successful. There is still one week of camps left. Part of the CF Team is already back stateside, while the rest is staying over there for the last week of camps.

Praise Report from Ukraine

   

Praise God everything is going wonderfully here! Today was the last day of our second week of camp. The camp at the church had 130 children, and the camp at the school had 72 children, even though only 25 had signed up by last Thursday.  Last Thursday evening we went out with balloon animals and invitations to the camp and we were excited to see 60 children on the first day. The camp just kept growing everyday.  Praise God everything went smoothly with the health department inspections.  Our team, consisting of both Ukrainian and American counselors was wonderful. At the school camp, Katya, who grew up as a child in the camp was director for the first time and it was a blessing to watch her leadership.  Tonight was the concert at both locations for the parents to hear the gospel. Afterward the children were crying and did not want leave!  Please continue to pray for these children, that the seeds that were sown would be nurtured and grow to produce fruit.  Please pray for the two Baptist churches in Nizhen who will be doing follow up with these kids. We are really excited that they have decided to start Sunday School this week instead of waiting until September like usual.

    On Monday, our team will separate into two villages for two separate camps.  Katya will be the director Mena and Roman who was also director for the first time this year will be director in Ichnya. Roman's wedding is tomorrow but he and his wife have decided to spend their first week of married life conducting the camps..they just couldn't stay away! Please pray for the all of the logistics and the permission from the city governments.  Also, please keep our leaders in prayer that God will give them wisdom and patience.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

-The Ukraine Team

Internet Shortage in Ukraine

I spoke with Amy in Ukraine. There's an Internet shortage in Ukraine right now. Niezhen had three Internet Cafes. The first two closed down since January. The third has no Internet (I guess that makes it more "cafe" than Internet Cafe). The team will try to update the blog where possible.

The first week of camps went great. They had lots of kids at the camp, and the next week at church many of the children (and their parents) came to the church for the first time. This week they are leading two separate camps in the city: the first at the church, the second in a public school in a different community. There has been some opposition to having a "Christian camp" in public schools, so pray for them as they deal with the adversity.

Everyone is healthy and happy. I've been told this is the smoothest trip they've had in a long time. Continue to pray for the group, and if I get any updates, I'll post them.

Jeff Reed

Franklin Graham Crusade

As mentioned by the earlier posts, The group in Ukraine got to help at the Franklin Graham Festival. Stateside, we're getting articles on the Festival from other organizations. I wanted to share them with you. Continue to pray for the group over there. They should have completed their first camp Saturday night, and will gear up for the second camp starting Monday AM. - Jeff Reed

Quoting The Church Report...

Over 120,000 Attend Franklin Graham's Ukraine Festival

The Franklin Graham Festival in Kiev, Ukraine, drew more than 120,000 to Olympic Stadium. This weekend event was a nationwide expression of religious freedom for those who were formerly subjugated to strict communist rule. This event would not have been possible 16 years ago.

The Festival on July 6-8 drew 124,586 people to Keiv with more that 107,000 participating in the event via live satellite broadcast in 104 additional venues across the country. Some attendees traveled 17 hours one way just to attend the event. The second night of the festival saw more that 40,000 people standing in the rain as thousands filled the field at the end of Graham’s message. By the end of the event, 6,694 people responded to the invitation to follow Christ.

“For years, Samaritan’s Purse has used the Ukrainian Antonov airplane to transport hundreds of thousands of our Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts,” said Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse. “Now I am here in your country, not because of the Antonov, but because of the Gospel, the good news that you can have spiritual freedom found in Jesus Christ.”

The president of Ukraine sent his Presidential Orchestra, and in an official written welcome to Franklin Graham and the Festival said: “This Festival is one of the greatest things that can bring us closer together. Thank you for all the work you are doing here. May God bless you.” This is a stark contrast to the region’s religious restrictions under communism.

In conjunction with the Festival, Graham’s Operation Christmas Child project handed out some of the more than 100,000 gift-filled shoe boxes to needy children in Ukraine. Graham visited with poor children and orphans at a local charity hospital where he also hand-delivered the shoe box gifts.

All the "missionaries" in Ukraine are doing great!

        Our participation in the Franklin Graham Crusade was an awesome experience. We had the opportunity to serve in the preparation for all four days.  We cleaned chairs for the choir, set up chairs for the press, and fed the choir their dinner each evening.  While we were serving in these ways, a large percentage of the youth from the Nizhen church were serving in the choir.  The "Festival of Hope," as it was called, was held in the "Olympic Stadium" where the European Soccer finals will be held in the near future.  There were four thousand members of the choir from all over Ukraine.  The most amazing thing was for us to recognize people that have served alongside us in the camps who live in other cities, now reunited for the festival. Altogether, more than 231,000 Ukrainians attended the Festival of Hope in person or via live satellite television.  More than 6,600 people made a decision to follow Jesus Christ.
    We are now back in Nizhen. The first day of camp was on Tuesday.  We have 93 children in the church camp in Nizhen and 40 children in the camp in Bakmach, a smaller town about an hour and a half away from Nizhen. Micheal Sutton, Leslie, Priscilla, Robert, and Kellie are serving and living in Bakmach this week.  The first few days of camp were wonderful!  The kids are sweet and receptive.  Everything from bible study, to crafts, to meals is running smoothly and our team of counselors is building unity.  Thank you for your ongoing prayers and please continue to pray for God's will to be accomplished through the camps. 

Kiev / Franklin Graham Crusade

We are scheduled to travel to Kiev today with many of the youth from the Nizhen church.  We will be able to do some street evangelism during the days.  The evenings will be filled with the Franklin Graham Crusade.  Please be praying for traveling mercies, health &safety while in Kiev, and that God would open doors for us to minister to the people that we come in contact with.  Please keep the Ukrainian youth in prayer as they minister as a part of the choir at the Franklin Graham Crusade.  We will not likely have internet access while in Kiev, so we will update you as soon as we can.  We will travel back to Nizhen on Sunday evening (our time - morning your time).  Thanks for your prayer support!

Amy Reed