When I first stepped off the plane in Ukraine twenty-eight years ago, I carried with me fifteen years of youth ministry experience from Southern California and a heart that burned with a single desire — to help churches raise up young leaders who are wholly focused on Jesus. What I could not see then was how many of you the Lord would gather over the years to make that vision possible.
Together, through your prayers and generous giving, we helped plant the seeds of Ruka Dopomogy — “The Helping Hand” — which became one of the most influential youth-ministry training movements in Ukraine. Although I long ago passed the leadership to the next generation of Ukrainian believers, your faithfulness allows me to continue serving as a coach and mentor to these remarkable young leaders who are shaping the church’s future.
A Season of Growth in Kyiv
Most recently, those prayers and gifts made possible a year-and-a-half journey walking alongside Philadelphia Church in Kyiv. Month after month, I met with their team to help them not only develop a strong, Christ-centered youth ministry but also to grow deeper in their own walk with the Lord.
Through your partnership, this church experienced something new — a model of discipleship that multiplies. What began as youth-ministry coaching soon grew into a year-long “Huddle” of leaders learning to disciple others as Jesus did. This is now the sixth church where we’ve added this discipleship component, and again, we are seeing lasting fruit: young believers becoming shepherds, not just students.
The Celebration — and the Elevator Test
At the close of August, we gathered for our final semester of youth-ministry training. The topic: how to plan and carry out an evangelistic event that truly reaches hearts. The Philadelphia Church team is now preparing their own outreach in November — and I’ll return to Kyiv then to celebrate their completion of the program.
But August also brought another kind of celebration — the joyful passing of the baton from one youth leader named Andrey to another. (It seems “Andrey” may be a requirement for the job!) We met in the cozy apartment of the former youth leader, laughed, prayed, and thanked God for all He had done.
As we left that evening, though, the Lord decided to give us one last lesson in trust. Several of us became stuck in an elevator — forty minutes with the air growing thin. There we were, pressed together in the dark, praying quietly and making room for the girls to sit on the floor where the oxygen was thicker. Then came the moment of rescue — the door opened, and we stepped out laughing and praising Jesus for His protection. It was a perfect reminder that even when we feel trapped, He never stops delivering His people.
Your Part in the Story
Every testimony that comes out of Ukraine — every young leader equipped, every church renewed, every new believer reached — has your fingerprints on it. You are not watching this story unfold from afar; you are in it. Your prayers have strengthened hearts. Your giving has kept ministry tools in our hands. Your faith has multiplied faith in others.
As I prepare to return to Kyiv in November, I do so knowing that this journey continues not because of my strength or even our combined effort, but because Jesus is faithful to complete the work He begins. Thank you for walking with me, praying with me, and believing with me — for His glory alone.
“To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.” — Ephesians 3:21