Another full day with a morning visit to an elderly home and in the afternoon another visit to a nearby village for clothing distribution.
The elderly home is home for aprox 200 residents from ages 18+. You may not think elderly for an 18 year old, but when an handicap persons caregiver is their grandmother this is one way they live together. I met one couple who had been married just 9 years and they had met there in the home.
Sally and I present the aprons in the kitchen here and are not allowed to leave until we are fed! An early lunch for us today. : )
Kristin shares the gospel message with this man who did not attend our group program.
And her daughter 9 year old Brooke tries to feed the pigeons with this man.
In the afternoon we visit Lyshche Church for distribution of clothing and carepacks. Used clothing is sorted and packed at GAiN's Pennsylvania Distribution Center and then shipped to Ukraine to the port of Odessa. Sometimes the ministry is able to save on shipping costs by shipping space available on government cargo ships.
Our Gospel presentation before the distribution of aid is a outreach program to demonstrate the love of God and introduce the "non-churched" to a protestant church.
The team distributes CarePacks to the kids and entertains them while the adults pick clothing for their families and reuse the boxes they come out of.
Wednesday July 6 -
Today is a bit different with the team working the next village door to door inviting people to the afternoon program and distribution. We get off the bus on the edge of the village and work our way into the center where our meeting site will be. We distribute books and invitations and share the Gospel at every chance.
This man invited us to sit, making several trips in the house to be sure we all had something to sit on and then brought out cherries and blueberries sprinkled with sugar. He listened intently while Jim shared with him the Gospel and he later came to the program with a clean shirt and shave.
While waiting for the program to begin the team spends time playing with the local youngsters, tossing frisbees, short foot races and a hearty game of soccer/football.
Thursday is another children's rehab center. We get a tour of the facility after our presentation of the Gospel and distribution of books and CarePacks to the kids and families. They offer some alternative treatments such as therapy with horses and a nature walk highlighting different plants that have medicinal properties and scents.
As always at some point it is time to say good-bye to Ukraine and to the new friends we have made in our interpreters. Without them we not be able to do what we do. God works with these amazing young people and strengthens all of our faiths during our time together. They put together a song for us, singing "You are the Champions of our God" (to the Queen tune of "we are the champions").
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