momo

moving moments

ben's odessa résumé February 3, 2007, Odessa, Ukraine

2007’s great opening was much more than we expected: According to our experienced team member Ron Winkler this year's Winter Discipleship Camp was “probably the best camp we ever had”. I have no doubts when I hear testimonies from young people who took part in the camp. Even now – one month after it all happened, they share about how the presence of God changed their entire life, how the various teachings re-shaped their thinking and their future life decisions.

Shortly after this great event we sent half of our local team to Pitesti in Southern Romania. They visited our ‘partner church’ there and encouraged Florin (last fall’s IMM student who is a member of that church) to start his internship here among Odessa kids. By the way, today he actually arrived here and plans to start an evangelistic soccer ministry for Odessa boys. Please, include Florin in your prayers!

Dave and Jerry who had been on the Winter Discipleship Camp were ready to accompany me on a trip up to the very North of our country. At Lebedin we prepared everything for this summer’s Evangelistic Youth English Camp there. Both daughters of the deacon of the church at Lebedin (Ina, second from left, Olga with her dad on the right) have not been able to hear from birth because of the radiation caused by the Chernobyl catastrophy. The population is still immensely suffering from that. People don't like to speak about it because they feel ashamed of it.

Above you see some of the 58 girls between 10 and 15 years of age that are imprisoned in the Okhtyrka juvenile detention center. We had a chance to visit them and to present the gospel in a way they could understand. In most cases crime and drugs of their parents forced the government to take these kids in custody — some of the girls sit there behind barbed wire already for more than four years. A society with predominantly broken families as a result of 75 years of brain washing atheism, and the spiritual blindness of people like Lenin...

I discovered the blind guy in the garden of our host’s neighbor. The neighbor took the monument when the city administration decided to throw it into the public garbage container. That’s not a good way to handle the sins of your fathers…

Back to the girls. Several personal talks with them almost broke my heart. OK, I spoke with the director of the detention center.. Would it be possible to have an Evangelistic English Camp here? You can have the whole prison, if you like, she answered. We made plans and invite you to be part of the team. Of course only female team members are admitted.

In the background of the picture you see Pastor Nikolay of the nearby Lebedin church. He is ready to take care of the follow-up.

After these ‘moving moments’ we visited all kinds of other dear people, mostly believers who invited us to reach out to the young population of their impoverished Sumy district. Coming back home to Odessa we shared our experiences with our church. Yes, there were immediately volunteers to help with the girls' camp.

Our dear old friends and camp specialists Ron and Charlene from Flagstaff, Arizona joined me on another trip by train. This time not to the North but to the East of our vast country, to Tokmak, south of Zaporozhe. Sergey, a former IMM intern recently started an there, and we plan a first IM English Youth Camp in Tokmak this summer.

We had the chance to publicly invite for the camp in two of the biggest High Schools of the city. Everywhere we were warmly welcomed by the teachers and students. The economical and moral condition of this part of the Ukraine is not better than in the Sumy district.

From left to right: Sergey, ‘our man’ in Tokmak, Ron, Charlene, and the lady that is responsible for all English teachers of the district. When we left the school facilities this senior instructor told me that her teachers have no motivation, no values, no perspectives. She asked me: How shall they teach the kids who visit the school every day? Would you be ready to come with a team and do a Training Camp for Teachers? I thought a second and responded: Maybe in 2008. Only the powerful heart changing gospel of God’s saving love gives hope to this part of Europe. We invite you to be part of the summer camp team 2007 in Tokmak, somewhere in the East of the Ukraine!

Above you see our son Alex and our daughter Svety. The photography was taken during the January discipleship camp. Burgi and I thank God for these great kids. As much as He blesses the ministry here, He always has blessed and will bless our children, grand-children and great-grand-children. Didn’t He promise that to all who ‘seek first His Kingdom’? So, you probably know already: this summer we become ‘Opa’ and ‘Oma’ (German for grandfather and grandmother). Our dear daughter-in-law, Beth, is bravely suffering through a pregnancy which is not at all easy. Please pray for the young couple Alex and Beth.

Let me finish this ‘momo’ with a very big and important prayer issue: Our team members Arkadiy and Anneke (picture taken on an IM Family Camp two years ago) are still with her parents in South Africa. Anneke had to undergo a serious surgery that actually saved her life. She only slowly recovers, and step by step regains new strength. Arkadiy is Ukrainian. The average Ukrainian citizen has no health insurance. That is also the case with Arkadiy. They will come back to the mission field with a huge financial burden. Please ask the Lord and seriously consider to help us here. During all the years of his ministry with IM in the Ukraine Arkadiy has faithfully discipled many young men who are today ‘pillars in His Kingdom’. Please send your financial help to IM Clear Lake and earmark it for Arkadiy/Anneke Naidenov.

Ul. Ak. Koroleva, 26A, app.23 (There's always waiting a hot cup of good Russian Chai for you! No coffee for you, Darwin, sorry.)

IM Ukraine Camps Spring and Summer 2007

English Youth Camp
Burgi Oehler, Jenn Sebring, Avery Pope (only girls/ladies for team admitted)

Tokmak, Zaporozhe
July 17 – 27
English Youth Camp
Jenn Sebring, Avery Pope, Sasha Litvak

Feodosiya, Crimea
July 17 – 27
English Youth Camp
Mark and Kim Huffman, Ron Winkler

Jenn Sebring, Avery Pope, from Pitesti/Romania: Christie and Emile, Florin Soare