Countdown to Ukraine

This is the first time I’ve ever blogged. I get to go to Ukraine and I can blog. Just when I thought life couldn’t get any better.

So why am I blogging, you ask? And what’s this about Ukraine?

I am indeed going to Ukraine, and one of the first things I learned about it is that it’s “Ukraine,” not “the Ukraine.” Reason being is that it’s a country, not a region in another country (i.e., the Soviet Union).

Back to the point - the reason I’m going to Ukraine.... It all started with me checking out this page on Christian Reformed World Missions' site, amazed that there was such a thing as a foreign opportunity to teach on the subject I love the most at a relatively minimal expense, the Calvin Institute of Worship being awfully generous financially, with their biggest gift being their Music Associate, Greg Scheer. That's all.

Of course, things go further back than that. As if it all started with me. It starts with George and Sarah de Vuyst, serving in Ukraine for some 13 years with the goal of witnessing to Christ's gospel of transformation by developing healthy congregations and leadership training in post-Soviet Ukraine. Whew, these de Vuysts think big. And clearly God has blessed their efforts - there's now a Reformed congregation in Mukachevo! You can learn more about their ministry at their web page. Sarah's got her own blog, too. Please support them in prayer!

So Greg and I will be teaching on the subject of worship to church leaders in both Mukachevo and Kiev. And then blogging about it. A simple one-two combination to change the world.

Myself, I'm getting pretty excited to leave for Ukraine. We leave Monday, September 26. We get there Tuesday. Should be fun.

Of course, we've spent a lot of time preparing. Why, thanks to John Barnstead, friend and master of all things lingual, I can almost say, "My hovercraft is full of eels" in Ukrainian. Useful, no?

So, keep tuning in: soon Greg will no doubt post a successful blog.