Captain Morgan: The most precious things that people have are love, mercy, understanding and friendship! All of these are much more valuable than the riches of all the world!
Jack Barabej: We, pirates, don’t have such things! Is it really possible to find them? I thought that all such things existed only in fairytales!
Captain Morgan: No! There is such a treasure on the island where we are sailing! And even more, every person can get all these treasures free!
Pirates: Free? And you don’t have to steal it from anybody? And you don’t have to fight for it? What do we have to do to get these treasures?
Captain Morgan: God has to become the Captain of your ship!
Thanks to you and God, this year we could organize and hold a camp in the village called Lyubartsy, 40 km away from Kyiv. The camp started on the 12th of June and finished on the 21st of June. There is our small sister church in this village, that is also called “The Light of the Gospel”. It was a day camp: from 10 a. m. to 3 p. m. As you have already understood, during the whole camp we’ve been looking for the real treasure, which is the most precious than everything else. So our first treasure was Bible, after that we’ve found out about Jesus Christ, then we were talking about our soul, about church and the Kingdom of Heaven. On the last day we were talking with children about all these treasures and what to do with them. Finally, we decided that it’s better to share them with people around us. We encouraged kids to tell their parents, friends and neighbours about what they’ve heard in the camp.
Every time I go to the camp I worry that there will be no kids and every time God amazes and cheers me up more and more. Last year we held a similar camp in this village the first time and there were 25 kids maximum. This year thanks to God’s mercy and your prayers there were about 25 kids everyday. There were days when even more kids came. A lot of kids who were in the camp last year brought their friends, brothers and sisters to the camp this year. Also during the camp some of the parent came and were watching how it all was going. It was a good possibility to talk to them, find out what they think about church at all. Also we bought cupcakes for kids everyday in the local bakery. Many of the workers asked about the price of the camp and when they found out that it was free for kids they started to give us a discount and said that when their kids would be older they would bring them to our camp for sure. There were English lessons for kids everyday and nevertheless their level was not very high God gave kids and us patience. Also we prepared a lot of sport games and different competitions, so that nobody was bored. And of course we did crafts and I noticed that kids in the village are more patient and attentive than in the city. On the last day of the camp, Sunday, kids performed a skit about Jonah on the church meeting, where we invited their parents too. It was a good possibility to tell them the Gospel.
One more blessing that I want to tell about is our team. This year it was bigger – 12 people: Victor Borysyonok, Elijah Solyanik, Igor Zabarnyi, Maxim Povzhyk, Natalya Povzhyk, Alyona Kudlai, Nastya Plyva, Ira Plyva, Joy Owen, Ann Podruchnaya, Ann Shestova, Nastya Mankovskaya. I’m especially glad that this year there were our teens with us (Ann Podruchnaya, Ann Shestova, Nastya Mankovskaya), that are going to be baptized next month. The camp is a very good school of the spiritual growth. Also it is a very good place where one can get to know God closer and may be in another sphere. Everytime when I come back from camp I think that this camp was rather for me than for the children. God taught me to be patient, humble and hopeful. I’m grateful for these lessons.
On the last day of the camp two mothers came to me and asked when can they come and bring their children to the Sunday school. Please pray so that their desire doesn’t disappear till September. Alls I ask you to pray about this church in Lyubartsy because a lot of vallagers are against it and don’t allow their children to come. Also there are people who support it but don’t come too. Please pray for the whole village, about God’s work in their hearts and also about the fruit of the Gospel that the children heard in the camp. Please pray about this small church”The Light of the Gospel” too, so that it can be a real light in this village and share the message about our Savior. Also please pray about us, so that God gives us strength, wisdom and firmness to keep doing His work.
Ira Plyva, church “The Light of the Gospel”, Kyiv
The big gratitude to God for the kids day camp in the village Luybartsy. It was a blessing both for the children and for the team. This year our young sisters who are preparing for the baptizing this summer came with us. They helped us a lot and it was possible to see God’s action through them too. Praise God, this year more new kids came to the camp and those, who found out about the church at last camp and then attended the Sunday school, came too. They gladly took part in all camp activities: played games, sang songs, listened to Bible lessons and learned Bible verses. I could serve with my knowledge and taught English in the beginners’ group. I hope that what they’ve heard in camp will work in the kids’ and parents’ hearts.
Nastya Plyva, church “The Light of the Gospel”, Kyiv
The camp in Luybartsy was a special time. We could have closer communication with the kids who attend Sunday school. New kids and teenagers, that were keeping a distance with us at first, gladly ran to us and hugged us everyday then. They told us that not only games were valuable for them, but also the lessons where they learned new about God. They liked to gain points and then buy something for them. We can see the fruit of our efforts: on the last day teenagers told me that their lives had changed since they started learning more about God. He’s become alive for them and they are trying to tell other people about Him.
Alyona Kudlai, church “The Light of the Gospel”, Kyiv
