SHORT-TERM SERVICE
Kompas Park surprises

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Last summer I spent a week at Kompas Park on one of the children's summer camps.  I'd like to share with you three instances which shaped my memories and challenged my expectations.

I was placed with a team of teenage boys, a daunting prospect, but definitely the team God wanted me to have.  It presented new challenges to me, who'd arrived prepared for lots of craft activities, to adapt to being a first-class cheerleader on the side-lines of the football pitch and riverbank.  But despite my team's boundless energy during the day, my most treasured times with them were evening prayers. I couldn't understand the words they spoke but the passion with which these young men prayed was so powerful and inspiring.  I could really see God working in their lives and felt so privileged to see that side of them.
I'd arrived at Kompas Park with some  trepidation about the language barrier so was surprised to find most of the camp spoke at least a few words of English and we could communicate.  One afternoon one of the older girls sat down beside me.  I tried many ways to start a conversation but she didn't speak any English.  Eventually she simply turned me around and began to plait my hair.  It was something so basic yet this was our "conversation", no words were needed, and it really touched me.

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Whilst at Kompas Park my husband, David, and I had our 4th wedding anniversary.  Word soon spread around the camp and we were soon overwhelmed with best wishes, cards, specially written dramas and a lovely bunch of sunflowers.  To have such love shown to us by people we'd only known a few days was very special and very humbling.

I'd gone to Ukraine with many pre-conceived ideas, and totally focused on what I could do for the children.  It never occurred to me that they would do things for me and inspire me in the way that they did.  Being there challenged my attitudes towards so many things; food,  prayer, possessions, language, teamwork and stepping out of my comfort zone.

My lasting memory of Kompas Park will be the friendship, love and feeling of family demonstrated by everyone without exception.  We were all made so welcome by the Ukrainian leaders, and the children were so affectionate that it was incredibly hard to say goodbye even after only knowing each other for one week.

Liz Mildenhall



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PRAYER DIARY
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