Update from Kharkov, Ukraine

Hello Midtowners:

The team has arrived back in Nashville safely and have returned (or attempted to return) to our normal routines and lives. Encouraging news came to us today from the pastor of the local church in Kharkov we partnered with this year. We are extremely excited that this year there is now a community in the kids' own city ready to minister to them.

Here is what Pastor Slavic had to say:
Greetings to you by the grace and peace of Our God Jesus Christ from the church "Revival", Kharkov!

I want to thank you and all your team for the work you've done for the glory of the Lord at the camp for orphans. God bless you for your hearts loving orphans in Ukraine. I believe that your work was not in vain because in the first Sunday after the camp a group of children came to a service in our church.
I believe that all together we will be glad to see good fruit in Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:1-11).

Best regards,
pastor Slavic Khramov

And just minutes ago, the church's youth pastor Slava posted these photos with the following description:  These guys came to us on Sunday, they woke up at 5 and skipped breakfast to do this. Pray for church people to be ready to accept these kids

For those that have been traveling to see these kids since 2009, this news is better than anything we could have ever imagined. It was a dream one year ago for these kids to have a Christian community in their own city. To see this fruit is a gift from God. Pray pray pray pray for Revival church in Kharkov. Pray that their church members that were not at camp with us would be just as loving and accepting of these precious kids as their camp staff was. Pray for these kids to find community and a loving family in this church. Our God is so Good. 

Snapshots

Some photos of camp have already surfaced...

Headed west

Heather Harris made the obligatory Facebook check-in from the McDonald's in Poltava, Ukraine:

"The team is enjoying lunch on the way home from camp here in Poltava. Amazing experiences and many stories to tell upon our return. We love and miss you all. Thank you for all your prayers and support."

Angel Bachuss posted: "Camp is over :( Heading back to Kiev" But she also posted this picture of Prithvi:

So, the team has begun it's trip back to the US.

How to pray

• Pray for the children they've just left. Many of them have told us over the years that Radooga camp isn't just the highlight of their summer, it's the highlight of their year. Many tears were shed around the bus as the team left. Pray for the hearts of the children.
• Pray for the team as they'll take a little time in Kiev to decompress. This is an important time for them. Pray that they can relax, not be too ready to go home, and have some fun! Also that they would form even tighter relationships with each other, ones that will have an impact on our community back home.
• Pray of course, for traveling mercies.

Thanks everyone,

Russ

A must-read post from Kharkiv

This comes from the Radooga blog yesterday. There's no byline, but I'm pretty sure this one is from Heather Harris:

"Our days here are filled with evidence of the Lord’s work. The Ukrainian and American teams are unified and none of us can believe tomorrow is our last full day of camp. There are many amazing things happening here, but we want to share one specific story from today. 

In 2010, after two summers spent here at camp, people at Midtown Fellowship were invited to take a picture of a specific orphan and commit to pray for them. Prithvi Muddana picked a random picture of a boy named Dima and has been praying for him for the past two years. Prithvi had the opportunity to join our team this year in Ukraine. All week, Prithvi has wanted to meet Dima but it just hadn’t happened yet. Tonight, after our evening discussion time with the kids, Dima struck up a conversation with a couple team members. Prithvi was nearby and decided to go introduce himself. The conversation, though, was an important one. Dima made the decision tonight to follow Christ. He prayed for the Lord to enter his life as his Savior. After Dima finished praying, Prithvi approached him and told him he had been praying for him for the last two years and that he was very excited to finally meet him. It was a beautiful moment that felt so incredibly perfect and holy. We almost can’t believe that Prithvi, after faithfully praying for this child, would then be able to witness the divine moment where Dima made this life-changing decison. But we serve a God that can do the things we believe to be impossible. We serve a God that loves us so much He would orchestrate these glimpses for us of the work He is doing. We serve a Great God indeed. 

Please pray for our last full day of camp tomorrow. Pray for strength and energy. Pray that we would be willing to submit to the Lord’s authority and His perfect plans. Camp AICT is a special place. The Lord has done and continues to do great things here."

Updates from Kharkiv

Team leader Heather Harris posted the following picture Monday to her instagram with a caption saying they made it to Kiev with ALL their luggage:

Then, later on that day, Sergey of Radooga staff posted this photo of the team with the translators and other Americans on the road to Kharkiv.

Then late yesterday, Angel Bachuss posted an update on Radooga's blog. Here's an excerpt:

"The highlight of the day was getting our first introductions to the Kharkov church that we will be working with. This year for the first time there will be local Christians leading camp with us. Our prayer is that this church will continue ministering to these children even when camp is over. Also we want the kids to have a church they can connect with when they leave camp. Today we met a few of the Ukrainian team members. They seem to really have hearts to serve these orphans. It is so encouraging!"

I'll keep digesting as much as I can from all the different social media outlets here, but I would suggest keeping an eye on Radooga's blog if you can, and joining our facebook group if you'd like.

-Russ

And they're off!

Terribly blurry picture of the Ukraine team this morning

Got a text message from Heather just a few minutes ago. The team has boarded their flight to Paris on their way to Ukraine!

How to pray for them

• Please pray that they would find a way to rest on the flight. When they land in Kiev, they'll have a 6 hour wait at the airport until the team of Americans from Pennsylvania will join them. After that, they'll immediately take a bus to Kharkiv (about a 9 hour trip). There's the potential for some seriously jet-lagged people. So please pray that they would all sleep on the flight and bus ride.
• Please continue to pray for the Ukrainian Church partner that will be joining them this summer. This is the first time we've ever been partnered with a specific church to work with the orphans at this camp. Pray that cross-cultural communications would be smooth, and that all involved would be humble servants of Christ.
• Pray for their cohesion with the other team of Americans coming from Pennsylvania (led by John McCants, who was the leader of the team that joined us in 2010). Pray that in the time before camp begins that the two teams could gel, and really become friends before the hard work starts.
• Of course pray for the children! I know they're getting very excited. They've been at this camp a long time with nothing to do.

Updates to follow as I get them...

-Russ Anderson, from the comfort of his desk in Nashville, TN

Meet the Team: Jan Richey

Our team member Jan Richey has already left for Ukraine! He is spending some time visiting orphanages before he joins us at camp. This is Jan's 4th trip to Ukraine.

Pray for Jan's safe travels in and around Kharkov over the next few days.

Meet the Team: Aaron Long

# of Visits to Ukraine: This will be my first

Favorite place you've ever visited: It's a tie between London, Switzerland and Mexico City.

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: Various artists or maybe a nine hour symphony...I'll look into it.

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Food.  I kid.  I'm not sure I will miss any type of food.  Looking forward to trying the Ukrainian quisine I've been hearing so much about.

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: peKAW peKAW

Why you're going this summer: I've felt the pull to go for the past couple of years now.  Instead of getting all Jonah about it, I decided this year is the year I should go.  God has provided so it must be so. 

Meet the Team: Angel Bachuss

Name: Angel Bachuss

# of Visits to Ukraine: 4th visit to Ukraine

Favorite place you've ever visited: Cinque Terre, Italy - Beautful little Italian towns along the Meditteranean cost that you can hike between

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: My ipod is dead, so no music this trip.  I'm currently reading 3 different books:  The China Study, The Historian, and Eat and Run (I have a short attention span )

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Watermelon and strawberries!!!

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: Moledietz (Way to go!)

Why you're going this summer: I'm going this summer to Ukraine because God really loves the people and orphans of Ukraine.  And God has called me to love and serve them.  Also, I'm going because I never feel as joyful, peaceful, and close to God as I do when I'm running around at camp with a bunch of sweaty people yelling in Russian. :)

Meet the Team: Giselle Romero

Name: Giselle Romero

# of Visits to Ukraine: My first time ever!

Favorite place you've ever visited: Santa Inez Canyon running trail in California.

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: Whatever my cool 19 year old cousin downloads on my phone.

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Carnitas y horchata from La Hacienda in Nashville.

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: Dah & nyet

Why you're going this summer: "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it's in your power to act." Proverbs 3:27

Meet the Team: Heather Harris

Name: Heather Harris

# of Visits to Ukraine: This will be my 6th time in Ukraine

Favorite place you've ever visited: International: Independence Square in Kiev at Christmas// US: Zuma Beach, CA with my bro  

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: Always on shuffle so mostly Coldplay, John Mayer, and Andrew Peterson 

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: I'm definitely with Robb on this one. I would kill for some chips and salsa at camp. And fresh veggies. 

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: "тапочки" - pronounced "tapochkee" -it means slippers

Why you're going this summer: There is definitely a sense that going on these trips is my "normal" now. I'm so thankful for the relationships the Lord has given me through my trips to Ukraine with the sweet kids and Radooga friends. My hope this summer is for those relationships to grow deeper in the truth of what the Lord has done and is doing in all our lives. Hoping the Lord will remind me of his Goodness and fill our team's hearts with Grace and Peace. 

Meet the Team: Robb Pring

Name: Robb Pring

# of Visits to Ukraine: 2nd time to the U!

Favorite place you've ever visited: Favorite place visited would be Ukraine,Kiev of course. Puerto Penasco,mexico also has some good memories. Locally anything with some falls or a swimming hole off a good trail is always fun!

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: Music of choice for the flight and bus trip...... My good friend,teammate and coworker mike mcdonald just gave me his old ipod with all new music to me, so I'll def. be rocking out to that. Rap,rock,country,screamo, and a little comedy is whats up.

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Food I will most miss in Ukraine will probably be mexican its just so hard to find some good chips and salsa in Ukraine. Although its equally as difficult to find really good chicken kiev in the states although I heard Russ/Lindsay Anderson can make a mean blini. 

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: Favorite word in russian right now would probably have to be privyet ya'll.... translation hello i believe thats of a southern dialect

Why you're going this summer: my reason for going to camp...Long story short if I can somehow have an impact on these kids as they,the camp, our translators, radooga, and their culture has had on my life then i know its all good. The redemptive power of God is overwhelming to say the least. I am so grateful for my awesome family,great friends, and supporters alike. Everyone who gives  whether it be time, money, or prayer is a part of this so thank you everyone. I know that this is bigger than us, so excited to be a part of this with you    

Meet the Team: Ashley Spilker

Name: Ashley Spilker

# of Visits to Ukraine: This is my first visit to Ukraine. 

Favorite place you've ever visited: The breath-taking beaches of Punta Islita, Costa Rica

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: The Head and The Heart, Madi Diaz, Ray LaMontagne

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Fresh fruit! :-)

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: Spukoynee Nochi (sleep well...it sounds almost like "nighty-night")

Why you're going this summer: I want others to know of the powerful, endless Love of God given to us through the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross. If I believe Christ is who He says He is, then there is no other choice. God says go, so let's go. 

Meet the Team: Lori Martin

Name: Lori Martin

# of Visits to Ukraine: This will be my 4th trip!

Favorite place you've ever visited: Oh, man.  In real life?  I'd have to say Ukraine.  I love Europe, but from a distance.  Sigh.

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: I'll be jamming out to some Otis Redding and other soul (and resisting the urge to break it DOWN), Radiohead, some Don Williams for the homesickness, and some good old Russian rap to get me in the mood for camp!

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Italian EVERYTHING>olive oil, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and basil.  And, red wine.  And, ice cream.

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: It's a tie between zdratsvootye and spokoyne noche.  They both roll off the tongue so well.

Why you're going this summer: I have had this supernatural love for these specific kids ever since I met them in 2010. Their faces cross my mind often.  When I'm staring at a full moon on a cloudless night, when I'm riding my bike on a busy street, when I'm walking to my car after work...when I say my prayers. Some days, it feels like the only thing I really believe in...that God loves them so much and predestined for our paths to cross so they can experience a sliver of what it's like to be loved and treated well.  I feel a deep understanding of their self loathing, their need for attention, and also their love of life and adventure.  I hope and pray that these small moments of personal connection break into some crack in their souls and impact them as their lives continue however empty and unsatisfying that life may seem.  And, honestly?  I wish I could do more.  But, that's up to God; not me.

Meet the Team: Prithvi Muddana

                                       Name: Prithvi Muddana

# of Visits to Ukraine: This will be my first

Favorite place you've ever visited: The sunrise over the Andes Mountains in Peru

Music of choice for our upcoming 9 hour flight: Worship music, a good, healthy dose of country, and some Mumford and Needtobreathe on the side

Food you will miss most while in Ukraine: Chick Fil-A (chicken sandwich with waffle fries and a cookies and cream milkshake)

Favorite word you've learned in Russian so far: Paka paka

Why you're going this summer: I've noticed one thing my life: that I have made very few, if any, decisions on what I would do each step of the way. God has always led me along the right path for my life. This is one of those examples. I picked up a picture of Dima Pelepenko when Midtown did the pray for child board. I prayed for him, went to a few meetings, and God put it on my heart to go. After being unable to go on previous trips, the timing finally worked out for this trip. I love working with kids and have been on a few service trips, but I am excited to be a part of something that's bigger than my daily worries and to see what God has in store for my first mission trip.

Movie Night Fundraiser

Hi guys-
Our summer 2012 team is raising money for our upcoming trip at Midtown Downtown's movie night on July 12th. We will be there selling baked goods and ice cream to enjoy during the movie! Come by and see us!

How to Pray: Surprises

As most of you know, when teams from Midtown head over to Ukraine, we are going for the purpose of working with groups of orphaned children and teenagers. Our teams, during preparation, often talk about expectations of these trips. Over and over again in the time leading up to trips, we remind each other to simply allow things to happen and let God show up.

Obviously, our sole purpose is to share the Gospel with these kids. We want them to understand what this life is all about and share with them God's extravagant love for them. We spend hours talking about ways to reach out to them and how to keep them engaged and interested. Our focus is definitely on the kids as we head to camp.

But this summer, God was working in ways we never would have guessed. While we're at camp, we have an amazing group of translators that work alongside us and provide the American team with a voice to speak the Gospel and love on the kids. These translators are usually young Ukrainian adults who have studied English and have connected with the Radooga ministry to work with them for the summer at camps. One of our translators this year was Dima (center). He grew up in the tradition of the Orthodox church in Ukraine and simply came to camp this summer with a couple of his good friends that have worked with Radooga. During Dima's time at camp, he became our voice to the kids and spent his week translating countless conversations about Jesus, sin, the Gospel, and the struggles of life. The Lord was doing powerful things in Dima and at times translating conversations became a very overwhelming experience for him. After our week at orphan camp, Dima was invited to attend a youth camp the following week as a camper and as he says, "the seeds you planted grew that week." Dima became a Christian at that camp and began his new life in Christ. He now begins the difficult struggle he shares not only with the orphans, but with many in Ukraine, of living as a Christian in a society and culture that is anything but accepting. Dima enters this journey with amazing perspective, an ever positive attitude, and a clear understanding of his hope in Christ. He is currently studying law in Kiev and has the amazing opportunity to make a difference in his country through his passion for helping people, now equipped with the Love of Christ.

Dima's experience opened our eyes to the countless ways the Lord is working in Ukraine and not only with the orphans. It is obvious God is so much bigger than the expectations and plans we have for this ministry. As Dima will tell you, the Lord is all over his past, his decisions, and led him right where he needed to be this summer. His life is such an amazing picture of the beautiful story the Lord is telling in all of our lives and how He is working everything for good.

Pray this week for Dima and all the other young Christians living in Ukraine. Our team is incredibly grateful for their service to us during our time there as well as their friendships. We are all thankful the Lord has woven Midtown and Ukraine together so that we are blessed with the opportunity to have these amazing people in our lives.

How to Pray: Transition

Updates from Midtown in Ukraine have been pretty quiet lately. Unfortunately, so has life for our friends in Ukraine. The kids are currently finishing up their time at camp and boredom is prevalent. This week, there will be tons of transition happening for them as the new school year begins on September 1st. Because the group of kids we've worked with the past two years are older, most of them have finished high school or graduated in May. This transition into adulthood is simultaneously exciting and terrifying for the kids. The excitement is basically a naive one. Their excitement is usually rooted in finally living what many of them call an "independent" life. Sadly, many of them cannot grasp the reality of the lives they are about to step into. Some of them will go to various universities in Kharkov which is an incredibly difficult path for them, but one that could lead to a decent job if they are able to finish. Many of them, however, are headed to vocational schools to learn specific trades or skills. These schools are not necessarily providing them with the best education or the best jobs afterward and are often times dangerous.

For the kids still in middle school and high school, there are changes for them as well. One of the orphanages we work with is shutting down so many of the kids there are being sent to a different orphanage. They are beginning their school year in a new village, a new orphanage, a new home.

In the midst of so much transition, pray that we would be reminded that the Lord is moving in these kids' lives. That He is working all of the uncertainty out for good, even when it seems chaotic. Pray that they would be filled up with a strength and peace that only He can provide in this week of new beginnings.

Next steps?

While we were with the children this summer there was quite a bit of joy. For me personally (and many on the team) there was also a peace about our role in their lives, what we can do for them, and what we must trust God to do.

However, coupled with this peace and trust there is also conviction, and the reality that we have capabilities and resources that God may be calling us to use to do more. I think all of us on the recent team, truly anyone who's ever worked with these kids struggles with finding a balance between wanting to do more and trusting that God loves these children and ultimately will take care of them.

The realities of life in the orphanage, and what's worse, life outside it once they graduate, is so harsh it's nearly impossible to wrap your mind around. We know that God has given us the opportunity, and given you the opportunity, to play a role in their lives through prayer and for some of us, through relationship. We don't exactly know how far He's asking us to step in.

Please pray for the future of this mission from Midtown Fellowship church to this group of orphan children in Kharkov, Ukraine. We are unsure where things may go. If it's just another camp next summer and continuing to pray for them, or if it's something more. The leaders of this summer's trip are meeting today with Randy Draughon to discuss just this.

Photos from camp

Here's a link to some photos from the first few days of camp: https://picasaweb.google.com/russelljanderson/KharkovCamp2011

And if you're on Facebook, Josh Carter's photos are breathtaking: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100322959553355.2625393.9402543