Below is a note from our Sue Ann Mills. I know many of you have been praying about the situation in Ukraine and also wondering about the effect it will have on our Summer Youth Camp work. I will let you read Sue Ann’s article for yourself, and simply offer my hearty Amen! to her words.
Leslie Dunbar and Sue Ann Mills are just a few of the many people gathered in Ft Worth this weekend to begin training for the Ukraine Mission trips. The teams are being mindful of the situations at hand in Russia and its effects on Ukraine.
There has never been a more important year to attend the camp program than this year of uncertainty and division amongst the people in Ukraine. There is an important bond that is beginning to take hold amongst the people and this work encourages and demonstrates the love of God for all people. It is true that there is an unbelievable thought difference between the East and the West; alliances are generations in the making. But the people who are accepting our Christ as Lord are finding a peace amidst the differences. People who have come to know God’s plan because they have read the Bible and sought Him out in Scriptures and then within others. They share the message like Americans will never comprehend.
But they need encouragement. They need to know that there are Christian brothers and sisters who believe in the importance of their faith. The purpose of the camp program was to help instill strong morals/strong character traits into the children so they could build a stronger and more unified country. What better time to go? For these children who need to know they are important and the true future of their country; for their young adult counselors who are seeing a difference in their little wards and in their own hearts; and for the older staff members who need to know that, yes, there is a change coming in their country’s heart and it is not about politics.
They need to learn the real meaning of the word HOPE. Not their rendition of “hope, but lost.”
The teams do not want to leave the impression that they will just attend camp when it’s convenient and easy travel (smirk), but rather plan on being a part of their lives and their support system. That was the goal of these teams. So they are preparing to go, they need your support. They will need money, that is very true. They will need help with preparing crafts again. And they will need your prayers. But the prayers they ask for are on-your-knees-mindful of this country and God’s plan in action. You know God has a bigger plan in mind. Sometimes we forget that it takes some struggle and strife to allow new growth and redirection. His plan may be rolling right along and the teams are readying themselves to keep rolling with Him.