The education department of the IPO Hope to people, the ministers of the Second Presbyterian Church of Memphis, and a team of Christian volunteers conducted the Christian camp “Perlina” for orphans from Ukraine. The camp took place from July 13 – July 20, 2018 in Polyana, Transcarpathian region.

We thank God for His faithfulness, and are asking Him for mercy and grace for those who prayed and remembered our needs. In total, there were 53 people from Kiev, Nikopol, Rivne, Lutsk, Zdolbunov, Alexandria, Klevan, Mizoch, Ternopil, Zhytomyr. We all came together to kneel and glorify the living God. The camp for students and graduates from orphanages was held under the theme: “Christ Is the Doer of God’s Word.”

This year turned out to be special, since the missionary from Thailand, Moe and the team of young dedicated people, were constantly interested in the course of the camp and have supported us with their prayers. Their dedication in the ministry inspired the team and encouraged the children to think about their life decisions. God blessed us, and we keep in touch! We pray that if it is God’s will, then in 2019, together with them we will conduct a Christian camp for orphans of the Rivne region. We also plan to invite children from Donetsk region, as well as children whose parents died in the war.

This year, the teenagers from Nikopol arrived in our camp. They had been travelling for two days to get to the camp, and the trip appeared to be tiring for them. The second part of the campers came from Rivne region. On the first day of the camp, there was a delightful acquaintance. At the first night, we all had a very good sleep.

 

 

 

 

Many teenagers saw the beauty of the Carpathians for the first time, and they read about hot springs only on the Internet. Every day began and ended with prayer. We thanked God for what we saw in the new day. In the morning, we had Bible study, where we learned about Jesus Christ that He is the Creator, the Promised Savior, the Yahweh, the Bread of Life, and that Jesus is the zealous God, who was supposed to be ascended to Heaven. During the snack, students had a wonderful opportunity to deliberate in groups, along with their mentors, the theme of the lesson and evening sermon. Every day before lunch, there was a worship and singing. Every day at the worship service, almost each student could share his or her testimony. Esther from Khmelnytsky region, Sofia from Rovno, Yaroslav from Ternopil – the winners of the “Experts of the Bible” contest. They shared about their life with the Lord and, about the difficulties they went through. They also glorified God for their life and blessings they have, encouraged other students to follow Jesus Christ without fear and worry. Maria from Lutsk faced many problems in her life – especially some health-related issues, but regardless of that she entrusted her life to Jesus Christ. Victor from Nikopol shared about how he was bullied by his peers and did not fit in their company, but stuck it out, because he was determined to follow Jesus Christ. Then, we had craft time, where teenagers were making gifts for their friends and relatives. Marilyn brought a lot of material for crafts. Thank God! After lunch, children could play various sports games, visit the thermal pools (aquapark), royal saunas, and after dinner they praised God again through songs, prayers, and listened to God’s Word. Here are some children’s reviews:

• I am glad that I went to this camp, I have many new acquaintances, but most importantly, I became closer to God, I realized that thinking about the future has to be started today. The Lord can come back at any moment. I liked the food. We visited various interesting places, the team did not let us get bored. Every day we listened to the preaching and the Word of God, we also played different games. Here, everyone had the freedom to express himself in a lot of ways. Thank you very much for the books that will help us to develop and learn a lot more. As for me, I believe that such camps need to be organized so we could get away from our idols and get off of our phones. I definitely want to go to this camp next year, since I learned a lot of useful things and how I can receive blessings from the God’s hand.
Antonina M.

• The camp was awesome! I liked the sermons, they were relevant and informative. I think that it is necessary to praise God, and to live on the good term with Him placing Him in the first place in my life. I enjoyed the camp’s daily activities: dramas, songs, poems, and Bible lessons, where we learned about the character of God. God loves us as we are. We studied that God is jealous and therefore it is necessary to give up on our idols, in my case it is a phone. I hope to return to the camp again.
Maria I

• Thank you for the opportunity to be in this camp, and listen to the Word of God, where I learned a lot about God and the Bible. It was nice to visit hot springs and be involved in sports games.
Vitalik B.

• I learned a lot about God and Jesus Christ, I looked at myself through different lenses and, at my life in a fresh way.
Sasha P.

• I am glad that I got to be in this camp, it has changed me for the better. Here I found new friends. I will do my best to keep in touch with them. I want to return here many times.
Irina T

• I liked the team that served us. It’s a pity that the camp turned out to be very short and everything just ended so fast. I liked that we could talk about the solution that God provides for us. And the hot springs had a way of giving some brightness to the camp in the Carpathians.
Daria T

• It was a joy to see many friends in the camp, which I can compare to a baby when he runs into his mom. When I went to this camp, I realized that I will rest there for sure. But the most delightful thing is that I will stay with God for 7 days straight. Every time I gain more and more knowledge about His Greatness. This time, I learned that my salvation only in Jesus. Walking with Him is the only way to be in heaven. Now, I keep wondering why and how do I live? What will happen if I do not accept the Lord into my heart? My mission on this earth is to glorify our Savior. I’m so thankful to the whole team and group of leaders that they were able to convey to me that Jesus Christ is the only Source of salvation. Camp team and sponsors – you are the best. Thank you for everything!
Artem D.

• This camp was very useful for me and I benefitted a lot. Sometimes, I was thinking about the life of Jesus Christ and wanted to be like Him. I understood that my life must change, and most of all, I have to reconcile with God. I met many people, learned about their lives, learned to think about other people and pray for them. I thank God for every hour spent in the camp, and thanks for everything I heard and seen, as well as for my changed outlook. I’m very lucky that God put me in touch with you guys, I really appreciate it. I repented at this camp. I thank God, John and Marilyn!
Victor K.

• The lessons were fascinating. I learned a lot about Jesus Christ and His life. I brought the Bible and books home. I received a few takeaways from His life.
Vasya P.

• Thank you very much, I liked everything. And I’m greatly impressed by the lessons we covered, as well as by the team and new friends.
Yasha K.

We had an opportunity to give away the Bible in Russian and Ukrainian languages to each willing person, as well as Christian books. The team thanks God for the opportunity to serve orphans and children from Nikopol, for the built relationships, for the safe children’s road trip, for the opportunity to share the Gospel and show them the way to God through Jesus Christ.

We ask you to pray for the hearts that heard the Gospel in the camp, for their regeneration, for the children’s parents that allowed them to go to the Christian camp and for further work with these children, and for the students from Nicopol who have repented and got baptized after the camp.

We would be glad to take into our team all who can serve God through the preaching of the Word, as well as by deeds and prayers for socially unprotected teenagers, children and youth. May the Lord bless all who participated in this ministry!

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
(Ps.126:3,5-6)

Valentina Bondarchuk