Matt's Blog

Most of you are probably aware, if only vaguely, that there is some political strife in Ukraine right now. (If you're interested in more details check out any number of news sites.)

And most of you are also probably aware that our son Will was born in Ukraine. And while none of what is going on over there affects us directly. We do have emotional ties to Ukraine, the capital city, Kiev, and the people.

So there's the background. Here's an email MaryEllen recieved from one of her Ukrainian adoption lists. One of the things that Brian McLaren (in his book Generous Orthodoxy) says is great about Evangelicals is that when something needs to be done, they get it done. So here's a cool story about the Church acting like the Church in tough times. I was encouraged by it. And of course, feel free to pray for these people and all the people of Ukraine during this time.

>From: Oleg Vasilevsky [mailto:oleg@radooga.net]
>Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 6:31 PM
>To: oleg@radooga.net
>Subject: Prayer Center
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>Kiev is a very beautiful city. At the heart of Kiev there is Kreschatik street where there is a tent camp. If you were to get out from Kreschatik subway the first thing you would see is the flag with the fish raised on the tent. You would also see the big orange banner that says Prayer Center.
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>So, what is it and why is it there?
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>Everything started with a group of youth from the House of Architect church who were our campers and youth pastors this past summer that put their tent at the downtown camp. Then a group of pastors started meeting every morning for prayer. We decided to start praying regularly for the country, tent camp, churches. This unity gave birth to the following action:
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>1. Pray
>2. Speak
>3. Love
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>1. Until today we were meeting to pray at 10:00 a.m. but Yuschenko's government decided to start their day with prayer at the same time (what a coincidence) and we are moving the prayer to 9:30 a.m. God truly gives our team creativity. Someone gave us a cell phone with unlimited plan and we started a "call home" action. People who live at the tent camp have 3 minutes to call their relatives who worry about them. After they are done talking we ask them about home and pray for them. Boy, they are shocked. Now, the go and tell other about it. The tent camp is broken into the different regions of Ukraine. It's so awesome that we happened to be for a very special purpose in the middle of the protesters from the western Ukraine. It's a very religious part of Ukraine but half-dead spiritually and often aggressive towards evangelical Christians. We have seen all kinds of face expressions after we prayed for these people but we have never seeing them indifferent. Our prayers might not affect them today but months later they will remember about our love towards God and the nation. Starting today a group of pastors also decided to pray every hour for the situation in Ukraine and the role of the churches in it. My turn is tomorrow and day after tomorrow. Even though we wish all this would be over yesterday we feel like God is actually postponing this time so that we could witness to many more people here. Christians who come downtown Kiev ask us what to do. We send them to pray for security around the camp. Few days ago we asked one of the top guys here what he needed the most. He asked us to pray that people would remember what they came here for - to stand up for freedom and justice.
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>2. Speak. Every day we hold evangelistic meetings. Someone said that these meetings reminded him the meetings back in 1988 when after evangelistic meetings you would not see a single track on the ground. People are so hungry for the Word of God. I have heard some of the best preachers in my life there because they were so passionate about God and the Ukrainian people. Sergey Zaychenko who is a coordinator of Studio 33 which a worship ministry of Radooga often leads worship there and shares his heart. People always react to his heart. We came as foreigners there because for many years the government told us that state and church were separated and we actually fell into believing it loosing thousands of our dear fellow countrymen. But today we are together and we feel like Levites. People come to know the Lord right at the camp. A couple that met at the tent camp decided to get married. One of the pastors talked with them and they have agreed to get engaged and have committed this time to the Lord that they would not have sexual relationships before marriage.
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>3. Love. I am sure you heard the stories that the opposition with Viktor Yuschenko has taken a very high stand in treating police, coal miners from Donetsk who came to support their candidate and the youth from the same regions that circled in buses around Kiev for several days. This stand is very similar to what we believe. That is why the first people who went to the railway station in Kiev to feed 10,000 coal miners were our dear brothers and sisters from our tent. How surprised we were to see tons of non-Christians who came to serve and feed people from Donetsk soon after we arrived to the railway station. We are trying to love in many different ways and despite what region people come from they will remember Jesus who gave them food and hugged them and kissed them and love them. The tent camp has tons of needs - warm shoes, gloves, cell phone recharge cards, etc. We were able to collect some funds to help but definitely need more. The main thing is that we would do this to anyone because Jesus has never being a candidate. He has always being the President we are committed to. We hope people around us here would realize that.
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>On the very separate note, I would like to ask you to pray for the churches in Ukraine. I am probably going to get in trouble for typing this but my heart is torn apart that the churches are still silent in their quest for justice. The first people who were supposed to be downtown Kiev demanding the transparent election process should have being Christians. It doesn't matter what candidate we vote for, we should be hungry for justice and truth despite what side we are on. The worse side to be on is the neutral side. For years we have preached that there was no golden middle and by not taking side you take side, but do we believe this ourselves? The more we are separated as the citizens of Heaven and the citizens of Ukraine, the harder it will be to be Salt and Light to this nation and we will always remain the foreigners to the people we preach to.
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>In His Grace,
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>Oleg Vasilevsky
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>Christians for Truth (from the Prayer Center banner)
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And this site provides a live web cam of the protestors. Just click on the picture for a bigger view. That's Kyiv's Independece Square. I think the picture is updated evey 5 minutes or so.