Sunday Adventures!

Micah, Lori, Misty, and myself ministered in Fastiv this past Sunday. It was a great to fellowship with the Ukrainian believers there, and to see their heart for the Lord, and their passion when they prayed or preached. All of us participated in the service in some way, including our whole group singing four songs for the congregation (one of which in Russian). It was cool to see the expression on the faces of those in the congregation when we started to sing in Russian: they were so exciting to see us “Americans” singing in their language. Micah gave his testimony through our interpreter, and I was able to preach. It was such an amazing time of fellowship and praising our Lord!

-John


What a blessing it was to be a part of the service at Chervona Sloboda! The people were warm and welcoming to our opportunity to minister to them. Not only were we able to minister to them, but they were a great encouragement to us. Dr. Pfaffe had the opportunity to preach and sing a solo :) Amber, Rachel and Eric gave testimonies and we all were able to sing a special of Amazing Grace. When we began singing, the Ukrainian people joined right in. We were all able to worship the Lord in our own tongue because of the common bond we have in Christ.

After the service they treated us to a wonderful Ukranian Baptist potluck (complete with mashed potatoes)! We enjoyed the interaction with the people- thanks to our awesome translator, Tonya. Dr. Pfaffe also enjoyed interaction with some children by playing with bubbles :)

They were so excited to have us, that they all wanted to take a group picture in front of the church after the dinner. What a wonderful memory! I am thankful that, even though we cannot speak the language, we can somewhat understand one another because of the love we share for each other and our Lord Jesus Christ.

* we were not able to upload the pictures... they were too slow but we will get them to you hopefully soon!


-Rachel


Hi from Team Ukraine! Sunday morning was an exciting time in the city of Kiev. Joe, Kaitlyn, and I went with Mr. Barry to a church in downtown Kiev called Abalone. (Check with Mr. Barry on how the spelling is :) ) Joe and Kaitlyn had the opportunity to share their salvation message with the help of our translator Vilva. After some songs from the teen group and some congregational songs, Mr. Barry preached. It was exciting to see an older gentleman go forward and get saved at the end of the service. There is no greater joy than to see someone come to know Christ! The Ukrainians there were very friendly and we found that there were many who spoke some English! We are enjoying our stay here in Kiev and look forward to what God is doing and will continue to do.

-Anna


Greetings from Ukraine! Allison, Paul, Gramps & myself enjoyed ministering at Belogorodka. This was the same church that fed us when we first arrived. The people were so friendly & happy to have us worship with them! Allison was able to share her salvation testimony through our interpreter Tanya. Gramps preached one of the four messages given that morning. Even though we could not understand what was being sung, prayed, or preached, the passion & love for the Lord that the people had was so evident & blessing to our hearts. We had a good time of fellowship with the choir during lunch. We may speak a different language but are definitely one in heart & love in Christ.

-Mrs. Pfaffe (aka the team "Mom")


After the service on Sunday, each of the four groups met up at a park in Kiev. We were joined by fellow believers from the church at Puhova (POO-kho-vah). They sang and provided music in Ukrainian while we gave out tracts, pamphlets, books, and Bibles in Ukrainian and Russian. We were also able to speak with people who stopped to listen to the music. It was great to get involved so quickly, and only eternity will tell what seeds that were planted will grow into fruit for the kingdom.

Later that evening we attended the church service at Puhova. Tonight was a special night because the children in the church were graduating from their Bible classes. This is a very special event in the lives of the children and the entire church gets involved with the ceremony. Teachers give testimonies, parents pray for their children, and the children sing specials and tell about their growth. The Ukrainian churches have been such a blessing to us in the way they have cared for us and the fellowship we have had with them.

- Micah