Our team began the first day by prayer walking through the city. Our team hosts guided us to various locations where we stopped to pray for specific topics. These included praying for the country’s leaders, and the next generation, and for pastors and local churches to unite in their mission to reach the lost in the city. It was neat to learn about the history of this country and how far they have come. Considering the country’s challenging past, it is important to have a basic understanding of its culture, especially when engaging in ministry. This prayer time not only allowed our team to bond and learn more about each other and our hosts, but it also provided us with a sense of the city and the people we will be serving during our time here.
After lunch, we had the opportunity to meet the pastor and leaders of the ministry we are serving with. They gave us a tour of the church and community center, where we saw the facilities that house and care for refugees from Ukraine. This church serves as a registered refugee location in the country. One of the attached photos shows the church sanctuary. This room had been converted into a bedroom for several refugees and their families. They have utilized every inch of this church to help serve refugees. Over the past 2 years, this church has assisted hundreds of refugees. Some church members even travel to the border of Ukraine and into the country to provide aid and support to those seeking shelter. Refugees who seek help from this church are welcome to stay for a while. During their time here, the ministry helps them find housing, and employment and assists college-age students in enrolling in the local university. It was encouraging to see many of the refugees actively serving at the church, engaging in tasks such as construction, cleaning, cooking, and assisting other refugees. We are excited to start serving alongside these dedicated volunteers and leaders today. Although our time here is short, our goal for these next two weeks is to be flexible, serve in any capacity possible, and be a source of encouragement to those we are serving.
Prayer Requests
– Pray for the refugees and leaders that we are serving. The word “exhausted” has been used a lot when describing their experiences coming here to this country for help. For those serving, they haven’t had a break in 2 years. They are thankful for teams like ours that come here to serve.
– We are doing well as a team. We are small but mighty! Pray that we continue to work well together and that the Lord will allow our unique gifts to be used during this time.
We are excited to see how God is using all of you to make a difference in the lives of those in Eastern Europe as well as the refugees. We are praying for all of you. God bless you all.