Alyona and Slavik Built Rome in a Day
Last summer Alyona and Slavik set up a Roman Empire Camp along the Black Sea.
They literally set up a Roman Empire Camp.
Now you may recall that I am a Camp Girl, but my camp experience is nothing like what Alyona and Slavik did. They bought, transported, and set up fourteen tents, brought in port-a-potties, created all the activity areas, and even built an underground refrigerator. They built a Coliseum for all of their shows and evening devotions. They built a market where kids could sell the crafts that they made during the week
And then they welcomed 45 staff and 107 poor village children and orphans.
They took the kids to 1st Century Rome, to the first Christmas following Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension. The kids participated in 1st century activities such fishing, carpentry, pottery, etc. Through the day they saw the love of Christ as the staff ministered to, cared for, and provided them with more fun than they had ever had. And in the evening they experience a compelling presentation of the gospel from stories in the book of Acts.
But, on the 5th day of camp, disaster struck. A hurricane hit. From Alyona's email ...
Everything was on a schedule untill the 5th day came and we faced a huge hurricane....that destroyed EVERYTHING....We had to evacuate the kids within 4 hours to 16 different villages. The children were in a panic as they saw almost all the tents on the ground, the trampoline flying away, all the wood parts that the Coliseum and a market were built out of. We tried to save as much as possible while 107 kids kept crying out of fear in a small church room. It all finished in 15 minutes and when we looked around it was obvious that this was the end of our camp that we have been working toward the whole year.
But we were happy and thankful to the Lord that NONE of the children or adults got hurt. But more than this, the day before two teenagers wanted to confess their sins and follow Jesus. It was very meaningful to us as we all understood (as we considered the hurricane) that we can face the Lord anytime and the most important thing would be "What choice have we made in our life?"
Alyona and Slavik literally built Rome in a day for the sake of sharing the love of Christ and the reality of the gospel with 107 children. They saw their work destroyed in 15 minutes. And they chose to rejoice in God's care of the staff and children. They chose to rejoice that two teens had been welcomed into the family of God. They chose to take a terrifying experience, see the hand of God in it, and challenge themselves to examine their own relationship with the Lord.
Alyona and Slavik are willing to do whatever it takes to bring help and hope to the poorest children of Ukraine. Slavik becomes a clown. Alyona helps numerous children find families. They visit children to bring them fun in the midst of a dreary landscape. They deliver food, fun, and the truth of Jesus. They go into prisons, orphanages, and hospitals. And they are the hands and feet that found the "Lost Boys of Ananiev." (More on that story tomorrow.)
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If you would like to be added to Alyona's list for ministry updates, email me at cynthiafin@gmail.com. I'll reply and give you Alyona's email address.
Alyona and Slavik want to build Rome again this summer. Will we help them make this dream a reality?