Featured Photo: Our efforts continue to be multipronged! Good classes and follow-ups in the Ivano-Frankivsk Region as well as meetings to plan coordinated efforts in multiple areas. Each day is crammed full of activity.
Jared’s Comments…
Our class tonight was the best one we had yet at the school! Gif recommended at some point we talk about ethics and morals with the kids and tonight was the night. Just so everyone is aware since this event is hosted by the school we have to abide by school policies, which means we cannot teach about religion or faith unless we are asked by the kids. This has made these lessons and discussions extra challenging since I am used to using scripture and Bible stories to teach. Also, it has been a source of frustration, but we do not want to damage our good relationship that we have with the school.
The kids asked me when I would be back in Ukraine and I told them, I didn’t know for sure, but I was able to point to Gif in the room and say, “I will leave ‘Cowboy’ with you!” It is the biggest compliment in the world to them that Gif left America to live in Ukraine. I pray that their relationship with Gif will continue to develop and one day some kids at the school may step into the church and hear the Gospel in its beauty and entirety. Continue to pray for us and our friends in Ukraine!
Today was our last day at the schools in Ukraine! We made some wonderful connections with both the teachers and the students. Today we were with some of the older students and we were able to convince some of them to join us for our last lesson tonight in the school. In our night lessons we usually averaged around 20-25 every night and the age ranged from 9th-10th grade. The older kids were very busy with their studies and were not able to attend most nights. Sadly most of the kids went home for the weekend so we weren’t sure how many students we would have tonight, and we were worried we might only have a couple of people.
We were surprised to see around 12 of the older male students from our class today showed up to our night class! They were a great group and we had a lot of fun. Tonight, Whitney and I led a discussion on the importance of serving others, and the boys made some great contributions to the conversation as well.
Avery’s comments…
Tonight, we concluded our studies in 1 Corinthians with the congregation. We had great feedback and a lot of great questions each night during our studies. I wish I had enough time to study every book of the Bible with this amazing group of Christians! We also met with the student and teachers at the local school again today. We all look forward to meeting with them again tomorrow morning and tomorrow evening! To God be the Glory!
Whitney’s comments…
I spent the afternoon prepping my lesson for the Ladies Day as it is the First Ladies day I’ve done completely by myself. I got myself a cup of Ukrainian hot chocolate to get my creative juices flowing. Then we were off to the school for our last night of games and discussion with the students. We were told that many students can’t come tonight because the students that live at the dorms have to go home for the weekend, but thankfully we still had a good crowd!
“It is the biggest compliment in the world to them that Gif left America to live in Ukraine.”
Significant developments…
We continue to see fruits from our efforts. Two that are most memorable to me on this day were: First, Gif received a call to teach a Bible Class at one of the Rehabilitation Clinics in the city! Second, the last few days I have been traveling with Valery and spending hours on the road. He has initiated a number of conversations asking about biblical issues. This morning, we enjoyed at 2+ hour drive back to Ivano-Frankivsk and as soon as I got into the car he said, “Can you tell me some practical facts about water baptism in the Bible?” So the entire trip discussed this topic.
Continue praying for our efforts. Opportunities continue to present themselves in amazing ways!
John L. Kachelman, Jr., Dalraida Church of Christ, P. O. Box 3085, Montgomery, AL 36109
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