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.