The Elisha Foundation comes to town

Over the past few days Justin and Tamara Reimer, the founders of The Elisha Foundation, visited us.  In their words "The Elisha Foundation was founded to provide refreshment and encouragement to families caring for people with special needs. Through our programs we seek to provide access to resource professionals, educational specialists and other valuable resources."

I met Justin at the Desiring God National Conference last October and as we talked about our various ministries we both realized that Ukraine was in need of a ministry like the Elisha Foundation.   All the pieces fell into place and last Wednesday they arrived in Ukraine to see what ministry needs and opportunities are here as well as to get to know us better.

Justin sharing with our church and Olya translating

On Thursday night we held a special evening at our church where Justin shared a biblical perspective on disabilities and practical ways that we as a church can serve families with special needs children.  Our church has been reaching out to special needs children and their families in our community for several years now and they had tons of questions which Justin and Tamara were able to help with.  It was a very informative time and a huge blessing to us.

After spending a few days with us in Kaharlyk the Reimers went up to Chernigov and were able to visit an orphanage, a mental hospital, and a center for children with special needs as well as share with Christian Bible Church in Chernigov. 

On Monday we all met with Jim and Marianna Peipon of Ukraine Medical Outreach in Kiev to talk about the state of care in Ukraine for children with special needs.

In Ukraine there are two huge stigmas for any family with a special needs child: the stigma that comes from the Soviet State declaring that there were no special needs children, that all children were strong and physically able, and the stigma that comes from teachings in the church that disabilities are God's punishment for sin or a curse.

Due to the Soviet Union's stance on disability there are very few resources available for children with disabilities or special needs although things are beginning to change.  Though in our city there is almost nothing available to help children and their families in some larger cities there are fully equipped medical centers that offer free therapy and treatment for children.  Still the majority of Ukrainians don't have access to these services or programs.

Some of the ministry possibilities that we talked about are:

- Hosting family retreats for families with children with special needs.
- Training churches in how to minister to these families.
- Bringing teams of various therapists to work with children in orphanages.

We are excited about ministering together with The Elisha Foundation and reaching out to children that are largely shunned or mocked by society and their families who often live in guilt and shame.

Spring flowers in our yard

Global Mission Mondays: Turkey

Tonight at our prayer meeting we will be praying for the country of Turkey.

Turkey has a population of 73.7 million people of whom more than  97% are Muslim.  There are about 120,000 people who are Christians, mainly Orthodox and Catholic.

Turkey has the world's 15th largest GDP-PPP , 17th largest Nominal GDP, and close ties to both Europe and the Middle East. 

Over the last several years there have been several attacks against Christians in Turkey even though Turkey is a secular state with no official state religion and the Turkish Constitution provides for freedom of religion and conscience.

Victory Day!

Today is Victory Day in Ukraine (and the rest of the former Soviet Union) the day when Ukraine celebrates victory over the Nazi aggressors.  There was a big ceremony in the central park at the war memorial and I drove down there at about 8:30am because in previous years I'd been late and I didn't want to miss it.  Turns out it started at 9am and I had to leave by 9 so I missed it anyway.   But I took some pictures of what was going on.

People starting to gather, lots of kids with flowers to place at the memorials in the park. 

A group of ladies dressed in traditional Ukrainian costume were ready to perform in front of the memorial.  They lit the "eternal flame" for the occasion. 

School kids arriving, they look like they are going to perform something.  Why else would they have those huge bows in their hair?

This old guy was sitting in what looked like seats reserved for veterans.  The list behind him is a list of all the people from the Kaharlyk region who died in the war. 

Global Missions Monday: Israel

Tonight at our prayer meeting we will be praying for the country of Israel.  I have gathered some facts to show a little bit about the country of Israel, however with the ongoing conflicts in the region it is difficult to state what life is like in Israel in one short blog post. 

I have noticed in some Christian circles that people pray for peace in Israel linking the current political conflicts with Psalm 122: 6 ("Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you!").   When Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday he wept because Jerusalem did not know  "on this day the things that make for peace!" (Luke 19:42).  The peace that Jesus was came to bring, and the peace that we should be praying for is not rooted in political stability but in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. 

We will be praying for political stability in Israel, because of the fear, danger, and suffering that come from political instability.  But we will also be praying that the people of Israel find peace in Jesus Christ.

Now here are some facts about Israel to give a very small picture of how this country needs God's salvation:

Israel's population is about 7.7 million people - 5.8 million Jewish and the rest are mostly Arabs.

Israel ranks highest among Middle Eastern countries on the UN Human Development Index, and it has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Israel is considered one of the most advanced countries in Southwest Asia in economic and industrial development.  In 2010 Israel was also ranked as the worldwide leader in its supply of skilled manpower.

Since the Gulf War in 1991, when Israel was attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles, all homes in Israel are required to have a reinforced security room impermeable to chemical and biological substances.

Despite limited natural resources, intensive development of the agricultural and industrial sectors over the past decades has made Israel largely self-sufficient in food production, apart from grains and beef.

The religious affiliation of Israeli Jews varies widely: A Social Survey for those over the age of 20 indicates that 55% say they are "traditional," while 20% consider themselves "secular Jews," 17% define themselves as "Religious Zionists"; 8% define themselves as "Haredi Jews."

Making up 16% of the population, Muslims constitute Israel's largest religious minority. About 2% of the population are Christian and 1.5% are Druze.   The Christian population primarily comprises Arab Christians, but also includes post-Soviet immigrants and the Foreign Labourers of multi-national origins and followers of Messianic Judaism, considered by most Christians and Jews to be a form of Christianity.

[information from wikipedia, scripture verses from the ESV]