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."