Well, here at YWAM Kyiv, we plan on changing the world over the next 5 months (and beyond). We now have some details on how we're going to do that, and I wanted to update you guys.
Our local outreach begins tomorrow. As great as the teaching has been, and as much as it is growing me, I am really excited to get out and start doing stuff. Tomorrow, we have an opportunity to serve at a local English Club at a church in the area. While I'm not completely sure of the set up (we're learning as we go), I do know that we will be watching movies and discussing movies every other week, and the other week will be more straight discussion. They asked for as many English speakers as possible, so most of the people who speak English, with a few exceptions, will be attending this outreach. We will also have a team serving with Key Of Hope, which is a ministry for orphans. I have become pretty familiar with this group over the two trips I've taken, and it is an amazing ministry. They really make a difference, and I have met people involved and you can see the difference they're making.
The third outreach we will be taking part in is a new experience for everyone. We will be ministering to the prostitutes. The original plan was for us to split up into 3 separate teams for all 3 outreaches. However, several people on the team felt uncomfortable with that plan (myself included), as we want to get started doing ministry together right now, and keep growing together. So along with our two separate outreaches, we will be coming together every other week to participate in this ministry together. This is exciting. We have a real chance to make a difference here. It's a big issue in the Ukraine. All 3 of these ministries can make an immediate impact. Even though we don't leave for outreach until December 1st, the time for serving is now.
God is giving our team so much blessing. I'd say the mood after them telling us what our ministry areas would be was "Let's go now." And a lot of team members actually said that. We may have only been in this school for close to two weeks, but we are ready to go out.
While we are focused on our local outreaches, obviously the end result of this school will be going to Moldova and Romania to practice what we're learning, so that's always going to be a focus. It was reiterated today that our main focus will be human trafficking. But for the first time today, the way we are going to deal with this issue was presented to us, and the best word to describe it is diverse.
When we think about fixing human trafficking, we immediately think about slavery and the victims. Which is a huge part of human trafficking, don't get me wrong. And we will be dealing with that. But what we really want to accomplish is go after the heart of human trafficking.
Slavery and the victims who have been rescued are just a part of human trafficking. What are some of the main reasons for trafficking? Bad family situations. Orphans. Kids aging out of orphanages and needing money. Bad economy. Boys become slaves or pimps. Girls become prostitutes, or pimps themselves if they realize there's money to be made. So we're not JUST going to after the slavery and victims aspect. We're going to go after everything.
We're going to be teaching family values and trying to instill it in the culture of the people we come into contact with. We're going to be working with orphan ministries, and transition homes. We are going to create jobs for people. And we are going to fight corruption.
We are going to deal with a wide scope of issues, and all of these issues are part of the heart of the issue of human trafficking. We don't want to just deal with the end result. We want to go after the whole process.
We are going to attack human trafficking. Along the way, we're going to come against a lot of issues.
Oh, and we plan on getting a few people saved too.
Well, now we have some details, so I'm going to say it again. Please pray. It makes a difference. You can help us here. God is going to do big things so come alongside us.
It starts tomorrow!
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