Poster | Thread | sermonindex Moderator
Joined: 2002/12/11 Posts: 39795 Canada
Online! | Re: | | Here is a prayer request that Yolanda sent out to abunch of contacts she has,.. I am going to post it on this site here also so you can pray appropriately:
Subject: Ukraine Trip Prayer Request Date: April 7, 2005 11:33:08 PDT
As you all probably know, I was really looking forward to returning to Kiev, Ukraine this summer for a mission trip to a 2 week summer camp for street kids. I felt I got confirmation about returning while being in Ukraine last year. I started learning Russian and did other things to prepare to return. But due to high costs in airfare, our Mission Coordinator, Kelly, is seriously considering canceling the trip for those interested in going on the trip from America. She feels it would be a better use of funds to pay for the Byelorussians and Ukrainians to go to the camp, instead of having us Americans pay almost $2,000 to fly over there and pay for other camp costs. I guess it doesnt matter who ministers to the kids, as long as they get ministered to, but once again, I feel very strongly that Im supposed to go there those two weeks. My friend, Greg, has also felt that he has gotten confirmation and has gone forward in applying for the trip and raising support through his website www.sermonindex.net. So either were really not supposed to go, and we need to pray for Gods peace about it and confirmation, or we need to have faith that God would provide reasonable airfare for those of us from our church planning on going (myself, Greg, Kelly and possibly Rick), and anyone else from the US. I have faith. I doubted Gods provision last year, and He totally amazed me with His faithfulness. So why should this year be any different? Shouldnt I remember His ability to work miracles and provide and trust Him with more faith than I had last year?
So please pray for Kelly, that God would give her the faith, confirmation, discernment and wisdom she needs to make the right decision and be a good steward of the support that comes in or we have for this trip. If the Lord wills, please pray for God to perform a miracle concerning the airfare (preferably $1,000 or less). And Greg and I need confirmation as well since were excited about going and have felt that God was leading us to go this summer. If our minds need to change, then pray that God would faithfully do that. But Im sending this email with hope and faith that we will still be able to go this summer.
Thank you for your time and I would covet your prayers in this matter. God bless.
Yolanda _________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2005/4/7 22:05 | Profile | Yodi Member
Joined: 2004/4/23 Posts: 663 Escondido, California
| Re: | | [laughs] Oh boy... my emails are appearing on the world wide web. No... that's cool.
As Greg and I already talked about this situation last night and committed it to prayer, I feel very encouraged about still going to Ukraine this summer, not discouraged. I can't help but draw from many examples of faith and trust in God's leading and provision all throughout the Scriptures.
I did consider that God may have other plans than I had. I asked Him in prayer to test my motives for going and even to examine my heart. Is going to Ukraine to minister to street kids where I find my sole purpose in life? If God were to close the doors on this opportunity, would I grow cold and bitter towards the Lord and shrink off somewhere in depression? Where's my heart? It came down to, if everything that means so much to me was taken away, God would [i]have[/i] to be proven to be my only purpose in life. He fulfills me, He meets my needs, He gives me direction and purpose, not these opportunities to minister to people or be ministered to. I'm supposed to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. He's it, He's all, He's everything. All else is [i]just[/i] in addition to what God already satisfies and fulfills.
So God really spoke to me and ministered to me yesterday in prayer. I'm glad He led me to consider those things. And still I came out of that time confident and encouraged about going. That God would take care of the situation and provide. However things work out, God's encouragement and direction is right there. _________________ Yolanda Fields
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| 2005/4/8 13:25 | Profile | sermonindex Moderator
Joined: 2002/12/11 Posts: 39795 Canada
Online! | Re: | | Quote:
So God really spoke to me and ministered to me yesterday in prayer. I'm glad He led me to consider those things. And still I came out of that time confident and encouraged about going. That God would take care of the situation and provide. However things work out, God's encouragement and direction is right there.
Do keep in prayer about this brothers and sisters. I do know God has called Yolanda to go there so as God leads I might try and even support her and myself not go if it comes down to that. It is going to be exciting to see what the Lord confirms. I am still open to what the Lord is doing. I have a few other possibilities one being scotland inwhich the Lord would definetly need to confirm. Also there might be an interesting 1 or 2 week road trip to Utah to witness to the mormons in Salt Lake city and other locations. Thanks for the prayers and support, [b]may the Lamb that was slain recieve the glory due to His name[/b]. _________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2005/4/10 16:13 | Profile |
| Re: | | This is fantastic! I will pray that God will meet ALL needs for this trip and lift it up in prayer in our church. I will also e-mail a copy of the prayer to my pastor and see if he would forward it to his contacts. My pastors (my in laws) have a orphanage in Africa which i would one day love to go to and support. My husband and i feel we are being called into the ministry particularly with the youth, so this mission feels close to my heart. I pray GOD will make all grace, every favor and earthly blessing, come to you all in abundance, so that you are always and under all circumstances possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation. In His love, Geraldine |
| 2005/4/11 2:49 | | Yodi Member
Joined: 2004/4/23 Posts: 663 Escondido, California
| Re: | | [b]geraldine[/b]
What a sweet reply! Very encouraging and uplifting. Thank you so much for your prayers! And thank you for passing on the information for others to pray. I've gotten a lot of prayer support and encouragement from my friends as well, via email and on the [url=http://www.ccmukraine.org/forum/index.php]Calvary Chapel Mission: Ukraine Forum[/url]. God is good!
[b]Greg[/b]
I know you were very excited about going to Ukraine as well. I know the high cost of airfare, the possible cancellation of the trip, and maybe seemingly lack of interest or support has possibly discouraged you. Don't look at the circumstances. If God truly put these Ukrainian kids on your heart, then trust that God will provide for you to go. It was very encouraging to me that you wanted to come and be a part of this ministry. I hope, if God was indeed leading you to go to this camp, that your excitement wouldn't be robbed due to circumstances. Hold on to the faith, hope and love that's from God above.
It is amazing to me though how you always seem to have options and are open to God leading you to do anything. God has been faithful to confirm things to you thus far so... I know you'll keep hearing from Him. _________________ Yolanda Fields
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| 2005/4/11 13:06 | Profile | sermonindex Moderator
Joined: 2002/12/11 Posts: 39795 Canada
Online! | Re: | | Quote:
It was very encouraging to me that you wanted to come and be a part of this ministry. I hope, if God was indeed leading you to go to this camp, that your excitement wouldn't be robbed due to circumstances. Hold on to the faith, hope and love that's from God above.
Yolanda I am still excited about this opportunity and do want to go. I know God will work it out if its His will. There are lots of great things that [b]are[/b] going to come out of all of this. I have been praying much about this and really have a peace about it. If we are being like Jesus and find our purpose in glorifying God in our surrender daily it does not matter our circumstances or even where God calls us. We can glorify Him in our situation just as well and I do want to be able to do this. All the support that anyone sends for the mission trip will be either used for me to go or for me to support another person like Yolanda to go to Ukraine. I also want to try and get bibles for the children to have, they don't have as many bibles as we do in North America, what a precious thing the scripture would be to them. _________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2005/4/11 18:18 | Profile | sermonindex Moderator
Joined: 2002/12/11 Posts: 39795 Canada
Online! | Re: | | I have revised the front page post with the help of Yolanda for reference here is the old first post:
Quote:
Ukraine 2005 Summer Camp Mission Trip for Street Kids June 17th - July 1st / Kiev, Ukraine
[b]Overview[/b] Myself and 3 others (Yolanda, Rick, Kelly) from Calvary Chapel of Escondido are planning to go on a mission trip to Kiev, Ukraine from June 17th to July 1st, 2005 (2 weeks). We will be God-willing going to assist with a summer camp for street kids. This summer camp will take some kids out of their dangerous and depressing environments and give all of us involved the opportunity to show them God's love and give them some sort of hope. We will be spending lots of time with them at meals, during music and Bible story times, playing indoor and outdoor games, including their favorite game, football (soccer), and making crafts.
I believe God has confirmed it to me to go and I am quite excited at ministering in another country, particularly in an european slavic country. There will be many opportunities to be a part of this, including praying for an individual child in which a photo and information about their background will be supplied.
The need financially for each person will be $1,800 that covers room, board, airfare, transportation in Ukraine, visa and application fees. It would be great to have support raised for myself and any excess would go towards the rest of the team to be able to go.
[b]Why There Are Street Children[/b] Parents abandon the child when they are no longer able to feed and provide for them. Parents temporarily give their children to an orphanage when they can't take care of them, which the children run away from due to poor care or abuse. One, or both, parents are in prison. Both parents are alcoholics. The child flees from life at home due to emotional, physical, sexual or substance abuse.?
[b]The Life of Street Children [/b] They're not hard to find, begging, playing, drinking or loitering in the main squares, subways, or other visible places. The ages of street children living independently can range from 4 to 18. Once they become homeless they have to find ways to survive, which often means illegal employment such as searching for bottles, cleaning kiosks, carrying cargo, running drugs, and becoming involved in prostitution or pornography. The ages of young women being sold into prostitution is 15-20. They tend to live in stairwells, under buildings and bridges, and in the sewers. Sometimes they will crowd in abandoned flats or ones used by prostitutes and drug dealers. They often live in small gangs or groups which provide some protection against some crime and other gangs, but even within these groups, life can be brutal.
Chemical dependency and abuse is widespread. These children will inhale household supplies that they can buy cheaply or steal, including shoe polish, glue, and paint thinner. Given the widespread problem of alcoholism and how easy it is to get it, they quickly learn to abuse alcohol and cigarettes to cope with the harshness of the streets. Not only are they frequently addicted to substances, they become addicted to street life. These children are very vulnerable and often emotionally damaged. If they've been on the street for more then a year, it's hard to rehabilitate them back to society. At age 16 or 17, they become very fatalistic about their future. Yet when asked, most children - even those who have been on the street for a long time- will respond that they would like to live a "normal" life which they view as being with their own parents (if they have stopped being abusive) or in a foster home. Unfortunately, if they remain on the streets, life is short-lived for these children. Many become seriously ill and die. Some freeze to death in the winter, are beaten to death, or die from drug misuse and overdose. Sexually-transmitted diseases also kill children as well as prostitution crime and accidents.
Thank you for your consideration and time to be involved prayerfully and financially.
In Him, Greg Gordon James 1:28 - Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
If you want to help cover part of the cost of $1,800 then simply send in an financial contribution send a cheque made out to: Calvary Chapel Escondido with an memo labeled: Greg Ukraine to the following mailing address:
SermonIndex 306-N West El Norte Pkwy #137 Escondido, CA 92026, USA
God has been doing some great things in the last week. I know He is going to show Himself faithful. I do encourage you to pray about supporting this mission and I will be posting some prayer cards and other things to help people to pray for us and these children. I have also gotten an pdf brochere for the missiontrip which you can download on the first post of this thread.
If there are any ukranians or belarussians that read this thread please reply also, I would love to correspond and hear what God is doing in your country. _________________ SI Moderator - Greg Gordon
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| 2005/4/12 19:58 | Profile | Yodi Member
Joined: 2004/4/23 Posts: 663 Escondido, California
| Re: | | Quote:
If there are any ukranians or belarussians that read this thread please reply also, I would love to correspond and hear what God is doing in your country.
They're all on [url=http://www.ccmukraine.org/forum/index.php]CC Mission: Ukraine Forum[/url], [laughs]. Just kidding.
Yes... as I've just sought the Lord, and the Lord alone... He has given me faith to trust that He is able to provide for this trip, for all of us, and not to doubt Him. I'm still excited and prayin'! _________________ Yolanda Fields
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| 2005/4/12 20:26 | Profile | CCMUkraine Member
Joined: 2005/4/6 Posts: 2 Tbilisi, Georgia
| Re: A Plea for Fervent Prayer | | Quote:
If she can't find airfare for $1,000 or under for us, the trip will be cancelled
That would be great if she can find that kind of fare, but I have never seen flights to Ukraine in the summer under $1,100.00, and that was years ago when I got that fare. The $1000.00 and under airfare is usually only in the low season. You guys are coming at the peak season.
Will be praying - my flights don't usually orginate from that side of the world. May the Lord give His clear direction. _________________ Jed Gourley
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| 2005/4/13 0:16 | Profile | Yodi Member
Joined: 2004/4/23 Posts: 663 Escondido, California
| Re: | | [b]CCMUkraine[/b] Good to see you on here! Greg told me you signed on. [laughs] Our forums are kind of connected now... in a way.
Supposidely, last year, airfare was about $900. Our travel agent was able to find airfare for each of us for about $1,300, which our Missions Coordinator felt a bit better about yesterday, but she's still praying about whether to purchase them or not, and she'll be deciding by tomorrow. I understand where she's coming from. Once she purchases them, she has to trust that God will provide the financial support for each of us to reimburse the church. I'm still hopeful and praying in faith.
[b]And to everyone else[/b] who has been viewing this topic, just to let you know, Greg changed the text in the very first post, so you may want to check it out for updated information and a bit of a Russian lesson [laughs]. Here's a link if you'd like to view the information in PDF format, in a beautifully designed newsletter: [url=http://www.calvarychapel.com/escondido/General Support.pdf]General Support[/url] _________________ Yolanda Fields
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| 2005/4/13 12:44 | Profile |
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