Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Western and Eastern Europe were crazy-quilt patchworks of forests and fields of green and tan. In the West, fields had been plowed for autumn. Upon flying over Poland and Belarus, one could see the fields plowed as narrow strips, something like a planked wood floor. About 15 minutes before flying near Kiev, the plane entered a cloud system.

Donald and DiAnn Randleman, who’d traveled on the same plane I did from London, said they’d looked at all the passengers, wondering if any other short-term missionaries were traveling together.

The British Airways and other planes landed at Borispol Airport some miles outside Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. As we parked and cut the engines, buses and baggage carts drove up to offload the plane. Buses took passengers the equivalent of a few blocks to the terminal building containing the passport control queues and the baggage carousels. After collecting baggage, we came through a long human corridor of identification signs for individuals and company representatives who were being met. On a baggage trolley was a tall stake with a sign that read (exact spelling): “The Quite Hour – ShareHim.”  Well, at least it was “Quite” close to the correct spelling!

Pastor Mauri Bascom of The Quiet Hour was there to greet incoming volunteer evangelists. A Ukrainian man who drove the van about an hour’s drive to the Adventist college gave the passengers tips on common courtesy expressions. Although Russian is widely spoken here, the Ukrainians have a strong sense of nationalism and are promoting the Ukrainian language, which has Eastern Slavic roots. The van driver also commented (as best he could with language difficulties) on landmarks such as the St. Sophia Cathedral (below), built in 1037 by Yaroslav the Wise, Prince of Kiev.

The heavy skies dripped rain in the late afternoon. Most trees are still green, but a few are dropping yellow leaves, and still fewer have tints of autumn russet. Upon arrival at the Ukrainian Adventist College of Art and Sciences, located in beautiful forest on the road to Chernobyl, the luggage was carried up three flights of stairs to a student dormitory. Those evangelists who had already arrived were assigned bunk beds, six or eight stacks to a room. A woman named Nina, who speaks no English, is the dormitory dean who assigned us to the dorm rooms and beds. She is very concerned that each person feels welcome and comfortable; and is able to marshal any college student and set them to carrying luggage, making up beds, and smiling even if they have no other way of communicating. That is a lesson we all need to remember! Nina looks to be in her late 30s, but acts like a mother of many years’ experience. Her young son was captivated at the gift of a Quiet Hour lenticular bookmark (the Kodiak mission plane landing in Papua New Guinea).

The scent of vegetable soup was strong in the dorm, but that’s not what was served for supper in a building a block or two away. A team of women had stayed up last night and all day today, to prepare a delightful and eclectic meal for the volunteers. (Pizza baguettes, bulgur wheat, creamed peas, nectarines, bread, jelly croissants, and chamomile tea.) The evangelists were seated family-style at wooden tables in the second-floor dining room, and served by college student “waiters.” After supper, the volunteers drifted from one table to the next, greeting each other or asking technical questions about computers and international voltage.

There was much dashing up and down the dorm stairs as more guest-foreigners arrived and their bags were brought up.

Next stop: the orientation meeting for all the evangelists at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
After a breakfast of elbow macaroni with garlic-flavored shreds of soy meat, fruit, and chai tea, the evangelists moved to the college chapel in the same building. The walls are painted light green, and the stage area and the side casement windows and doors had dark green drapery. We were joined by the Ukrainian Union Mission president and treasurer, seven conference presidents, and the host pastors of the 50 evangelism sites around the country to be “manned” by the volunteer men and women. 

Here are the main players for today:
Luis Leonor, evangelism coordinator for ShareHim, a ministry of the Carolina Conference.
Mauri Bascom, field director of evangelism for The Quiet Hour.
Michael Porter, CEO of The Quiet Hour.
Robert S. Folkenberg, president of ShareHim (not present, but gave seminars via video recording).
Vladimir Krupsky, president of the Ukrainian Union Mission.
Yuri Kuzmenko, Ukraine coordinator of the evangelism meetings.
And the translator/pastor Sergei who did such a fine job. No one seemed to catch his surname, but his manner was reminiscent of an international diplomat, as he used discernment to phrase his translations in inoffensive terms.

Some volunteers have ministered with The Quiet Hour multiple times, including Don and Sylvia Crook from Tennessee. But many of the volunteer evangelists had selected Ukraine as their mission field after seeing it listed on www.sharehim.org, so they were only slightly familiar with The Quiet Hour’s major role in this evangelism project. [We don’t say “campaign” or “crusade” because of their military connotations and possible offense to other cultures.] Luis explained that The Quiet Hour was completely funding this evangelism project, including the $750 sponsorship for each team speaker. Mike gave a presentation which mentioned The Quiet Hour’s 70th birthday and the funding of 50 mission planes and several clinic boats, as well as strategic initiatives for 2007 and 2008.

Pastor Krupsky, who can speak English reasonably well, used a translator to welcome the guests and give greetings from the Ukrainian people. He said that for several years he has asked TQH to minister in this country, but recognizes that project calendars are decided two to three years in advance, and is extremely grateful toThe Quiet Hour for choosing Ukraine in 2007. This is their first experience working with ShareHim.

The Adventist college president, Anatoly Zhalovaga, spoke next, saying that eight years ago, they had 100 students, but now have 800; they baptize about 20 to 30 students each academic year. The college is remodeled on the site of a former Soviet youth camp, and had broken-down buildings and weeds everywhere. Ten years ago, Pastors Mauri Bascom and Jim Gilley set out to raise funds to buy the facility, and the school is the first Christian institute of its kind in Ukraine. The president said that the theology department has held evangelism meetings in Kiev and started several new churches. Investment in Christian education is always blessed by God. And blessed. And blessed!

A college-girl trio sang a song in Russian, which we recognized as “What a day, glorious day, that will be.” After several stanzas in Russian, they sang the last chorus in English. A bit later, the college choir sang a beautiful song.

Mauri continued the pep rally which by now included students in and under the balcony, by asking (rhetorically) why we’ve come, and what motivates so many to sacrifice (the volunteers and the donors at home) to make this possible? The answer: they love the Lord Jesus, and His mind in them.

The conference presidents introduced themselves and moved to areas where the volunteers could meet their host pastors and sit together to get acquainted. As each group had their photo taken, we had trouble rounding up the volunteers for Podolsk Conference, as several volunteers were retrieving lost luggage or the pastors went on errands. The conference president, who speaks a little English, was very amused to hear the American expression, “It’s like herding cats!” and repeated it in Russian to his colleague, who also snickered.

During the lunch break (for a delicious borscht, soup made of onions, potatoes, cabbage, and beets), volunteers who are professional clergy or have preached on evangelism missions at least three times, were appointed mentors to the others in their hub cities. They were given leadership instruction by Luis.

After lunch, the large crowd returned for live and video seminars in evangelism presentation and how to run their series, by Luis and Bob Folkenberg.

Pastor Krupsky commented on cultural sensitivities and things we should beware of. He said that our presence is something longed for, and that Ukrainians had fasted and prayed for success in this event.

Here’s the star quote of the day, from Luis Leonor to the evangelists. “You will change many lives. But what about you? You must be plugged into God, in double doses. Read your Bible. Fall to your knees. YOU must go home a different person!”

Read September 27-28 reports