What Comes to Mind When You Think of Serving on the Mission Field?
Feeding people, clothing people, helping people in need… these are all the traditional images of serving others. My years serving in Ukraine, God has shown me other ways, ways that seem insufficient to us. I took photographs of those I served and gave them their photographs back. No one had ever taken photographs of the children in the Ukrainian orphanages to give back to them. While I was serving in Germany alongside Kerri, God showed me how spending time with a ministry partner can encourage them as she faced great spiritual warfare that created much discouragement.
Our SALT Ukraine partner, Zoriana, is serving in Germany as a doctor overseeing the treatment of Ukrainian disabled orphans who have been evacuated to Southern Germany. The situation is very difficult and challenging for her. One afternoon, Zoriana invited us to go to a pool. How can a pool and swimming factor into serving? She needed some rest, decompression, and relaxation. I had a swimsuit, and we went swimming for the afternoon. We swam, talked, and laughed. Kerri and Zoriana encouraged me to go down the big water slide. (People with Aspergers don’t like to try new things.) I don’t like big water slides, but I did it. I was so rigid going down the slide, but that is normal for someone with Aspergers. We had a good belly laugh! The fellowship and relaxing time together was very soothing for all of us.
Even fun on a hot afternoon at the pool can serve others.
During the second part of my time in Germany, Kerri and I traveled to the village where six families had been relocated. Kerri worked with the families as I documented the activities. The families were excited for our visits. One child realized that his mom was communicating with Kerri through Google Translate. He grabbed the phone to talked with Kerri. He was excited to try to use Google Translate! The parents are learning German, and practicing elementary German with them was fun. Just spending time with these families provided encouragement to them. Since my last visit, I have been sending birthday cards to the families. Not only the children loved it, but the parents were also very appreciative of this. Sending cards via snail-mail is a lost art, but so impactful. I was moved to take two families out for pizza. Everyone loves pizza and the families don’t go out to eat much. (The village is very small with one guesthouse with a restaurant.) I took Kirill, Zina, Natalie, and her son, Maker, with Kerri. Kerri introduced them to Hawaiian pizza. They loved it. It was a joy to see them laugh, smile, and enjoy Hawaiian pizza in a German village.
Even sharing a pizza can serve others.
