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Yesterday, part of our team left our camp in the afternoon after we were presented with a very unique ministry opportunity. We were told about a village that was near the conflict between the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian forces. This village was in need of water and food, and was essentially abandoned by the Ukrainian government.
The Hope for Orphans staff decided to take a van of people into this village to share supplies and a Bible lesson. Because we were going to a potentially dangerous area, we were warned of the risks and assembled the team on a volunteer basis. After discussing it, there were three people from our team who decided to go with them.
I was happy to go because of the opportunity for a new and exciting experience, although I was worried about the dangers of being near a war zone. Before we left, we prayed for God's protection and guidance.
Looking back on the opportunity, it was truly an amazing experience. The car ride to the village was a little stressful because of the military checkpoints we passed through. Thankfully, we weren't stopped at any of the checkpoints (an answer to our prayers), and made it to our destination safely. When we arrived, there was a large group of kids waiting for us.
We distributed our bread and water to the adults living in the village, and asked the kids to meet in the small church building. It was there that we began a worship service for the kids (in Russian), singing the same songs that we did for the orphans at our camp. The kids loved it, which was a really beautiful thing to see. They had so much joy in their hearts despite their scary situation.
After sharing a Bible lesson, we gave each of the kids a bag of food containing cookies, candy, bananas and other fruits. The kids and their parents were so grateful and accepted our gifts joyfully. This small journey was my favorite part of our trip so far. Even though everything went well, we really didn't know what to expect. Everyone in that van decided to go, knowing that there were serious risks to our journey.
Hope for Orpans saw a need in that villiage, and gave us this amazing opportunity to share God's love with them. I am really thankful to be a part of God's kingdom at work.