Orphan's Promise Conference

God's timing amazes me!  As many of you know, I spent the fall in England studying with Ellel Ministries.  While at Ellel, I was given the opportunity to look at God's heart to set the captives free, through discipleship, healing and deliverance.  Through prayer and counseling I saw God set many people free from deep wounds they had long carried and from sin patterns that they had been entrapped in. 

Upon arriving back Ukraine and delving into my work with Orphan's Promise in Kiev, I was tasked with planning a conference for all our OP workers in the field, a conference on the topic of healing and deliverance!  Go figure! 

So the past several months have been quite full as my team has been planning and preparing for this 3 day event for our 130+ staff and volunteers serving in the former Soviet Union.

The conference took place in June (literally right before we left for camp).  After reading so many field reports over the years, it was a privilege to meet all our staff and volunteers who are loving on orphans all across Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Russia and Kazakhstan. 

One of our OP teams in Armenia

Terry Meeuwsen, our director of OP, was here in Ukraine filming several several stories about the work we are doing, and so was able to begin our conference with her own personal testimony of seeing the need for healing in the lives of orphaned children. Terry recognized that when she adopted, bringing the kids home was just the beginning, and that the healing work that God would need to do in the lives of her daughters would be extensive.   Terry is an amazing woman, who herself has adopted 5 children (3 from Ukraine) and has a deep burden for those kids left behind in this country. I am so blessed to work with this awesome woman of God and am grateful for the time she was able to spend with our team while she was on this trip.  She is a woman of much wisdom.

Chester & Betsy Kylstra

Our main teachers/speakers for the weekend were Betsy and Chester Kylstra from the ministry "Restoring the Foundations" based in North Carolina.  They are a lovely, Godly couple who have a calling to see God's children set free from strongholds we face in life.   In preparation for the teaching we had one of their books translated into Russian for all of our conference participants.  It was not only a time of education for our staff but also of personal ministry, as people were given the opportunity for personal prayer, which was very significant.  It seemed that people left refreshed and encouraged and with new energy to return to their various projects in the field, now having a new understanding of the deeper issues that face their youth day in and day out.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 

 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Psalm 103:1-5

   

Nataliya and I doing introductions of the teams