Updates and info regarding short-term mission trips sponsored by Grace Bible Church of Columbia, MO.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Closing Ceremony
We fly out tomorrow afternoon and arrive in Columbia by Sunday evening; pray for safe travel. Lord-willing, our next update will be in person!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tonight
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Much Ado
Sunday was an immersion into cultural experiences, as we attended Ukrainian churches in the morning, enjoyed a local "steakhouse" for lunch, and then John, Corinne, and Hilary treated our hostesses to an opera while Conrad attended an evening church service with a student and spoke to the youth group.
We began our second week of clubs with anticipation yesterday, discussing the miracle of Jesus' healing the blind man last night and the trial of Jesus before Pilate tonight. Many of the students are very receptive and contemplative as they consider the claims of Jesus. We are encountering some students who are familiar with the facts of the gospel story but have not yet believed, many who are hearing it for the first time, and others who are deeply seated in their own beliefs. Pray that God would continue to reveal the truth of who He is through His word, that students would consider what the claims of the gospel mean for them individually, and that we would all have wisdom in how to best communicate God's love with our students. We will be discussing the parable of the sower and the four types of soil tomorrow and directly sharing the gospel and our testimonies on Thursday. Please also pray for John, as he has been fighting a fever today.
Friday, February 13, 2009
One Week In
This weekend will mean a break from our English Club schedule, but will still be full. We will do some sightseeing on Saturday, and then in the evening we are hosting an American Valentine's Day Party (because in America, we do this all the time?). It will be a great time to meet with the students outside of class, giving them the chance to talk with us and the Campus staff, as well as enjoy games and tastes of American culture and food. Sunday we will attend church with Anya and Alina, and later in the day we hope to have the opportunity to treat our wonderful hostesses to an opera at the famed Opera House. Please pray that the party will provide a great opportunity to interact with students and that we will find rest and refreshment for our second week.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Light in the Darkness
Tonight's clubs have continued to go well, and our team is extremely grateful for any prayer on our behalf. Typically a number of students do not return after the first couple of days, but we retained almost all of them and had new students attend too. We began our first Biblical discussion with the story of the Good Samaritan, to open up questions of obtaining eternal life, loving God and others, and the hindrance of sin. Pray that we will continue to be sensitive to God's leading as we prepare our lessons, and especially during out discussion times. Also pray that the Crusade staff will have opportunities to begin relationships with these new students that can continue after we are gone. We completed our clubs this evening excited about the potential that lies ahead of us; thank you for partnering with us in bringing the light of the gospel to each of our students!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
First Day in Ukraine
We arrived safely Sunday in Odessa, Ukraine, and although tired, we have acclimated well to a new time zone and culture. After a good night’s sleep, we spent most of Monday passing out flyers on several university campuses. Around 100 students came to the testing last night, where we determined who would be placed in our beginner, intermediate, and advanced clubs. Today the phones have been ringing off the hook as students are calling Alina and Anya, the Campus Crusade staff we are working with, to find out if they were accepted. Classes begin at 6:00pm (10:00am CST), and we were able to keep 75 students. John Pasquet will be teaching the beginner class, Conrad Hake will be teaching the intermediate, and Corinne Smeda and Hilary Dorr will be teaching the advanced.
After feedback from cultural perspectives of past students, we have made a few changes to our teaching curriculum. Pray that we will be able to adjust smoothly to the changes, and that we will be able to effectively reach the students. Also pray that we will retain students through these first few key days.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Ukraine Team Prepares for Departure
Our Ukraine team leaves on Saturday morning from the church at 9:00am. Please pray for safety as we travel and a quick adjustment to time, culture, and climate differences, and pray that God will prepare our hearts and the hearts of the students we will be meeting soon!
Our February 2009 Ukraine Team is John Pasquet, Corinne Smeda, Hilary Dorr, and Conrad Hake.