John White - Developing Church Leadership in the Russian Speaking World c/o Eric Yodis, Postal Box 3644, Donetsk 83076, UKRAINE October 2002 jwhite@alumni.princeton.edu http://www.marucheck.net/jw/
Well, I've been longing for a while for the chance to do regular ministry-and now I might have more opportunities than I can handle! This summer I went on a Campus Crusade summer project near Mariupol, Ukraine (straight south of here on the Sea of Azov). I was expecting to be just "one of the students" when I arrived, but I was mistaken...
Instead, I was given my first small group to lead, and a "disciple" to mentor. To make things even more interesting, two Polish guys were put in my small group along with four Ukrainian guys. One Polish guy (Rishik, former director of Campus Crusade in Donetsk) spoke Russian but not English, while the other (Christoph) spoke English but not Russian. Imagine the following process: the small group leaders would meet and read through questions that had been written in Russian for us to use (they weren't easy to read). Sometimes this discussion was done in Ukrainian (which I don't understand). Then, I would personally sit down with the small group coordinator and get further help. Later leading the small group, I would ask questions (more and more of my own questions as I got more comfortable) and often not understand the answers, but attempt to lead "by faith!" Sometimes I also had to act as a translator for Christoph, which made things even more complicated as I tried to understand his English, translate into Russian, and try to lead the group! God gave me grace, and the guys seemed challenged and encouraged. I know I was!
I also had opportunities to share the gospel several times in Russian with vacationers on the beach on the summer project, and have participated in some evangelism in the dormitories back in Donetsk. Again, I'm often not completely understanding what's going on, but I'm trusting in God (and often my evangelism partner!) to lead and make things clear. It's been a blessing to see God work through these times.
Now, things are a little more peaceful, but I still have plenty to do. I'm busy preparing sermons in Russian to preach in church once a month (I'm working through the book of Philippians) and preparing English notes for the course on Romans I'll be teaching at Donetsk Christian University (DCU) in November and December. It's my first experience teaching a course at the university level, so I'd really appreciate your prayers for wisdom and insight into the needs and abilities of my students, and of course, into what God wants to say through me! I do hope to be able to interact with the students some of the time in Russian, which I'm already starting to do in a DCU prayer group that I lead (with a student leader named Andrei).
So, now I'm a professor, preacher, and student! Please pray that God will give me wisdom in balancing these areas, and trust in Him that He is worthy where I am unworthy and able where I am unable.
Praising Him for His grace,
John