Personally the last few months have been very challenging. But oh the grace of God, His unmerited favor! Trails, stumbling blocks and darkness surround us from time to time mainly to divert us from the goal our Father has set before us. I had to remember that the goad is do my utmost for His highest! How many times have we realised that our ‘hindsight’ is far better than our ‘foresight’? This last week after returning from this year’s mission trip to Ukraine was one of those times for me. One would think that after all these years (almost 30) of ministry one would see stuff coming…wrong! Even the best of us can be distracted by the trails, stumbling blocks which cause us not to see clearly. God is so awesome, He loves us in spite of ourselves! Looking back over the weeks leading up to and after this Ukraine missions trip has taken me deeper and reminding me I don’t know everything. Humbling to say the least.
Here is the key report I’d like to share…
First ministry stop was the YWAM base in Lutsk, Ukraine…after an all night train journey. We have been working with Alyona and Sasha Yukhymchuk, the base leaders, since our first trip to Ukraine in 2014. I was privileged to attend there leadership meeting, speak at a huge youth meeting, attend a home church group where they asked that I share my story, speak in 2 large Baptist churches and the Ukraine National Headquarters of Youth With A Mission in Ternopil. We’ve been asked to return in 2020 to hold a 5 Day Restoring Wholeness Leadership Course. Please pray with us regarding this monumental opportunity.
Oops, let me not forget the live morning tv show! Special thanks to Alyona for all her hard work!
The second week in Ukraine was in and round Kiev, the capital city. We were invited to stay at the CBN studios by Steve Weber the director.
Dale Marsberg flew up from Cape Town to work with me. He is one of my original RW South African team and board member. He was awesome and I so appreciate his willingness to give up some holiday time to work in Ukraine. Our first order of business was to speak at the CBN Chapel and then a live webinar on children and LGBTQ.
Wednesday we started our 3 Day Restoring Wholeness Conference where over 50 participants attended. That night Dale and I spoke at the Teen Challenge Coffee House, which brings in hundreds of drug addicts and offers life changing ministry. Thursday morning we attended the National Prayer Breakfast, which was one of the largest in Europe and Eastern Europe. After we returned and taught till the evening and finished on Friday ending with participants giving their testimonies about what the conference meant to them. It was amazing. Both Dale and I wept as one after another spoke of the deep healing and enlightenment they received.
Saturday we were invited to speak at one of the fastest growing churches in the Kiev area, headed by an ex-drug addict Ukrainian mafia head, Andrey Petruchenko. He now has 2 churches and 7 rehab centers. On Sunday I spoke at a large pentecostal church and then we were whisked away to a campground just outside Kiev, where a week long Orphan’s Promise conference was just starting. What an amazing ministry to orphans. All in all God gave us many very good connections and most importantly touched hundreds of lives!
CBN, Steve Weber, and Webinar
Teen Challenge leadership training and Coffee House
3 Day RW Conference
Ukraine National Prayer Breakfast, Kiev
one of Pastor Andrey Petruchenko’s church in Kiev
Church service and the first workshop of Orphan’s Promise Conference
