In July I had the privilege to be part of a mission team to Ukraine. My half of the team worked in the villages of Andrushevka and Yaropovichie while the other team members worked in two other villages.
The children captured our hearts. They soaked up the attention we gave them and eagerly participated in every activity of Vacation Bible School. One of their favorite games was entitled I Love You but I Just Can’t Smile. It was one of those stare down games. The one who is “IT’ must stare into the face of someone standing in the perimeter of the circle and repeat 3 times: “I love you but I just can’t smile” without smiling. Some of the boys cracked up trying to spit out the phrase while trying to keep a straight face. The children were easy to love. I am hard pressed to say who was blessed the most the team or the kids.
In the afternoon on the final day something strange happened at both camps. It was the day the gospel was presented. At the first camp, right at the most crucial time of the story, a little boy came running into the room yelling, “Someone is locked in the bathroom!” At our camp there was a little girl sitting on the front row holding a baby doll. Its head was as big as a grapefruit. At the worst possible moment the doll’s head fell off, hit the floor with a thud, and rolled to the feet of the translator. She just kicked it aside and kept speaking.
I was reminded that this was more than Bible school; it was war. A war in the heavens.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
The children captured our hearts. They soaked up the attention we gave them and eagerly participated in every activity of Vacation Bible School. One of their favorite games was entitled I Love You but I Just Can’t Smile. It was one of those stare down games. The one who is “IT’ must stare into the face of someone standing in the perimeter of the circle and repeat 3 times: “I love you but I just can’t smile” without smiling. Some of the boys cracked up trying to spit out the phrase while trying to keep a straight face. The children were easy to love. I am hard pressed to say who was blessed the most the team or the kids.
In the afternoon on the final day something strange happened at both camps. It was the day the gospel was presented. At the first camp, right at the most crucial time of the story, a little boy came running into the room yelling, “Someone is locked in the bathroom!” At our camp there was a little girl sitting on the front row holding a baby doll. Its head was as big as a grapefruit. At the worst possible moment the doll’s head fell off, hit the floor with a thud, and rolled to the feet of the translator. She just kicked it aside and kept speaking.
I was reminded that this was more than Bible school; it was war. A war in the heavens.
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
