Just before 8am on a Monday morning, the relative peace of the beautiful surroundings of the countryside were disturbed by the excited chatter of the first batch of widows/widowers arriving for a week of fun and teaching at Kompas Park.Soon others were to follow until the camp was full, and participants and volunteers were beginning to make friends.
The plan for each day included a morning Bible Study - this year the Sermon on the Mount, games, crafts, entertainment, testimonies – and, of course, food! These beautiful Ukrainian people, who had so little, were rich in their love and gratitude to us! We were given gifts, and the handmade ones that were made with such care and love have become treasures to those of us in receipt of them. We gave out of our plenty; they gave out of their poverty - what a humbling experience!
Each day began with exercises, which I was surprised to see most of the older people enjoying, because they were not gentle exercises, no, it included a race to the camp gates and back – and left some of us Brits standing and staring! Then there was testimony time before breakfast. What I enjoyed about all the meals was that afterwards the older folk spontaneously burst into hymn singing – and you have to have been there to appreciate the harmony of Ukrainian and English versions (at the same time) of How Great Thou Art. Following breakfast was the Bible Study followed by games. How they love games. I don’t think they are as competitive as some, but they are ready to try anything! Ever heard of active rest? I hadn’t, but I have now – that came in the afternoon before the craft sessions. It meant preparing for whatever you had to do for the rest of the day! Evenings brought a selection of talent, from singing, poetry and quizzes, to drama and mime. We took our turns and were received with delight just as if we were Ukrainian ourselves. One of the toughestactivitieswe had to do, was to enter the building for breakfast over plastic sheeting covered with slippery washing up liquid – crawling on our knees! Larisa, whose idea it was, was the only one who slipped and landed on her front, but she laughed it off in good spirits – as did the rest of us!!
The constant smiles,hugs and kisses said so much that words couldn’t pen, and when it was time to gowe almost had to be prised apart – there were wet faces all round – amid requests that we keep in touch. 1 John 4:7 says ‘Let us love one another – for love is of God’. Those who go to Kompas Park go to love and bless the people of Cherkassy, but come away far richer and far more loved and blessed than words could ever say.
01.05.2012 Pray for the music group Zozulenka, and their teacher Natalya, as they busily practice for their return tour here in November
02.05.2012 Pray for preparations that are being made for the cycle tour this summer, and for opportunities for the participants to share their faith as they cycle around the villages
03.05.2012 Pray for Brenda and Ksenya as they speak today at the meeting of the Oasis Group at Locks Heath Church
04.05.2012 Pray for Jon and Ali as they attend the Baptist Assembly annual meeting in London until 7th
05.05.2012 Pray for our students at Universities and Colleges as they complete their studies for this semester and take their end of year exams
06.05.2012 Pray for all those who receive food packages through the feeding programme, that no needy person/family is overlooked
07.05.2012 Pray for David John as he completes his preparations for the teaching sessions at the Pastor’s Conference next week
08.05.2012 Pray that we will have full teams of volunteers for all the camps that will take place this summer at Kompas Park
09.05.2012 Pray for the young people from Rainbow House in South Africa, and for Margaret Ferguson as she supports them in their studies
10.05.2012 Pray for the work of the mobile medical unit, and for Dr Doreshenko to fully recover following his recent illnesses
11.05.2012 Pray for the ongoing support of the Mission Fund, which undergirds all the various projects that we have, that adequate funds will be received each month
12.05.2012 Pray for Larisa and the work she does with the family support group, which encourages mutual sharing and prayer
13.05.2012 Pray that the Humanitarian Aid system that we use to send money to Ukraine becomes quicker and more efficient
14.05.2012 Pray for Anastasia Vovk as she plans camps in various villages around Cherkassy, and pray she finds a team of helpers to assist her
15.05.2012 Pray for safety in travel for Jon, David Reddaway and David John as they travel to Ukraine for the Bible School Graduation and for Ksenya as she returns to Ukraine to help Alla at Kompas Park
16.05.2012 Pray for the ongoing work of Cherkassy’s first sheltered accommodation, especially now plans to renovate the house have been drawn up and the costing received
17.05.2012 Pray for the Church twinning programme, that more UK Churches will offer to twin with a Ukrainian Church for mutual support and encouragement
18.05.2012 Remember before God all our children in cottage homes, thanking God for the security and love they receive from their foster parents as they grow up in these Christian families
19.05.2012 Pray for the work party travelling to Ukraine today, to prepare Kompas Park for the summer season
20.05.2012 As Jon, David and David return to the UK, pray for the newly graduated students as they take up their responsibilities back in their churches
21.05.2012 Pray for the children in the orphanages we support, and for Larisa and Misha as they oversee our work in them
22.05.2012 Give thanks for all our volunteers who come in and help with the monthly mail out, and do other jobs so willingly, often without being asked
23.05.2012 Pray for Jon and Ali to be refreshed as they take some time off together and have a break
24.05.2012 Pray for ex-prisoners who are now leading churches and serving in their communities that they will be faithful to what God has called them to do
25.05.2012 Pray for the young people in our pre-independence homes, that they grow in confidence as they study and plan for their future
26.05.2012 Pray for Vika Lavrenko and Stanislav Dyachenko, sponsored children who celebrate their birthdays today, also for the quiz at Ashley BC this evening in support of our work
27.05.2012 Thank God for our Board of Directors, whose support of the work of Hope is so encouraging; pray especially for the two new Directors to become more familiar with Board matters.
28.05.2012 Pray for Alla Kostyunina and her team as they prepare in detail for the planned camp activities at Kompas Park during the summer
29.05.2012 Pray for Misha in
all the work he does at Alpha House and in the Ukrainian Office of Hope Now; pray also for the plans he and Lena have in using Alpha House as a summer day camp in August
30.05.2012 Pray for Vlad Serdyuk, one of
our sponsored children, as he celebrates his birthday today
31.05.2012 Pray for Cyndee and Darrel Knight and the Hope Now supporters in America, especially in their plans to visit Kompas Park this summer
