Heather is off! The rest of the team leaves Sunday!

We saw Heather Harris off at the airport this morning!  She is leaving ahead of the team to visit some friends she has made during her previous two trips through Midtown.  Please pray for her safety and that the Lord would be preparing her heart to visit the orphanages next week.

The rest of the team leaves Sunday for Ukraine, and will be traveling A LONG WAY to visit the kids you are praying for.  We will see them Wednesday - Friday, January 5-7.

Please pray for us! - You can be a part of this mission too by praying for us! 

Please pray for safe travels, of course (especially for road conditions on our 8 hour bus ride from Kiev to Kharkov).  But also please be praying for all of us as individuals, that we would stay connected to the Lord during this time, that our focus would be on Him, and that we would look to him for our strength and energy as we get tired, that we would trust in his plan when we get frustrated, and that we would believe the truth of the Gospel when our hearts are broken by the situation these children are in.

It should be an amazing time.  Thank you for your support!

Meet the Team: Barbara Smith

A while back this year, I heard a sermon from one of the ministers in Ukraine associated with MDI. I remember one sentence from his sermon, and it has been persistently on my mind ever since. He was encouraging the congregation to care, really care, for people in other places. He said, "How far is your love?" It really struck me and it hasn't let me go since.

There is also one more thing. A bit before this time, God had been putting orphans (all orphans) on my mind. So I've had the two nagging things going on inside of me, yet I can seriously tell you that I wasn't anxious to go to Ukraine. However, the best way that I can describe my "decision" is to say that at the deadline, actually past the deadline, I felt absolutely compelled to go. I would say that it came in to my head as, "I cannot not go!" (super double negatives!)

Meet the Team: Betsy Trent

"I can't exactly put into words why I want to go on this mission trip. I don't think my vocabulary could do my heart justice. I am overwhelmed by the idea of meeting these children, interacting with them, and simply spending time with them. There's something about just being with people, being in the moment, that binds all of our stories together, and I am so grateful to be a part of their stories and blessed to have them be a part of mine. Whatever our past may hold, whatever we're going through right now, and what the future holds for each of us- somehow it is all relative, because for a few days our paths will cross, and that to me is a beautiful thing."

Meet the Team: Russ Anderson

I am going on this trip because this summer it struck me that the time we had with these kids just wasn't enough. I had been told that the holidays are an especially difficult time for them, and while the idea of taking a trip during the midst of a Ukrainian winter was intimidating, I knew it could also be very powerful and exciting. This is the first time and American team has worked with Radooga anytime other than the summer, and I'm really pumped to be a part of it: for them, for us, and for these children. Merry Christmas.

Pray for their administrators

Kelly Wendel shares with us how we should pray this week:

Pray for their teachers/administrators:

Our trip is now only a little over a week away. Our time with the kids will be short, but precious. Not only do we ask that you pray that our kids’ hearts will be open to receiving God’s love through us and hearing the message of the gospel, but that our presence will impact the orphanage administrators, as well. In summers past, we have seen that the teaching and the interactions that we have with the counselors and administrators have stirred their hearts, as well.

The administrators and teachers at the orphanages have daily contact with the children - they are the only consistent adults and role models in their lives. Please pray that they would come to know Christ and be able to having a lasting, everyday influence in the lives of the orphans. These are the adults that can encourage them in their faith on a daily basis when we cannot. They may be able to help them find ways to get to church on the weekends. They can encourage them in their studies and talk with them about their futures.

So please pray that the orphanage teachers and administrators would be present during our visits and open to the gospel message so that they can speak into the lives of the orphans and encourage them in their faith.

Christmas Gifts

Several of you have asked me if there is an opportunity to give a gift to your child with the team that is leaving January 2.

We wanted to make sure that every child felt special, by getting them each of the 185 or so kids the same thing.  We weren't really sure how we would pull this off, but the Lord stepped in, and a woman from Harpeth Hall donated sweatshirts for each child!

However, to get them over there will require 3-4 extra pieces of checked baggage at $50 per.  Also, our friends in Ukraine have already purchased about $2 worth of candy for each child.

So, for around $3 per child, they can receive a sweatshirt and candy this Christmas!  If you would like to help out, please click the Donate button on the left hand side, and designate your gift for Christmas presents during the payment process.

Used Digital Cameras

One of the things that we most want to do with these kids during our time there is to help them develop life skills.  Over the years we have learned that these kids LOVE taking pictures.  So, this winter, team member Josh Carter will be leading a basic photography lesson for the kids in his group.  We are hoping to gather some used digital cameras that people might be willing to donate (around 10 of them).  If you would like to donate, please email Josh Carter!

Pray for their interactions with us

Here is how to pray this week:

Pray for their interactions with us:

We are leaving in a little over two weeks to visit these children.  When we get there, we are going to have only one day at each orphanage to interact with them.  We need your prayers that our interactions with them would be meaningful to them!

What we have learned over the past two summers is that these kids are very skeptical of us.  Many think that we are getting paid to be there.  They don't quite know what our intentions are, but for the most part they assume our intentions aren't good.  We won't have a lot of time this trip to work on breaking walls down.  We won't have as much time for relationship building as we'd like.

So please pray that God would supernaturally open doors for amazing interactions in such a brief time.  Pray that these children would be open to us, and especially open to the message of the Gospel that they are LOVED, not only by us but more importantly by the Lord.

Thank you for your continued commitment to pray for these special children!

Meet the Team: Lindsay Anderson

Why I am going on this trip....

I believe that God has called His people into missions to serve His people. I believe God will use me to love these children that he desparately loves, and longs to have intimate relationships with. I believe God uses relationships to CHANGE LIVES. I feel blessed that Midtown is sending a group to Ukraine and that I get to be a part of it!

Meet the Team: Torrey Swan

I'm going on the trip because I love kids and I think that all kids deserved to be shown that love. Christmas time should be a joyful time for everyone, but for the kids with no families, it is just another reminder that they are alone. This is one of the best opportunities to show these kids how much they mean to us!

Pray for their futures

Heather Harris once again brings our prayer request this week:

Pray for their future, and that they would think seriously about their future

The children we serve in Kharkov are between the ages of 8 to 19. Most of them are on the older end and are nearing graduation from their boarding school/orphanage. Statistics show that most orphans don't do well with the transition into a university or vocational school and the majority drop out within the first year. After living most of their lives in an institution, they are not equipped to handle simple life skills like going to class or living in an apartment. Not only have they not been adequately prepared leading up to graduation, but once they leave the orphanage they are left with virtually no support system. Imagine your first semester at college without parents, family, or anyone simply encouraging you in a new experience. Even someone prepared for life after high school would struggle without any support.

Many of them also have no idea what they want to do with their future. They live in the moment and most have no plans outside of what they're doing that afternoon. They don't always have clear aspirations of what "they want to be when they grow up." The future is bleak for them and knowing the stories of other graduates, they believe their options are limited. Others may have an idea or a dream about a job and a life after graduation but again, don't have the resources or the support to make it happen.

Pray that they would begin to think about their future and possible options for schools and jobs. Pray that those with plans would find encouragement and support from each other or other people in their lives. Also, since knowing these kids for the past 2.5 years, we know many kids in their first year of college/vocational school. Pray that those already out of the orphanage would have support in their hope to obtain a degree and create a better future for themselves.


Please also lift up the 11 of us who will be leaving in just a few weeks, on January 2!  To meet us and learn more about our stories, visit midtowninukraine.blogspot.com.

Thanks to all of you who joined us this past Sunday to pray for these kids!  We ended up finding some space on the second floor of the skate park (which is through the coffee bar at Rocketown).  That is where we'll be meeting at 9:30 am once a month until further notice.  Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 16, where the returning team can give a full report on the success of our trip.

Don't forget to join the Facebook group !

TEAM MEMBERS NEEDED

JUNE 27 - JULY 9, 2011

Uh oh, there's Uncle Sam.  And what is he saying?  He's saying that maybe YOU need to spend your Independence Day on a mission to work with these children in Ukraine!

In all seriousness, we still need about 10 people from Midtown Fellowship to join our team!  I would love to talk to you about it. Click on "Summer 2011 trip" for more info and how to contact me.

Meet the Team: Josh Carter

When I was young my dad took many mission trips to Ukraine, even planting a church in his time there. This church is still involved with MDI and continues to minister to the people of Ukraine. Given my (I lived in a neighboring country for a time) and my family's history with the region I jumped at the opportunity to travel there again. I am very much looking forward to not only returning to the region but spending time and laughs with the children of Ukraine during this wonderful season.

Meet the Team: Kelly Wendel

When I signed up to go to Ukraine two summers ago, it was mostly about simply going on a mission trip

– something that I had always wanted to do. I quickly realized that this experience in Ukraine was not

going to be a onetime trip to check off my to-do list, but was instead about nurturing relationships with

these kids who had stolen my heart. Both times that we left the camp, my first thought was, “I have to

come back.” These children have experienced too many broken promises and I do not want to be yet

another person who has walked in and out of their life. I want to do my best to show them that they are

loved and remembered…not only by me and the rest of the team, but by their Heavenly Father who will

never leave them.

Pray for their relationships

Sorry we missed you last week because of the holiday, but I hope everyone had a great one.

Heather Harris brings our prayer request this week:

Pray for their relationships with each other

As Midtowners, we know the importance of community. We intentionally place people in our lives to walk our journey with us, holding us accountable and lifting us up in prayer. Our kids in Kharkov unfortunately don't always have this in their lives. There are not many great adult role models to serve as mentors for them at school or in their lives. Their relationships with each other are often based on a "survival of the fittest" mentality in which they might have acquaintances, but ultimately are looking out for themselves. Their trust has been betrayed time and time again throughout their lives. Many of the kids will tell you things like "only the strong survive in this world" and "I know I am alone and have to make my own way." Their relationships with each other are very surface level even when some of them have been at the same orphanage together for 10+ years. A specific older boy was surprised when asked if he would miss his friends at his orphanage when going away to vocational school. His surprise was summed up by saying, "I've never had anyone in this life. It is silly to miss people."

So this week, pray that they the Lord would begin to help them recognize their need for each other. Pray that their hearts and minds would be filled with encouragement for one another rather than distrust. Pray that the American team and Radooga staff's relationships with each other would be a good example for them of healthy, Christ-centered relationships. Pray that somehow amidst all the pain and broken promises, the Lord would provide them with compassion and the ability to trust each other.

Thank you for praying this week. 

Also, please remember that this Sunday, December 5, we will have our first prayer meeting before church at 9:30 am.  We will meet in the main area and then try and find a spot to sit down and pray.  This is the place to come if you want more information on your specific child, as past team members will be attending this meeting.  Please bring their photo with you to the meeting and we can tell you more about them, personally.

Meet the Team: Heather Harris

"...to be in a relationship with God is to be loved purely and furiously. And a person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he can't accept who God is; a Being that is love. We learn that we are lovable or unlovable from other people...That is why God tells us so many times to love each other." — Donald Miller

The opportunity to love these kids in Ukraine and be in relationships with them has stolen my heart. It is a privilege to know them and through this, the Lord has begun to reveal a greater understanding of His extravagant Love for me. This Love must be shared. I'm thankful and excited to return to my precious kids."

Meet the Team: Lori Martin

Here on our team's blog, we will be posting each team member's "WHY" regarding the trip in January. All of us fell in love with the kids and each of us express that in a beautifully different way. First up...Lori!

I am returning to Kharkov, Ukraine in January because my life was completely turned upside down by meeting these beautiful kids. I saw myself in them, but I'm quite sure they've suffered much more than I can even imagine. I feel God pulling me toward them. I feel the need to show them that they are very important and that they are loveable. Even if it's just a fleeting memory to them when they are sitting on a street corner someday, I want them to know that at least one person loved them. Sometimes, it's enough to change a life.

- Lori Martin

Ukraine featured on NPR

NPR did a story on the current deterioration of democracy in Ukraine during yesterday's Morning Edition program.  It's worth a listen if you want a quick understanding on why working there right now is so crucial...

Pray for their identity (Week 2)

Pray for this child's personal identity

Middle school and High school can be difficult times for anyone, but imagine what it must be like living without loving parents, or having been abandoned by them.  Their existence is one of constant competition with the other children, and they are continually searching for how to identify themselves.  Like most kids they are trying to be the strongest, toughest, prettiest, or coolest, but unlike most kids they don't have anyone telling them at the end of the day that they are special just the way they are.

Some of them who have been in the orphanage for several years have seen other children get adopted before them.  How devastating that must be.  They have all dealt with so much abandonment, and they often pin the blame for it squarely on themselves.

This is one of the reasons why the message of Christ is so important for them to hear (and to understand).  The truth is that they do have a Father who loves them, and loves them without them having to change a thing about themselves - they don't have to be anybody else or define themselves any other way.  Pray that they would believe they are VALUABLE!

Thank you in advance for praying this week. 

Also, please mark your calendars for Sunday, December 5.  We will have our first prayer meeting before church at 9:30 am.

Yard Sale/Bake Sale to support the team in January

The team in January is putting on a Yard Sale and Bake Sale this Saturday November 13, from 7am - 12 pm at the Hope Center in 12th South.

Please come for a bargain on something retro and help get us back over to Ukraine to visit these kids during one of the most lonely times of year for them!

How to begin to pray for these kids

Many people want a way to get involved with Midtown's ministry in Ukraine, but for whatever reason are not able to physically go on a trip to be with these children one on one.  So we are inviting our community to get involved by committing to seriously pray for these children.

All of us who have been to Ukraine will testify as to how important your role as a prayer warrior for this child could be.  James tells us that our prayers are powerful and effective (James 5:16).  It's one of the primary ways that God calls us into participating in the work He is doing in the world.  I'd encourage you to view this not as an obligation but as an opportunity to partake in God's plan for this child.

So, how do you pray for them?  Every week, we'll make a post just like this from me or from another member of our most recent team with a specific way to pray for your child that week.  This week:

Pray that this child would have a relationship with Christ

Okay, this seems kind of obvious, but I am serious.  Many of these children know a lot of Bible stories.  They have heard the gospel preached to them several times (most recently by us).  Many of them have even "accepted" Jesus.  But they don't go to church.  It's likely they are not even allowed to.  So for those who believe in Jesus and for those who have not yet come to know him, we must pray that the Lord will supernaturally sustain them through this period of life until they can become part of a Christian community. Pray that whatever seeds have been planted the Lord would see bear fruit, even if it's not right now.

Thank you again for joining us in our ministry to these children. Over the next few months there will be even more ways to get involved, from sending letters to your child, to buying them a Christmas gift, to going with us and meeting them yourself.  Keep checking for some more things happening.

About the kids we serve

Russ has given some basic information about Ukraine and the issues facing orphans there. But what about our kids?

The orphaned children we visit live in (or in suburbs of) Kharkiv, Ukraine. Kharkiv is the second largest city in Ukraine with a population of around 1.75 million. It is in extreme Eastern Ukraine so it is much more Russian-influenced than Kiev, the country's capital. The children we visit primarily speak Russian as a first language rather than Ukrainian which is more widely spoken in central and Western Ukraine.

Our kids come from three different orphanages that are located around Kharkiv. They range in age from 8-19. In the summer of 2010, there were around 175 children at camp most of which were boys. Many of the children suffer from physical issues due to institutionalized rearing. Many are extremely small for their age and are shorter in stature. Some have mental or social delays that often go undiagnosed. But these children are also incredibly talented and gifted in many ways. So many of them are amazing artists. There are great singers, dancers, rappers, gymnasts. Many of the boys are incredible soccer players and can beat ANY of the Americans in ping-pong.

But one of the most important things to remember about these children is they each have a life story that is unique to them. Many of the children are at the orphanage because they were removed from their homes by the government due to abuse or neglect. Others are there because their parents were put in jail or died. Some of the children lived on the street for a period of time before coming to the orphanage. There are some children that appear to have been simply "given" to the orphanage by a parent that could not handle raising a child. This further reminds our team how important relationships with the kids become. It is so important to know each one of the kids and their specific story in order for us to build lasting bonds with them. Often, though, the kids are very reluctant to discuss the past and sometimes instead weave inconsistent stories instead of sharing the painful details.

After spending the past two summers with the same group of children, it is apparent to our team that these children simply want to be known. They want to be heard and loved and encouraged. It's often difficult for them to accept this affection, but it is obvious to our team and those that work with them that this is their true desire...as it is for all of us.

Thanks to those who are stepping into the journey of knowing these kids. A member of our team recently told me that our work with these kids is "eternal." Might be a hard concept to understand when there is a picture of an unfamiliar child on your fridge, but praise God He gives us the opportunity to show His Love to these kids. Thank you for your prayers!

-Heather

All about the Orphans of Ukraine

The situation facing orphan children in Ukraine, and their need for the love of Christ is overwhelmingly desperate. According to UNICEF, there were some 65,000 children living in state-run orphanages in 2005, with the number doubling every ten years (http://www.unicef.org/ukraine/children.html). Add to that factor the large number of orphans now living on the street, and most estimate the actual figure in 2009 as being between 100,000 and 120,000 orphans in the country.

The vast majority of the children in these state-run institutions have been abandoned by their mothers and fathers, or taken away from them because they were no longer fit to parent. Many of these children have been abused physically and/or verbally, and suffer from detachment disorders or other mental illness. However, the real crisis for these children begins when they are turned away from these facilities in their mid to late teens. It is then that any and all support is taken away from them. Many of these children end up homeless, living on the streets having to fend for themselves. Drug use is rampant. Orphan boys living on the street most often lead lives of crime. Many of the orphan girls will resort to prostitution or become victims of human sex trafficking, a problem greatly on the rise in Ukraine. Perhaps saddest of all, many of these children will turn to suicide before their 18th birthday.

These children, before they are left alone, need something bigger than themselves to live for. They need to learn that they are a part of a family; that if they receive Jesus Christ they have been given “the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). They need to be told that their lives have value; that ultimately they are loved by God through Christ, even if everyone else in their life has abandoned them. These children know rejection and pain so well. They need to know that Jesus 8 is not some character in a book, but a living savior who has come to rescue them from their sinful nature, and the broken world they inhabit because of it. This is the precise message Midtown wants these kids to learn in the crucial years before it is too late. By working with Radooga, this is the message that we can bring.

Why Ukraine?

Ukraine may not seem like the most obvious place for a church to get involved.  You may not have even known until now where to find Ukraine on a map.  But in fact, Ukraine is a very needy country indeed, but is also a country that has seen great fruit from the involvement of missionaries from the west since communism fell in 1991.

Ukraine has 46 million people.  That's more than countries such as Canada and Australia, by quite a bit.  It used to be part of the Soviet Union, and ever since it has been struggling to find its identity as an independent nation.  The people have been struggling, too.  Here are some not so impressive statistics about Ukraine:

• Fastest spreading HIV/AIDS epidemic outside of the African continent
• Suicide rates double the European average
• Life expectancy 10+ years less than European average
• Alcoholism responsible for 12% or all disease
• Preventable accidents are the leading cause of death among men (usually caused by alcohol)
• 100,000+ orphans in the country, countless others living on the streets

But where there are great challenges, the greater a community can see the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

For our community, we've been drawn into Ukraine by the relationship and invitation of Oleg Vasilevsky, President of Radooga Ministries.  Our community also has a background there, as two of our founding elders have been deeply connected to the nation from before our church even existed.

Midtown took its first team in 2008 to work with Radooga at an English language camp.  Recently, the ministry has focused around a particular group of orphans in Kharkov, Ukraine, in conjunction with Radooga.