Ukraine

Let me first start with this… My Blog is once again public, but I deleted some things in order to put this into action. The updates I will be having are urgent and I need this platform to be easily accessible for maximum outreach. So my Kyrgyzstan post are gone, but held on development… so private to only me for the time being. 

How do I begin? A question in my head right now, as I have typed and deleted this first paragraph numerous times now. 

I will begin here…

Pakistan 

   I was reached out to by a friend in Pakistan, a long story in itself, but he wanted my friend and I to come visit. (I will leave it at that, this is a public blog.). My friend and I prayed about this opportunity and then looked at flights, we wanted to do it! We filed for Visas and a few hours later we sent them in. My friend was accepted, but mine was not. For weeks I waited, trying to get in contact. Finally, they sent me a email to come to Washington, DC for a interview within 7 days. 

       The problem was I was in Kyrgyzstan. They would not allow a call or anything, only in person.  I fought and fought, my friend fought and fought.  We prayed that God would make a way, but also if I wasn’t supposed to go He would close the door.  We went to the Pakistan embassy and they would not help me, I called and they would not return my calls or emails.  

     Finally, a phone call at 1 am with them, they gave me a ultimatum, no exceptions, come to Washington, DC for an interview or don’t get accepted. 

     Honestly, a bizarre experience of why they did this to me but not my friend, I feel like God has closed the door for me and has something else… 

     Reminds me of Paul and his companions in Acts 16, How the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them into Asia.      I trust God. 

Ukraine/Romania 

       I had been keeping up with Ukraine, as I was with a lot of Russian people in Kyrgyzstan. I had begun to pray on how I could help Ukrainians.  The problem at this point was I was planning to go to Jordan for a month, Egypt, Pakistan, and Albania. My schedule was booked and the earliest I could go help was three months out. I asked God how I could go? 

      The next day in a leadership meeting, a opportunity to go to Romania was given to us. The option was now continue with Jordan or go to Romania.  I prayed and knew I needed to go to Romania, yet I deeply desired to go to Jordan. It was hard to lay that down, but I needed to be obedient. 

        That next week we had the longest travel week, busing across Kyrgyzstan, flying to Istanbul for a 13 hour layover, continuing to Jordan because our flight was already booked, spending two days there, and then flying to Budapest, Hungary and arriving at 4 am in a snow storm where our Hostel would not answer the phone.  Stranded in the big city in a snow storm with all our stuff, worn out.  

       The night life was wild in this city and streets were packed with hundreds of students partying and a few invited us to crash in there kitchen where we did and it was horrible. Hahaha. 

    Long story short, we got connected in Budapest and encouraged the church, then we took a train into Romania, where we are today helping with Ukrainians.  

So what are we doing? 

       We are working with an organization called The Jesus Mission. We are apart of a chain of groups helping move and house Ukrainians fleeing conflict.  

    We are in a city called Cluj-Nopaco, Romania.   Many Ukrainians are staying here rather than continuing to travel elsewhere, they hope to return to their homeland. Many Ukrainians consider themselves not be refugees, the hope is they will win the war.  

We have children programs we have been helping leading since arriving.

      God has placed me here, as their brother in Christ to provide support in whatever way we can. There is currently a genocide among their people, some of their hometowns have been destroyed and they left everything to flee at a moments notice. 

       We are in contact with church leaders in Ukraine. They need food and basic necessities, from what I have heard some have not had food for weeks. It is life and death for many. 

    So we are going to the stores buying what the people need and sending convoys of vans into Ukraine, into a war zone to feed those who need food today.  

A few on my team and myself included had to drop Adventures in Missions in order to go into Ukraine.  The liability was to high for the organization, so we resigned for the need and are going in. 

     Two boys from my team are currently on the way to Kyiv and I and two others will hopefully be going In next week.  

 I needed to learn the stick shift in order to drive, so I learned really quickly! 

This is a matter of life and death.  So please be praying.

Pray for Russia and Ukraine, pray for the amazing long-term missionaries we are helping who have their families here, pray for all the volunteers and for the Lords provision. Pray for safety. 

 Stay tuned…