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Staff Reports
Reports of recent Trips and Work by Godspeed Missionary Care
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Staff Missionary Reports
Reports and Experiences of the Godspeed Staff
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have..."
1 Peter 3:15
Kiev, Tuesday
The scenario: You are in an airplane; the engines have quit
and the plane is plummeting to the ground. Under the
assumption that there are those around you who have not heard of
Jesus and His offer of eternal life, you have one minute to tell
them about Him. What would you say before things go boom?
This is the question posed to the six new members of the missionary
group I am visiting in Ukraine as they undergo training in
evangelism, church planting strategy, and leading inductive Bible
studies. They are given one minute each to present the good news of
the gospel in a situation that would not typically be associated
with good news. The next task is to narrow the message to 25
words, which challenges them even further. The final test is to
distill it all into ten words that capture the essence of the
gospel. That the Russian language allows for fewer words to
express more is an advantage; specific endings of certain words
take care of the articles, pronouns, and even some adjectives.
Although the exercise is fanciful, there is purpose behind the
training. One of the tasks that these young missionaries (each
with professional education themselves) will face early on is to
give a "seminar", an opportunity to take a topic of secular
interest to the educated and professional citizens of Ukraine and
present it from a Christian perspective. Since I have always been
so graciously received here, I thought that their audience would
at least be polite. But the opposite is true: while 30% of this
country's citizens have a University education, only 1% of those
educated elite are Christians.
The others typically view believers as cultish ignorant types, so
any presentation which attempts to integrate Christian principles
is often met with open ridicule and derision. Out of a room of
attendees, mostly critical and even hostile, there may be the two
or three who are silent, who later come to the presenter to ask
for more information. It is those few who are then introduced to
Bible study, with the goal of their own salvation and growth
together toward the development of a new church. The missionary
here expects rejection, but must be ready at any moment to present
the truth, in a clear and concise way.
I will be leaving tomorrow evening to start the trip home: Kiev to
London, then Thursday from London to Baltimore, then Charlotte,
then Columbia. It has been a hugely rewarding time here, immersed
in the culture and purpose of these young dedicated Christians.
Their ability to put God first in every decision and activity is
convicting, and their sense of urgency to get the name of Jesus to
their countrymen is powerful. I have inquired about their stance
on a number of theological issues: Arminian versus Reformed
doctrine, pre- versus post- versus a-millennial eschatology, for
instance. Although knowledgeable about these things, my host group
does not spend much time talking about them; they consider that it
is a much more primary task to get the Biblical truth of who Jesus
is before the present and future leaders of their nation.
As a native English speaker, I am asked on occasion about a
particular word or phrase that may cause a translator to struggle.
But I was unprepared for the question from two trilingual
Ukrainian missionaries yesterday: "Barney, can you give us an
example of the Present Perfect Continuous?" Having studied English
grammar in detail, they have difficulty understanding why my eyes
have glazed over at the question. So we three start trying to come
up with an example. I am of no value in the exercise, but the
other two, true to their tendency to place Him first, have the
obvious, best, and most concise answer: Jesus.
He is Present, He is Perfect, and He Continues...
I long for home but will leave part of my heart here. Thank you
for being part of this part of the journey.
Godspeed,
Barney, for Karen and the Godspeed team
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