A Visit with Ukrainians in Diaspora
June 8-17, 2022
Led by Tom Boone, Associate Director for Mission
The media has filled our ears and eyes with dire stories about the war in Ukraine. Many of us are left asking how is God at work in all of this? Through the church, The Outreach Foundation has established partnerships in Europe that can help us to answer this question. We have been witnessing God’s miraculous work in the midst of the war. Until now it has been best to stay put and support our friends on the front lines of relief efforts financially. Now, they have asked us to come! As God showed up to us through His incarnation, we are going to show up for the church that is stepping up to be the face of Christ in the midst of war.
We have four goals for this visit:
1. Show up to provide encouragement and pray over our friends.
2. Listen to stories so we can share them with congregations and donors in the U.S.
3. With them, discern our next steps for partnership.
4. We will each pack an extra suitcase of supplies. We will deliver these to our partners for their relief efforts.
Each person is responsible to provide his or her own transportation from the U.S. to Vilnius, Lithuania (June 8) and return to the U.S. from Valencia, Spain (June 17). The trip cost of $2,500 includes all aspects of our visits in Lithuania, Poland, and Spain.
Each of the friends we will visit is actively engaged in ministry so we will not be staying long! Each visit will focus on hearing their stories, talking with refugees, and videoing the work our partners are doing. We will pray over their ministry and offer a lot of encouragement. Each visit will be quick so that we will not be a burden to anyone.
Due to safety concerns, we are unable to visit Ukraine. Instead, we will focus on our relationships in three locations. We will have zoom visits with partners in Ukraine and Romania.
Vilnius and Klaipeda, Lithuania (June 9-12), Hotels: Amberton in Klaipeda; Narutis in Vilnius
We will drive from the capital city, Vilnius, to the port city of Klaipeda, the base of operations for City Church. We will visit with Pastor Saul Karosas and the leadership team about their work and meet with many Ukrainian women and children. Additionally, we will visit LCC International University to hear about its work not only among Ukrainian refugees but refugees from the Middle East and Central Asia. Our visit will conclude back in Vilnius meeting with Gediminas Dailyde, a church planter who has taken several trips into Ukraine and is leading his church in several relief efforts in Vilnius.
Warsaw, Poland (June 13-14), Hotel: Warsaw Westin
We will visit with Piotr Nowak and the leadership team of the College of Theology and Social Studies. They are hosting nearly 50 women and children from Ukraine while providing education to their theology students who are training for church leadership. Also, we will visit the Poland/Ukraine border and see what is happening there. Finally, we will have zoom visits with our partners in Kyiv, Lviv, and Romania since we cannot visit them in person.
Valencia, Spain (June 15-16, return to U.S. June 17), Hotel: Melia Valencia
We will speak with Lena Vasylevska and her leadership team of Radooga Ministry and JAMM School about their journey from Kyiv to Valencia. Each of the women on this team have husbands and family still living in Ukraine. We will hear from several student mentors on their staff and some expats from the U.S. and UK working with them. From Spain, they are providing online Christian education to nearly 11,000 Ukrainian children scattered throughout Europe.
You can apply online or print the application and waiver. A non-refundable $150 deposit is required to secure your place. Full COVID-19 vaccination is required for travel with The Outreach Foundation.
For more information contact Carol Dublin at carol@theoutreachfoundation.org or call (615) 778-8881.