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June 7 & 8, 2000 This crusade was starting off great because we each were treated to a Krispy Kreme Donut, courtesy of Naomi Miles. With only two close calls, everyone made the flight and we headed to Newark, New Jersey. Following a two-hour layover, we boarded the Lufthansa airplane and started our eight-hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. We had been told this was a BIG plane, but I think they wanted to see how many seats they could fit into each row and how many rows they could fit the length of the plane. I am sure that they exceeded their quota. Just when I thought I could actually go to sleep, they flipped on the lights and wanted to serve us breakfast. Breakfast? According to my body it was 11:30 p.m. Texas time! I spent a lot of time standing, talking to participants and trying to persuade my feet to stop swelling. Upon arriving in Frankfurt, we had another layover and then we proceeded with a two-hour flight to Kiev, Ukraine. When we were finished in Customs, we went through a glass door to find hundreds of people on the other side. I managed to spot Wally holding an International Crusades sign and what an awesome sight it was! While we waited for everyone to make it through Customs, some of us took advantage of stretching out on the airport floor. I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew, who has made translations for the International Crusades office. Andrew served as the head interpreter for the crusade and was responsible for securing all of the interpreters. Friday June 9, 2000 We left mid-morning for a six-hour bus journey to Sumy. Well... it was supposed to take six hours. We stopped for breaks along the way and our bus broke down. While the driver was fixing the bus, a young policeman asked if he could have a ride to the next town and we immediately started to pray and sing praises to God. Even though we didn’t "see" the reason for the bus breakdown, we soon saw God at work. Our bus was soon up and running again and once on the road, Stephen began talking with this man. He shared his testimony and the Plan of Salvation and the man accepted the Lord as his Savior! What an opportunity... thank you God! Saturday June 10, 2000 We went to the downtown market and
department
store so Kay could buy some clothes for the week to replace those in her
lost luggage. While she was shopping, some of the Americans got off the
bus and passed out their testimonies. Scott Johnson was able to share
with a young man, even without an interpreter! As we waited for the opening rally to start, we realized that the pastors had decided not to have the rally, but instead wanted to feed us lunch and then pair up the teams. To help pass time we (Americans, Russians, and Ukrainians) sang songs. It still amazes me that you can put people together that speak a different language and everyone can sing the same song! Battle Hymn of the Republic Sunday June 11, 2000 During the worship service, Mary Kathryn sang a special song. She has the voice of an angel and the people loved her. After Mary Kathryn sang, Marina explained the words to the members and as I watched their faces, it was if they understood every word sung. God has knit our hearts together, even though we are from different places half way across the world. The pastor asked me to share my testimony, which I gladly did. Not only did I share my testimony, but God also gave me the opportunity to challenge the church to participate in the crusade. I got many nods of agreement, but the next few days would tell. They did not have any visits planned for us during the day, so Mary Kathryn and I went home and each took a long nap. Monday June 12, 2000 After a breakfast we headed to our first visit. Marina’s brother was our driver and we also had a deacon with us. I asked Mary Kathryn if she wanted me to do the first visit and she said "yes!" The young lady we visited wanted to make a commitment to Jesus, but she had too many questions about Genesis. Realizing that she would not make a decision today, we told her we would have someone else from the church visit her and spend as much time with her as she needed. We prayed for God to speak and encourage her heart and give her the needed understanding. On our second visit, Tuesday June 13, 2000 The first visit was to the home of an older church member, who had invited a friend over for us to talk with. Mary Kathryn shared her faith, but the lady believed that because she was a member of the Orthodox Church she would go to heaven. As Mary Kathryn shared, Stephen and I prayed. Stephen asked her to take Jesus because he is the cure for our sins. The lady said "no." The deacon shared that God offers us a free gift through Jesus Christ as payment in full for our sins. The lady still would not accept Jesus. We prayed that the lady would soon be able to see the truth. She has religion but she doesn’t have salvation. How sad that a person can spend eternity separated from God just because she is blinded by her "religion." We then made our second visit. A church member asked us to visit an
elderly gentleman, but on the way into his house I noticed another As the church member and Marina helped the men complete their commitment cards, and as they explained more about the church, I told Stephen that I wanted to go visit the wife. He just grinned and said "great minds think alike." We walked across the street and into their home. As we walked in, we noticed the wife was in tears and thanking God that we came. I have never seen anyone so eager and willing to accept Jesus. Mary Kathryn shared her testimony, and the wife said she wanted Jesus. You see God had already prepared her heart before we even entered there. She told us that when her husband went across the street with us, she hoped that we would come and see her. We may have had an appointment scheduled with one man, but God used that to bring two other precious souls into His family. We went to a church member’s home for lunch. Because she lived in a flat on a high floor, we took the elevator. As we were going up, the elevator stopped and the lights flickered. It seemed like an eternity, and Stephen and I both moaned. It started again and we both thanked God. During lunch, the church member asked Mary Kathryn to marry her grandson! Mary Kathryn’s first proposal and she had to decline. We were excited and pumped up after the previous visit. None of us wanted to go home, so we went to the Children’s Park. It was beautiful, lush and green and had many people strolling around. As I entered the park, I saw a lady sitting on a bench by herself and I grabbed Marina and asked her to come with me. I sat down on the bench and started to share with the lady the reason I was in Ukraine. She prayed to receive Jesus! As we walked along, we ran into Steven and Faith Smith and they joined us on our "witnessing stroll." We soon saw more people sitting on the benches and this time it was Mary Kathryn, Stephen and Faith that started to share. We continued this until it was time for the evening worship service. During the service, After church, we went to the home of a church member and this time
the pastor joined us. The church member had invited five people over Wednesday June 14, 2000 We had a mid-morning appointment at the home of a young church member, who asked that we speak with her parents. Her mother was blind and a member of the Orthodox Church. Mary Kathryn shared her testimony and attempted to go through the Plan of Salvation. The mother kept telling us that she prayed to God every day, believed that she was a sinner, believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and had died for her sins. Even though she believed all of this truth, she didn’t understand the need to have a personal relationship with Jesus. She was blinded from the truth by her own religion. Victor, a church deacon, also explained everything again, but she just would not make the right decision. It was hard for me to quit and face the reality that she would not come to Jesus, but praise God the seed has been planted. I pray that it is watered and fed so that it just may blossom in the near future. I also pray that her spiritual blinders would be removed so that she can see the truth. We then turned our attention to the father. This entire time he had been sitting and not saying a thing. When we asked him if he had a personal relationship with Jesus, he told us yes! There had been a crusade last year in Sumy, led by an evangelist. During one of the invitations, the father made a public decision for Jesus! Mary Kathryn and I encouraged him to read his Bible, or listen as his daughter read it to him, and to try and attend a church service if his health permitted it. We prayed with him and thanked God for his salvation. We had some time before our next visit, so we went to Central Park and walked around. Mary Kathryn witnessed to a young lady sitting on a park bench. After Mary Kathryn finished sharing, the young lady made a profession of faith. Mary Kathryn asked her to complete the commitment card, but she didn’t want to do this because she wanted to continue to attend the Orthodox Church with her mother. Although Mary Kathryn explained to her that we were not there to make her a Baptist, she still didn’t want to complete the card. While Mary Kathryn was sharing, I stood off to the side and prayed. What a blessing it is for me to see God use His children and to see the end result. Thank you Father that I had the opportunity to be a part of this moment. Victor stopped a couple and explained to them what we were doing. I didn’t have an interpreter at that time, but I did understand "Jehovah Witness". They were very polite and Victor invited them to our services "to see the Americans", but somehow I didn’t believe they would attend. Victor left them with a testimony and thanked them for their time. We walked on through the park and I stopped to speak with five people. They were sitting under some trees relaxing while their goats roamed around eating. I learned that it is sometimes better not to ask the people if you can share with them, but to just jump right into the reason you are there. The first woman didn’t want to hear anything I had to say, but the other people were interested and asked questions. Although most of the questions were about America, I was still able to present the Gospel. None of them made decisions, but they all took a copy of my testimony and said they would read it. As I finished speaking, I noticed a group of policemen not too far from us. They appeared to be training new recruits on how to apprehend a suspect or criminal. Not wanting to be practiced on, we walked back a different way. At this point in time, we still did not have our passports in our possession and I didn’t want to answer any questions. When he heard about it, Stephen said I was a "fearful chicken." I realized that I had taken my eyes off Jesus and forgotten that He was my protector. Our driver picked us up and we went to our next visit. As Marina rang the bell, we heard a very ugly, loud, growling noise. I looked down and there was the snout and teeth of a dog. Soon a woman came to the gate, locked the dog up and let us into the home. The husband greeted us at the door and took us into their living room. We all could tell by the puzzled looks on their faces that they didn’t know what we were doing in their home. When Victor explained who we were and what church we were from, they decided their grandson must have invited us and forgotten to tell them. They listened intently as Mary Kathryn and I shared our faith and they were more than ready and willing to repent from their sins. Thank you Father for this "unplanned visit." As the couple was filling out their commitment cards, Stephen and Andrew arrived. I told Stephen that we were taking our party to McDonalds for lunch and invited them along. Off to McDonalds it was. None of the Ukrainians, except for Andrew, had ever been to McDonalds. That fact just baffled me. Here is a fast food restaurant, which is on every other block in America, and is always busy and they had never been to one. We (I) take for granted going through a drive-thru and spending money on fast food and they have never been because they can’t afford it. They did not know what to order, so we bought everyone a Big Mac Meal and a Happy Meal for our driver’s son. We, the Americans, got
the biggest joy watching them eat their meals, while they laughed and joked around. Marina,
Because we had about hour before the evening service, we went to the Children’s Park and walked around. Mary Kathryn and I both shared with a woman who was selling some sort of cookies. She was not interested in what we were saying. While we were talking to her, another lady approached us. I thought that maybe she was our true divine appointment. What a blessing it was for her to stop by. As we shared with her, she turned her attention to the other woman and started to speak with her. We asked our interpreter what was being said and she told us that this woman was sharing her faith with the other woman. She told how she became a Christian and that this woman needed to listen to us. After having people tell us no, it was such an encouragement to have someone in Ukraine speak up and share their faith. Mary Kathryn and I both believed that God sent this woman to us for encouragement and it worked! He is so faithful to take care of His children. We continued to walk around and take the time to speak with people. Even though nobody else wanted to listen, we were not discouraged. God had our day planned and we knew it was the best plan. After the evening service, we went back to the same home where we had been the previous night. This church member was such an encouragement for me. She took the time to invite unsaved friends to her home two nights in a row. She even cooked both nights, which we all knew was a huge sacrifice. Mary Kathryn shared her faith and three ladies came into the Kingdom of God! As our interpreter helped them complete their commitment cards, Stephen and Andrew walked in. They told us that they needed to get an address, but I thought it was funny that they walked in when the food was being served! As the women asked about our families, my mind suddenly turned to my mother. It had been a week since I was able to check in on her and I realized that I desperately needed to know that she was OK. As Stephen was talking to me, I broke into tears. Poor guy, I think I took him by surprise, especially as I cried all over his shirt. He gave me his MCI calling card number and I was able to call my sister. I knew we could not talk long so I asked her to send an email updating me on mom. Thursday June 15, 2000 The pastor picked us up early in the morning and we headed to the Village of Bilapoli. By the time we arrived, they had already started their worship service. We joined right in and received such warm, sincere smiles. Mary Kathryn and I both shared our testimonies, words of encouragement, and what we did in America. I could feel the love of God in this church and Jesus radiated through the member’s faces. We then went to the
home of the interim pastor for a delicious lunch. We asked if we could go to our next appointment early and we all decided to give it a try. We went to the home of a choir member, and her daughter and mother were there. As we shared the Gospel, both of these people accepted the Lord. There were also three little girls sitting in the room. I wasn’t sure what the older people would do, but I pulled out my power bands and walked through the Plan of Salvation. I had written the explanation After the evening service, we went to a flat for one last visit for the evening. It had gotten cold and was raining. They arranged benches outside that were full of people. Mary Kathryn shared her testimony and then I started to go through the Plan of Salvation. I had an eerie feeling, one that is hard to explain. I soon realized what it was. As I looked into one lady’s face, I saw nothing but cold and evil. Soon a group of young boys came around and started to disrupt the meeting. One man told me that he had been through a great deal and could not make a decision right then. I thanked him for his honesty and he promised that he would read our testimonies again. The rest of the people accused us of not telling them the truth and said this was a waste of time. Nobody would receive Jesus that night. As the rain fell, I felt the angels in heaven were crying over these blind, lost souls. Friday June 16, 2000 After breakfast, we went to our first appointment. Both of the ladies were Christians, but we didn’t realize that until after we shared our testimonies. They wanted information on the church and baptism, and we asked Victor to provide the necessary information. The visit was finally ready to start and Mary Kathryn shared God’s love with the group of six people. It was raining again, but everyone was very attentive and four people accepted the Lord. As we were talking, some more people walked up. We started to share with them but they were not interested. Marina told us they were gypsies, but we continued just to talk with them. We allowed them to ask us questions and politely and lovingly answered them. We had lunch at the home of the person that invited us and then we headed out again. We drove to the next visit, which was in a flat. After my previous experience with an elevator, I chose to walk the nine flights and everyone else followed me. A church member invited us to visit her sister and brother-in-law. The couple listened to every word that was said and told us they were ready to accept Jesus. I led them through a prayer of forgiveness and they asked Jesus into their hearts. They thanked us for coming to Ukraine and for visiting them. That evening, before Stephen preached, I presented the church This evening we experienced a very special visit. We all went to the flat and stood outside the door waiting for someone to answer. The young couple invited us into their home and asked if we could meet in the kitchen because their baby was sleeping. Here were three Americans, two interpreters, a deacon and the young couple, trying to fit into a room big enough for two people. But none of that mattered. Stephen shared his testimony and started through the Plan of
Salvation. The couple quietly answered all the questions, but when asked
if they were ready to accept Jesus the husband said no. Stephen asked the wife to pray for forgiveness and to ask Jesus into her life. As we stood to pray, we only expected to hear the sweet voice of the wife. Instead we heard two voices. Stephen continued to lead them through the prayer while I praised and thanked God for these two precious souls. Our God is so powerful and I thank Him for that. We left the building, walking about ten feet off the ground. Those two people were not saved because of us, but because our Father called them into His family that night! We were very thankful to be a part of this special moment. Saturday June 17, 2000 We left early and traveled one and a half hours to a village that had a struggling mission church. The church deacon that came with us started to go door to door and gather people. The first group of seven people listened intently as I shared my testimony. Two of the people were already Christians and the other five made professions of faith. God spoke to my heart as I shared with them. The people in this village must live off of the land. All of their food is grown, except for the few chickens and cows. I saw the tiredness in their faces and the aging to their bodies. I prayed for God to continue to meet their every need, provide them with physical rest, and restore joy to their hearts. The next group had four people who repented from their sins after Mary Kathryn went through the Plan of Salvation. She sang them a song and you could see their hearts soften and warm smiles appear on their faces. We met about ten children along the way to our next visit. They were hesitant to talk with us, but Mary Kathryn got out her Nerf football. Their curiosity level increased and we taught them how to throw the ball back and forth. They had never seen a ball like this before! After the evening service at Central Baptist, we had
a very special They agreed and started to sing praise and worship choruses. We finished this warm fellowship with cookies and coke.
Our hearts were knit together in a special way, a way that many people will never experience. We live half a world apart and yet we have the same Father; we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We will leave a part of ourselves with them and yet we will take a part of them with us. We prayed that we would once again see each other. Sunday June 18, 2000 Do you know the feeling you have when you see a long lost friend? That is what we each felt this morning as all the Americans and Nationals came back to Central Baptist Church. We had not seen each other for a week and we were anxious to hear all the stories. The church overflowed with people as we had an uplifting praise service. We shared what God had done during the past week through
testimonies
and special music. God was glorified as Naomi Miles sang the first verse
of "How Great Thou Art" and the Pastor sang the second verse. Monday June 19, 2000 Going home day! We went shopping for about an hour at a market on the way to the airport. This began the very long journey home. |
When we arrived in Sumy, we decided to stop at the local McDonalds.
By the look on the
manager’s face, I am not sure he appreciated twenty-six Americans and six Nationals
walking into his store. Oh well. Stephen gave me money and we each placed four orders at a time.
There was only slight confusion and we all eventually received our orders. Stephen
treated us to ice cream cones and then it was time to board the bus
again. I am confident that McDonalds didn’t appreciate us as much as
we appreciated them!
The young man prayed to
receive Jesus and asked for forgiveness for his sins. We soon arrived at the main church for
the crusade, Central Baptist Church. The local church members, Nationals,
and the interpreters welcomed us with great enthusiasm. As a special
bonus and blessing, I saw Mick
Stockwell when I got off the bus. I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet Mick last fall when he spoke at my church. Mick
and his family
serve as IMB Missionaries in Kharkov, and Stephen had asked him to
preach at the opening rally.
we had the opportunity to share with several
people. Mary Kathryn shared her testimony and went through the Plan of Salvation.
Five people repented of their sins and asked Jesus into their lives. PTL! As we visited with the people
afterward, we were introduced to
their goats and kittens. At the evening service, Mary Kathryn sang again
and the pastor asked me to share about our visits. However, my
interpreter told the pastor that she didn’t want to translate, so I
didn’t have the opportunity to share.
gentleman standing outside. I motioned for him to come with us,
but he hesitated. I asked Marina to tell him to come with us. When she said that he
wasn’t the person we were planning to visit, I told her that it was okay
because God’s Word is for
everyone. So she told the gentleman to come along with us and he marched
right across the street. I shared my testimony and Plan of Salvation,
and even though the entire time the chickens and other animals felt the
need to be disruptive, both men accepted Jesus. The man that "wasn’t
invited" then shared with us that his wife was very ill.
Mary Kathryn sang again and Stephen preached.
I shared about
our visits and challenged the church members to schedule appointments with
people for us to visit. I thanked them for the visits that we had so far and for their
concern about us
getting too tired. I explained to them that we came to Ukraine to work,
work, work.
to
hear what we had to say. I shared my testimony and went through the Plan
of Salvation. Five ladies and one girl prayed to receive Jesus! We then had a
feast, great fellowship,
and we answered many questions about America and ourselves. After dinner the pastor
shared about being a Christian and the need to pray, read the Bible, attend church and about
believers’ baptism.
who hardly eats anything at home, ate her entire meal. The most precious
and priceless moment came when the little boy opened his Happy Meal box. His
eyes became like saucers and he had a grin from ear to ear. His dad beamed with joy while he
watched his son.
They served us some sort of
meat and rice patty and it was excellent, followed by a wonderful, sinful, high
caloric dessert. After a time of fellowship, we headed back to Sumy. We
met our driver who took us to the hospital. We thought we had permission
to visit patients in a certain area. When we got there, we were told
that we were not allowed to be there and we were escorted out.
in English and Russian and the little girls thought that was "very cool." They were proud to
wear these bracelets and promised me
that they would share with their friends what each colored bead stood
for. Mary Kathryn took their picture as they held up their wrists so
that we could see the bracelets.
with a plaque from Mary Kathryn, Stephen and me. It had the date of the crusade, the place,
and "International Crusades, a small part to evangelize the world." I
told the
church that the crusade should continue even after we left. We are a
small part, but they can continue where we left off.
Mary Kathryn and
I started to pray very hard. Stephen gave additional explanations and
examples and the husband still said no. The deacon and one of the interpreters shared
with him and he still
said no. Stephen asked the wife if she wanted Jesus and she said yes. He then
asked her if she wanted her husband in heaven with her and she said yes. He
told her
to tell her husband that. I am not sure what the wife said, but you
could tell the husband’s heart was melting. She then told him that
their faith was in their parents and if something happened to the parents, where would they be.
meeting with the youth and young adults. Stephen used the Evangecube, a wordless
cube, to share the
Gospel and nobody responded, but we believed they were all Christians.
Mary Kathryn and I explained the power bands and gave each of them two
bracelets. We challenged them to share their faith with their friends
and stressed the point that they were the next Central Baptist Church.
Mary Kathryn and I went to Pastor’s house for a fantastic dinner
and koininia. He gave each of us a beautiful gold vase and an even more beautiful
message.
Everyone joined in for the last verse and you knew the angels were
rejoicing in heaven. There were tears of joy and sadness as we boarded
our bus and headed back to Kiev.
The Pastor asked me to come back next
year and work with him again. I told him that I could not promise
anything, but that I planned on coming to Kiev next summer. I invited
him to Kiev next year and that maybe we could work together then.