Monday, July 2, 2018

Ukraine Trip

Below is a letter from the team we are traveling with to Ukraine.  Bree and I are very excited for what God has in store for us and the people we meet!


Dear Friends and Family,

Our 8 month journey of preparation for our Ukraine trip has led us to leaving this Monday. Our team is blown away by the way the Lord has blessed us through the partnership of so many of our friends and family.

This last week, we had the opportunity as a team to spend 4 days of training at Oasis Ranch and Retreat Center. We have spent this time being equipped in our spiritual gifts, learning how to abide in Jesus, and how to integrate the love of Christ into new cultures. God truly formed a spiritual family with our team and it has been so evident to see that continued unity as we have spent more time together. We have had some team prayer and worship times and already the Lord has met us in very real and tangible ways.

One of our team activities was to form a team covenant along with some key declarations we hope to live out.  Here is what we came up with. “As Kingdom Carriers, we seek to demonstrate the joy, peace, and love of Christ.”  Through a lifestyle of worship, abiding in presence, selfless service, and walking in sonship.

This Monday we fly out of Wichita around noon and we will arrive in Zaporizhia, Ukraine by the evening of July 3rd. The next morning we load up and drive to the Black Sea for a family camp. This is a camp for at-risk families where the local Mennonite Brethren church serves.  We will be tangibly serving at this camp through teaching, crafts, games, and worship. But mostly we are excited to love on the many kids and parents that will be attending. We will update later on how that week of camp goes and then our other activities.

One of the things we know is that the churches and people we will encounter have been through much suffering. With the war, and so much poverty, it has begun to weigh on them. Our team has been praying that through our lives fresh hope and joy can be released to many.  Please join in prayer that our team would rest in the life of Christ and be the fragrance of his life to many.

Blessings,

Team Ukraine