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Kompas Park 2010 – a special place!
In May, as the 2010 holiday season approached Kompas Park (KP), Khreshchatyk deep in Ukraine, the annual pilgrimage of work teams from England took place. Their task was clear, to further improve the facilities and help prepare for the many weeks of summer camp ahead.
John Richards, Ian Creek, Mark & Pat Scott and Peter & Jane Rackham representing 3 different churches defied British Airways strikes, volcanic ash and potholes to travel to KP. The task list was already planned by KP Director Alla Kostyunina and Coordinators Frank & Lin Collier, so the team had a good idea what it was facing. As always, the final interpretation of the tasks became much clearer when on–site!
The task list included:
• Digging out, shuttering, laying hardcore and mixing many barrow loads of concrete to create a path around the older buildings, protecting the foundations from water penetration and frost damage.
• Cleaning and repainting corridors and bedrooms in the main building.
• Breaking up old walling and concrete bases no longer used at the rear of the site.
• Generally clearing piles of rubbish and waste.
• Mounting the covering on the arena area.
The team developed a work pattern and it was amazing how soon a momentum built up. With helpful interventions by Andrey Boyko, local pastor and maintenance expert and lots of support from Frank, the major task of developing the path got under way. Lots of hard work, mosquitoes and cups of tea and team encouragement ensured all the tasks were completed ahead of schedule. Pat and Lin concentrated on the redecoration needs and did a sterling job!
Underpinning the whole time there was a real sense of the presence of God in all we did. We shared precious times around His Word, praying together and Breaking Bread. We visited a Hope Now sponsored orphanage/school, attended the Hope Now Bible School Graduation ceremony and ate ice cream an hour away at McDonald’s in Cherkassy.
What is most encouraging is to see the site now – unrecognizable from when it was first acquired. KP is now a credible conference center, vacation resort and truly a place of blessing. God is at the center of all that takes place at KP and our prayer is that this summer many will be blessed, encouraged and find Jesus as Savior and Lord!
Please PRAY for Hope Now and Kompas Park!
Ian Creek
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