"Effective teaching is not head to head, but heart to heart." (Howard Hendricks) The less active Christmas season came to a quick end, when I traveled to Rivne to teach "Missions in Youth Ministry". In preparation, I was reminded of how much I love what I do, about God's calling, and about His grace. My goal of the course is to pass on my passion to be a part of God's mission. Most of them have not been "on mission" as they say in Ukrainian, which means they have never served outside their home context.
(Left: Our students in Rivne, with the teachers and directors)
We started with the Word, looking at God's unfolding plan of salvation to the nations. I shared my testimony of how I ended up in front of them. Vitally shared about his mission trips over the last several years, including how to raise funds inside Ukraine. I was the main teacher, but he helped bring the concepts home to them as well (as well as set a new beard trend). We showed them what YMI is doing all over the world to inspire them to pass on the training they have received.
One great moment of the class was at the end. As part of their test, I had them all memorize several verses about about the nations. I love all these verses like Revelation 7:9, Genesis 12:1-3, and 1 Chronicles 16:8-10. So I required not only that they write the verse(s), but that they audibly recite them in front of the class. Each student stood up, and (to my delight) most did not take the easy way out, but recited the passage that influenced them the most. Some recited in Russian, most in Ukrainian. I stood up to close the class, starting to recite the verses in English as an act of worship, and also so they could see them hidden in my own heart. By the time I finished, half of the group had their phones out recording my little speech. One student said ''I missed half of it, do it again. I want to share this with my youth." I did again watching the delight in their eyes. We closed in prayer for the nations to have the joy that we have in Christ, and for God to use us all to make his Glory known.
(Right: Vitally teaching)
There is no greater delight as a teacher, to know that your students got it. They might not know all the facts, but they got the heart! If God has their heart, He will use them beyond what we can imagine.
Other Opportunities to Share
I do not write about everything in our newsletters, because if we did, it would be way too long for most people to read. However, God has overwhelmed me lately with opportunities to teach and speak into others lives For example, beyond my class, I taught or preached in Rivne 4 times. One example of opportunities beyond even those is the two teenagers in the picture on the left. One is a son of a teacher and the other is a young man heard me preach on Sunday in Rivne. He texted me all week to come see him before I went home to Kyiv. He is 17 and asked good questions about life and being a disciple of Jesus. The other man is the Rivne Region Youth Ministry Director for the Baptist Union. He is a graduate of KTS and a good friend and encourager. I cannot be directly involved in their lives, but I pray God used these short times to point them to Himself and build the kingdom one conversation at a time.
(Left: Personal ministry time in Rivne)
