My first experience with missions was when I was 14. The summer before, I’d felt that God had told me to go on a missions trip the next year. That summer I went to Scotland with a group of teenage girls that I met for the first time one week before we left. We did a lot of painting, ran a VBS, and helped run a summer camp.

After about a year and a half, I began thinking about missions again. This time, I wanted to go somewhere in Eastern Europe. (I’d wanted to before, but didn’t meet the minimum age requirements that most organizations had for that region at that time.) Before I made up my mind whether or not to pursue it, my youth pastor gave me a call telling me that they were looking into a summer mission trip to the Czech Republic with a group called Christian Outreach International, and would I like to go? I figured that that counted as God giving me the OK to go on a mission trip and went with a group of teenagers from my youth group to Czech Republic.

This trip was the beginning of a big change for me. At the time I didn’t realize it. I was going into 11th grade and I knew that college was coming up soon. I was a serious student, and figured that any more mission trips would have to wait until after I finished college. I didn’t dream of doing missions full-time. God had different plans. As I took my SATs, looked at different schools, and began checking out scholarships, God began to work something new in my heart. It started with just remembering a conversation I’d had with one of the missionaries in Czech Republic. There was a mission training school there at the time, and I had asked a bunch of questions about it, and talked with her quite a bit. The idea of this mission training school continued to play at the back of my mind – I just couldn’t get rid of the idea – and so I began to pray about it. After several months, I had my answer. After I graduated I went to COI’s mission training school, which was in the Bahamas at the time. While there, my directors and I both began praying about me returning to Czech Republic, and after a couple of months we, separately at first, began to pray about me going to Ukraine instead. (It was a miracle that God even got me to think about going to Ukraine – at the time I knew absolutely nothing about the place!) In the end, we all came to the realization that Ukraine was where God was leading.

I’ve been ministering in Ukraine for over 3 years now. I teach English as a second language and help out with the orphanage ministry here. Though my experiences in missions have not always been easy, I have never regretted them. I am where God has placed me, and that is the best place to be. If you’re a youth minister and you’re considering taking your group on a missions trip, but you don’t know if it’s worth the time, expense, and effort, let me encourage you with this: I will forever be grateful to my youth pastor that he took us on that trip to the Czech Republic.

I was talking to him not long ago, and he told me that the trip was attacked by the adversary from the beginning. Just with different circumstances within the church the trip was almost cancelled twice. But praise the Lord that it wasn’t cancelled, because it played a large role in my finding God’s plan for me!

God uses short-term trips to change not only the people in the country that we’re ministering, but also to those of us who go to serve. If you’re considering a short term mission trip, take the plunge! You won’t regret it!

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The political situation in Ukraine is once again becoming less stable. Recently the president dissolved parliament because the prime minister had heavily bribed three members of the president’s cabinet to ally with the prime minister. This act would have swayed the balance of power to the prime minister’s favor, since he had previously been systematically replacing the president’s cabinet members with individuals of his own choosing. This sway of power would, in turn, have enabled the prime minister and his team to override any veto the president may have given to decisions made. It was the president’s conclusion that the prime minister was no longer operating in the best interest of the people.

The whole matter is soon to appear before the Supreme Court where it will be reviewed by a team of eighteen judges, six of which represent the president, six the prime minister, and six the people of Ukraine. Ironically, the charge made against the president by the prime minister is that he did not act within constitutional rights when he dissolved parliament.

Corruption is still a huge problem in Ukraine, and is evident everywhere. It is so real, in fact, that certain Supreme Court judges assigned to make a decision regarding this case have asked for protection because they fear for their lives. It seems clear that those who have enjoyed personal gain in past positions of leadership (at the expense of the people) are unwilling to release their control. It is also believed that much of the dominance and corruption is of Russian influence – an attempt to keep Ukraine from truly gaining independence.

Please pray for Ukraine and its people.

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Over five years have passed since I first began to do ministry at our local First Nation Indian reserves. It has been filled with many wonderful times and at the same time with very challenging issues to deal with. Last night I had the privilege of launching a new ministry that I want to share.

I have been praying often about training new believers on the reserves and helping them to understand the heart of God and His Word. As we sat in the home of a new Christian last night, I took a look around. There in our circle were seven other people. One lady has been a Christian for a few years, four have been Christians for just a few weeks, and others are not yet believers. I was so thankful for God honoring my prayer and those of others to be involved in teaching the Word and making disciples!!

I love my work amongst the First Nation people. It is a cross cultural ministry!!! It is, for the most part,with unchurched people and most often with unevangelized people. It is so refreshing to be able to sit with people who really want to learn and have so many questions. It is so exciting to hear them pray, and to see the joy on their faces when they understand in their hearts what questions they have been feeling confused about.

We will be meeting once a week. We are trusting God for growth within our group and within the kingdom. We believe that within a short time we will need a bigger place to meet. We will be faithful to meet together and trust God for those we are praying for.

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“… if necessary, use words.”

Natasha thanked me for the book as she handed it back to me at the beginning of class. She had asked me several classes earlier if I could loan her a book to read that might help improve her English. It was encouraging to hear Natasha say that the book had helped her and answered a few important questions for her.

I always get excited when students ask me if they can borrow a book or some music because it’s a perfect opportunity to provide them with a resource created or published with the intention of drawing people closer to God. Natasha and her boyfriend, Victor, are in one of my ESL classes and they are also university students. I really enjoy having them in my class.

Actually, I am very pleased with all of my students this semester. It still surprises me sometimes how closely attached I can become to my students after such a short time together. Teaching English offers many ways in which to reach others with the message of God’s love and salvation. While I do hope that all of our students have the chance to hear this message, not all of the impact made on them comes through spoken words.

Being a teacher of any subject in any setting is both an amazing privilege and an awesome responsibility. In our words and our actions and through the way we interact with our students they get to see Christ. In many cases the attitude people form about Christ may be largely dependent on the witness they see in us.

God brings people into our lives and reveals things to us about them so that we can pray for them effectively. I have often heard comments from students about how they sense something different in us and our English school. Jesus Christ is that difference, and He is the reason we do all of this. Teaching English as a second language is a unique ministry. As relationships develop and trust is established, students of various ages and backgrounds begin to open up and share personal joys and struggles with their teachers.

Another semester is coming to a close. May we be faithful in these final weeks to take full advantage of every opportunity God gives us to be the salt and light He has called us to be.

Kent

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