Dobre Dien!
We have completed our third day of camp! Again it has been a great day! We have about 40 kids coming to camp! The facilities we are using makes it a little tricky with rotating classrooms but this is not getting us down. We have three rooms for classrooms and six classes. Two classes share a room and rotate between class time, sports and crafts. We have an opening assembly at the beginning of the day, a movie time that shares the life of Joseph and a closing ceremony each day. The kids have loved the puppets and dramas that we present each day. Thanks to our Ukrainian translators we are able to share the Gospel with each of our students.
This year has been a great experience of bonding with our Ukrainian partners. We have really felt like one united team together and this has truly helped us to pour everything we have into sharing with our students.
Tuesday evening we went on a little field trip to the catacombs which are about thirty five minutes away from where we are staying. The catacombs in Odessa were originally started because there is no forest in Odessa. The people living here needed to build and there was a stone that was found underground that would keep the cool in during the summer and the warm in during the winter. During World War II the catacombs were used as a place of refuge for some and as a tool for fighting the enemy. We were able to go about forty feet down but the catacombs go as far as 60 feet below ground.
Wednesday evening our hosts put on a “Ukrainian Night”. This was such a great experience! They made a traditional Ukrainian meal for us which consisted of Perogi (dumpling stuffed with potatoes), Blini (thin pancakes), corn and pan fried cottage cheese. They dressed up in traditional Ukrainian attire and sang many songs for us. They also put on a few skits and they had the married couples take part in an apple eating contest. We ended the night by praying for them and their efforts to labor over the Gospel here.
We still have two days of camp left and we look forward to whatever the Lord may have in store for us. On Thursday we have a trip to the black sea planned along with a Bible school presentation in evening.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for our team member Tyler Nielson. She is struggling a little bit with keeping her blood sugar level where it needs to be.
Many teachers will be presenting the Gospel today so please pray for the students to have soft hearts.
Praise Reports:
We have had some rain and clouds for two days! It has been a nice break for team members who have struggling with the heat!
Testimony from our team members:
“I’ve never before had the opportunity to witness a group of people work so hard – not for selfish gain, but for the proclamation of the Gospel and for God’s glory. I feel myself changing and am blessed an am blessed beyond measure to witness transformation of workers and students. God’s mission here is not singular- He is at work to bring His lost people back to Him through the redemptive work of the cross. Although our expectations do not always match the result, God is sovereign and does “More abundantly than all we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)."
-Tyler Neilson
“Many attempts by the evil one to keep us from being here have failed. Praise God! Today was the first day of our second English Language Bible Camp, and between the two camps we will bring the Gospel to over 130 children from Petrodolina, Yosipivka and other small villages in the area. We are blessed once again by our Ukrainian ministry partners who work very long days translating and teaching alongside us. As I sit here writing, I am witness to a rather spirited water fight in an attempt to beat some of the record temperatures we are experiencing…in fact, I think I will join in…."
-Angela Breidenbach
Grace and Peace to you,
John & Nichole
We have completed our third day of camp! Again it has been a great day! We have about 40 kids coming to camp! The facilities we are using makes it a little tricky with rotating classrooms but this is not getting us down. We have three rooms for classrooms and six classes. Two classes share a room and rotate between class time, sports and crafts. We have an opening assembly at the beginning of the day, a movie time that shares the life of Joseph and a closing ceremony each day. The kids have loved the puppets and dramas that we present each day. Thanks to our Ukrainian translators we are able to share the Gospel with each of our students.
This year has been a great experience of bonding with our Ukrainian partners. We have really felt like one united team together and this has truly helped us to pour everything we have into sharing with our students.
Tuesday evening we went on a little field trip to the catacombs which are about thirty five minutes away from where we are staying. The catacombs in Odessa were originally started because there is no forest in Odessa. The people living here needed to build and there was a stone that was found underground that would keep the cool in during the summer and the warm in during the winter. During World War II the catacombs were used as a place of refuge for some and as a tool for fighting the enemy. We were able to go about forty feet down but the catacombs go as far as 60 feet below ground.
Wednesday evening our hosts put on a “Ukrainian Night”. This was such a great experience! They made a traditional Ukrainian meal for us which consisted of Perogi (dumpling stuffed with potatoes), Blini (thin pancakes), corn and pan fried cottage cheese. They dressed up in traditional Ukrainian attire and sang many songs for us. They also put on a few skits and they had the married couples take part in an apple eating contest. We ended the night by praying for them and their efforts to labor over the Gospel here.
We still have two days of camp left and we look forward to whatever the Lord may have in store for us. On Thursday we have a trip to the black sea planned along with a Bible school presentation in evening.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for our team member Tyler Nielson. She is struggling a little bit with keeping her blood sugar level where it needs to be.
Many teachers will be presenting the Gospel today so please pray for the students to have soft hearts.
Praise Reports:
We have had some rain and clouds for two days! It has been a nice break for team members who have struggling with the heat!
Testimony from our team members:
“I’ve never before had the opportunity to witness a group of people work so hard – not for selfish gain, but for the proclamation of the Gospel and for God’s glory. I feel myself changing and am blessed an am blessed beyond measure to witness transformation of workers and students. God’s mission here is not singular- He is at work to bring His lost people back to Him through the redemptive work of the cross. Although our expectations do not always match the result, God is sovereign and does “More abundantly than all we could ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)."
-Tyler Neilson
“Many attempts by the evil one to keep us from being here have failed. Praise God! Today was the first day of our second English Language Bible Camp, and between the two camps we will bring the Gospel to over 130 children from Petrodolina, Yosipivka and other small villages in the area. We are blessed once again by our Ukrainian ministry partners who work very long days translating and teaching alongside us. As I sit here writing, I am witness to a rather spirited water fight in an attempt to beat some of the record temperatures we are experiencing…in fact, I think I will join in…."
-Angela Breidenbach
Grace and Peace to you,
John & Nichole
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