“Ok … so we are making progress – actually great progress. Yesterday was awesome with 13 hours of hammering fellowship with locals who love the Lord followed by a great meal and “tea and cookies” with the 12 children we’re living with this week ( and their parents of course). A house of joy with biologics, adopted, visitors, residents, Russian, English, Ukrainian and pets all living, working and, of course, breaking bread together – Awesome!  Speaking of breaking bread, we’re doing 4 meals a day!

Details: All well (albeit sore) and running on the power of the Holy Spirit. First floor framed, floor system for second floor installed today. No locals today and the team is really working well together. Tomorrow is our last work day and we’re gonna hit it hard. Truth is we’d love to see this thing to completion, but we’ve given it life and love – it will grow.”

- Team Members: Ty Hasty, Jeff Tanner, Ed Harley & Tommy Wooten

We are excited to have a building team currently in the Ukraine right now with Yuri, our lead Ukrainian Director. Their progress looks great and we are so happy to hear from them. See their update below!

“We arrived safely yesterday and spent the afternoon with Yuri at his place near the Black sea. We arrived in Eagle Village tired after 2 days of travel. Got up early this morning and got to work. We got half of the first floor framed with the help of the some who came from the local church to help. One of us has a souvenir that is extremely unique and went to great pains to get … more later.” - Team Members: Ty Hasty, Jeff Tanner, Ed Harley & Tommy Wooten

During this trip we share some much-needed fun, fellowship and Christian messages with children at the orphanages. We also provide necessities such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shoes, first aid supplies, food and much more to these deserving but needing children. Our missions cruise has become so unique and fun HopeHouse International was recently featured in the book Orphanology by Tony Merida & Rick Morton!

We are so thankful to have been included in such a great book and exposing our mission at HopeHouse International to others. Through Orphanology, nearly all of those going on our upcoming Mission Trip Cruise are from team members who found out about us through the Orphanology book. Thank you to all team members and staff who help us make this Missions Trip Cruise possible. We look forward to traveling with you and changing orphan lives.

God does great things!

This, then, will be the last blog post for our 2011 Mount Paran Choir Mission Trip to Ukraine. (We may, though, post photographs soon once we cull through the thousands that were taken.)

A few words of thanks and appreciation are in order.

First, thanks and praise to God! The list of things for which we thank Him would stretch for a thousand blog posts and beyond. Of course we thank Him for His love and mercy and protection during our travels… for opening doors with ease and facility up and down the spine of Ukraine… for providing the financial means for all of us to travel to a place over 5,500 miles away to minister “unto the least of these”… for the lives He placed in our path and for His light that shines through us… for ministry opportunities, known and unknown, in orphanages, churches, and other venues throughout our eleven days together… for the good work He began (and is perfecting) both in us and in those with whom we came in contact… and for all those things to come from our time in Ukraine.

On earth, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Deneen Turner, the heartbeat behind HopeHouse International, the organization that unlocked so many doors. Deneen’s genuine love for – and calling to serve – the orphaned children of Ukraine shine in her very countenance and inspire those around her to roll up their sleeves and do what they can to help. Everyone knows Proverbs 31 as the blueprint for a “noble woman,” but just before those famous verses are the wise sayings of King Lemuel, which, the Bible states, his mother taught him. Verses 8 and 9 epitomize Deneen: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”

And, of course, we thoroughly enjoyed meeting and spending time with her mother, Lee, and her son, Andrew, both of whom brightened our journey.

If Deneen provided the inspiration, her right-hand man, Yuri Yakovlyev, provided the perspiration. His own testimony is an amazing one, emerging from communist Ukraine to become such a powerhouse for positive, Christ-centered change in his country. He served as logistician-in-chief and did it with efficiency and aplomb. With his trademark deadpan sense of humor and a pocket full of cell phones, Yuri navigated the sometimes murky waters of the Ukrainian bureaucracy to schedule our visits, arrange our passage, ensure our entries, and everything in between, including juggling the itinerary when necessary.

Yuri brought along an army of others to assist us – Henrietta, our primary interpreter; Nona, who also interpreted for us during our first two days; Yuri (a different one), our sound engineer; and others whom we may never know. Seriously, Yuri may be the single most connected man whom I have ever met. Everyone in Ukraine seemingly knows him. Every bus driver, every church pastor, everybody – even the staff on the boat – seemed to know and respect him. Thank you, Yuri.

We also thank the countless scores and scores of people who held us up in intercessory prayer, both before and during our journey – the members of our choir who remained in Atlanta, those in the Mount Paran Church of God congregation, our family members and friends, co-workers, and others we may never know. We love you all, and we are eternally grateful the time you spent before the throne on our behalf.

Without Chris Jenkins, the trip probably would still be on cinder blocks. Chris came to our choir mere months ago, but in that short time, he has fully ingratiated himself to all of us. His steadfast work ethic and his pleasant demeanor made even the most aggravating of administrative details more tolerable… and made learning songs in Russian even a bit fun… well, maybe I should not go that far!

To the choir, the genius of Rod Jeffords is no secret. He arranges and orchestrates our music, and, on this trip, served as our pianist. Rod’s talent on the keyboards probably concealed any mistakes in our Russian! His scores are tremendous, and his heart is even bigger and better.

And, of course, with deep and heartfelt gratitude, we thank our anointed minister of music and director, Mark Blankenship. He listened to and heeded God’s call for us to take this trip, and it is because of his leadership that we were able to do as much as we did, both in deed and in song, in Ukraine.

The choir loves Mark, and we know he loves us. We praise God for his sensitivity and obedience to the Holy Spirit. Through those, we not only were able to minister to people in Ukraine but we grew closer as a choir family. Mount Paran is wonderfully blessed that God has placed him among our congregation.

Based on the amazing volume of comments to each of the posts during this mission trip, I know that many of you regularly followed us and enjoyed this daily insight into our time in Ukraine. I am honored and humbled to have memorialized the journey in words for you and for my choir family and hopefully to have injected some humor along the way. What a singular joy and a true blessing!

As I said in the previous post, I have endeavored, to the best of my ability, to reflect the opinions, viewpoints, and observations of the entire missions team. With fifty people in our group, though, that proved a formidable task. I do hope that when they read and re-read this chronicle, each of those who shared this experience with me will find reflections and echoes of their own thoughts.

At the end of the day, though, the opinions are my own, not those of Mount Paran Church of God, HopeHouse International, or the leadership of the choir. I take responsibility for every word. To the extent that something is wrong, misrepresented, or even offensive, please forgive me and know that the mistake was wholly unintentional.

We are home. But our work – and your work – is not finished. Those young children and teenagers still live in orphanages. And our Ukrainian brothers and sisters still work to build Christian inroads in the vineyards of a barely post-communist country. So we must be vigilant in our prayer and both receptive and responsive to the continued work of the Holy Spirit in us.

We specifically stand on His promise of Isaiah 55:8-11 – “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’” Amen.

To God be the glory for the things He has done!

In Christ,
Chris

For one of the last blogs on our trip, I offered each participant the opportunity to submit a few sentences about what the trip meant to them. Everyone had the chance to do so, and I hope that now, since have returned to the United States, many more will post their thoughts as a response to this entry.

(I have only edited, when asked by the author, for grammatical purposes.)

From Bobbi Riley – “Some things will stay with me always. The shy little girl who wouldn’t raise her head until she saw the clowns… then a smile filled her face. The joy in the hearts of the handicapped as they so proudly performed for us. That sweet little boy at the first orphanage who eagerly showed me down the hallways. The tears one boy cried when he learned we were not staying with them. The little four-year-old who endlessly hugged and clung to me… then gave me a big kiss when it was time to leave. The faces of these children are forever in my mind and their spirits in my heart. I will remember them always in my prayers.”

Ivonne Long – “This has been an amazing journey… Several times my heart was sad for those precious children. For me, the hardest thing was the transition between spending time at the orphanage (for special needs children) and singing at the church. One child sang his heart out for us as he stood on one good leg and the other leg was a crutch. They all shared an equal love, love for those around them, a giving spirit and kindness… no grumbling… I was able to see them the way God sees them, without blemish or fault. (At the concert), we met very nice people who were very complimentary. One young man and his wife came up to me and seemed to apologize for the size of their church. He said, “Our church is very small. Our choir, too.” All I could say was, “You all may be small in size but you are great in spirit, generosity, and the love of Christ Jesus.”

Ivonne also wanted to share Acts 2:25-28 – “I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body will also live in hope because You will not abandon me to the grave nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life. You will fill me with joy in Your presence.”

Julianna Sproul – “To sum up my mission trip experience in a paragraph is not an easy task. The corporate worship we experienced each time we ministered in music was truly a glimpse of what heaven will be like, all worshiping our Lord together in one voice. The looks on the faces of the children at the orphanages as our bus drove away from them will be etched in my mind forever; a photograph would never do it justice. Sharing the whole range of ups and downs of this trip strengthened the bond with my choir family, and I hope we will carry it back home to Mount Paran and be more effective in what God has called us to do. And I felt such pride as we visited our own Mount Paran missionary in the Ukraine, Jane Hyatt, and her home for orphans… a home where the love and the gospel she shares make her a miracle to this country. May I return home with a song and reminder in my heart, “with all creation I sing, praise to the king of kings, You are my everything, and I will adore you.”

Jane Nellums – “Christ made the difference. The children at Jane Hyatt’s (The Ark) knew the love of Jesus, and the sweet teenage girl said the most beautiful prayer as were leaving. The dove of peace was over the estate. “ “We gave Bibles to every child, and it’s the word of God that changes the soul. He restores the soul, whatever the conditions are around the person.”

Jonathan Herrera – “I cannot put into words how my life has been changed by this missions trip. I have built new relationships with my choir family, but more important, with the Lord. It is only because of Him that we made it through these past ten days. The pain of seeing the faces of these children, the teas we shed when we had to leave, the uncertainty of what is to come when we leave… all the unanswered questions and feelings can only be satisfied through a love that is greater than all! I am privileged to be a part of this missions trip and a part of this choir. I can’t wait to see the fruits of our labor. To God be all the glory.”

More to come…
Chris

On Sunday, just like at home, we worshipped for two services at the New Life Church in Kiev, Ukraine. This congregation does not meet in one of Kiev’s gorgeous centuries old, festively colored, gold domed churches. Instead the parishioners gather in a gigantic lecture hall four floors up in a rather nondescript university building that looks like a poster child for Soviet-era architecture. In fact, when we arrived about 45 minutes before the start of the first service, a few members hastily scurried about the stage, transforming it into a place of worship – hanging colorful banners from the stage rafters, ironing tablecloths to drape two tables where the elements of communion were to be placed, setting up musical instruments and sound equipment, lighting candles, and, of course, moving in risers for the Mount Paran choir! This was a labor of love on their part.

Once service started, we were met with warm hearts and abiding smiles. As with our other worship experiences, the congregation reacted happily when we sang in Russian and joined in, when they could, during our English numbers.

The service’s blueprint resembled a service at home – praise and worship songs, prayers, and preaching. But they did not stop there. Before the pastor ever came to the pulpit, the minister of music invited anyone who needed prayer or had a special burden to come down to the altar (the stage’s edge), and when they did, Spirit-filled saints followed right behind them to pray, one-on-one, with their brothers and sisters. And the audience did not treat this as a spectator sport; they raised their hands and prayed likewise, bearing each other’s burdens in intercession to God.

And then, at the tail end of the service, the pastor entered announcement phase. Granted, we could not understand much of what was being communicated to the congregants. However, at one point, they started reading names, and people popped up from their auditorium chairs and ran down to the front just as if they had been called to Contestant’s Row on The Price is Right. These were people who were to celebrate their birthday this coming week. The church presented them with a gift, but then they did something that we all found extremely special. The whole crowd stretched hands to these eight or ten people (in each service) and prayed for them. What a wonderful gift.

When the last “Ahhhh-meeeen!” had been shouted, the choir closed the service in song. What the pastor – and the congregation – really wanted to hear was traditional Southern gospel music. In fact, at the conclusion of the second service, the pastor told his flock that we were about to sing “gospel music,” the only words in English he uttered in his benedictory remarks and a phrase he uttered three times!

(Now the congregation had already song a standard old gospel chorus, Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, as communion was offered. To hear such a beautiful song sung in Russian as we received the elements brought tears to many of our eyes.)

We started singing In the House of the Lord, an upbeat gospel adaptation of the 23rd Psalm, and the crowd popped up and clapped with extraordinary enthusiasm. We followed it with When the Saints Go Marching In, and I believe we could have just marched right on to Glory arm-in-arm with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters.

Even though we sing – and we love – all sorts of music, the message of old-time gospel remains timeless.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim… in the light of His glory and grace.

Yours,
Chris Y.

Stay tuned tonight and tomorrow for at least three more blog posts coming your way.

-Chris

I posted another narrative from the trip (“Safe in the Ark”) this morning. We are indeed winging our way back to Atlanta. That, however, does not mean that the posts will stop. I will add probably three, maybe four, most entries to this blog, including one about yesterday’s church service in Kiev. So please keep checking with frequency to make sure you do not miss anything!

Tired but blessed,
Chris

And we do so here in Ukraine, too.

Meet Jane Hyatt, a one-time Atlanta suburbanite and active member of Mount Paran. A decade and a half ago, the Lord began to deal with her heart, placing upon her a burden to serve the children of this country. And so she did. She left the United States, knowing no Russian and not really having an inkling of what would happen or how
she would fulfill her calling.

The whole story would take pages to recount, but the gist is this: shortly after arriving, she met Barbara Klaiber, a New York native, who had an equally strong calling. The two started a soup kitchen to feed the hungry orphaned, abandoned street children in Kiev. But God expanded their vision and, in turn, their territory.

In 2000 they established the Ark Rehab Center for Street Children and Children at Risk in Kiev. But they needed a place to house the center. Through a Spirit-filled sister in Christ, God sent a strange prophesy – their “place” would be found at the edge of a forest and in a disco.

They eventually found a property they liked and, sure enough, it was at a forest’s edge. But it belonged to the government and, true to form with almost any bureaucracy, it took time – a lot of time – to purchase the property. With each passing visit, the government would tease Jane and Barbara a bit more, showing them a few more rooms or a couple of other buildings. On the fifth visit, they happened to poke their head in an auditorium in one of the buildings. A cleaning lady mopped the floor. When asked why, she said simply, because the disco is held here on Saturday nights.

The dynamic duo had found their place. They still, though, had to navigate a system laden with corruption, bribe-seekers, and last minute changes before they eventually secured the financing and won the property at auction.

Thus, the Ark was born.

The Ark’s main mission was (and is) the restoration of the family, not simply to serve as an orphanage. Jane is Mount Paran’s missionary here in Ukraine, and we directly support the work she and Barbara do at the Ark. The children in their home may be orphaned, victims of abuse, substance abusers themselves, or come from any number of other situations. Their goal, though, is to rehabilitate these precious kids and place them, permanently, in restored or new homes within 24 months of their arrival at the Ark.

Counting the Ark, we visited seven orphanages/homes during our time in Ukraine. This one is different. And you can sense the difference immediately: the whole Ark experience is Christ-centered. Jane and Barbara teach introduce the children to Jesus and His love, compassion, mercy, and forgiveness remain at the core of a child’s
time there. They pray. They worship. They learn that God loves them, and that they, in turn, should love themselves (as a creation of the Almighty) and others as themselves.

And that approach shows. The kids, like the ones at the special needs orphanage, seem more adjusted and more confident, even more responsive to love and affection. The image of those children in collective prayer for us will remain an indelible snapshot of our journey. This visit gave us hope that, in the midst of such sorrow, where an
alarmingly high percentage of the children of this country either live in orphanages or on the street, there are places that make a difference.

We all left feeling proud that our home church, Mount Paran, sponsors the Ark and, in particular, Jane and her calling.

One day more,
Chris Y.

PS – While there we discovered that Jane and the Ark are in desperate need of a tractor to mow their lawn. (The complex is literally acres and acres.) We took up quite an impromptu collection but still remain short. If you would like to contribute, please contact the Mt. Paran choir office.

Yesterday, many young boys and girls added their conversion story to
this great tapestry of our faith… and theirs certainly merits an
honorable mention among the most unique, because it involved a bunch
of adults dressed as honeybees.

At each orphanage, while most of the MPC crew hurried off the bus to
set up stations for face painting or recreation, a small group of us
stayed on the bus to change into our bee costumes for a short, cute
play geared to the younger half of the children to whom we minister.
The plot is simple – Pasha (Paul in English) will not eat, smile,
laugh, or do anything that the bees do (use your imagination) because
he has lost his joy. The bees call on the Queen Bee to help Pasha
recover it.

Upon arrival, the Queen diagnoses the situation and prescribes the
cure – Pasha has lost his joy because he does not have Jesus in his
life as his savior. Through a series of songs, including “Jesus Loves
Me” in Russian, the Queen and the bees tell Pasha the plan for our
salvation. Using colors to explain the stages – black for our sin, red
for Christ’s blood, white for the purity it brings, etc. – the
children are interactively led through the only true way that our
iniquity may be cleansed.

Pasha wants to pray the sinner’s prayer and give his life to Jesus.
Then the Queen asks if any other children want to do the same.

Now, granted, with children that age and with the ephemeral nature of
our interaction with them, you never know if they fully understand
things or if they have even reached an age where they can comprehend
sin. However, you cannot doubt or question any child’s sincerity when
they want to pray. Just like the little kids that Jesus invited to
come to Him, the children at these orphanages did so after the
testimony of this short play.

And, yesterday, in an orphanage in Zaporozhie, when they did, it
framed one of the images that, for many of us, will define this trip.
When the Queen Bee asked if anyone else wanted to pray, little hands
rapidly flew in the air and little eyes sparkled. Before the Queen’s
helper bees could navigate their way into the audience, some of this
precious young souls stood up from their seats, fell on bended knees,
closed their eyes, and clasped their little hands in front of them.
Others waited on a prayer partner, either a bee or another choir
member, to join them. As we circulated among these children, you did
not need a PhD in childhood psychology to know that these children –
despite their lot in life and regardless of whether they fully
understood everything about Calvary — were sincere in their prayers
to Jesus.

Matthew 18:2-3 reminds us, “He called a little child and had him stand
among them. And he said: ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and
become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven.’”

Yesterday we saw firsthand the faith of little children and how they,
unknowingly, were providing us a great example to follow.

Blessings,
Chris Y.