"Knowing That We Had Been Forever Changed By Our Experience"

August 12, 2011
 

It is 5 am on July 3rd, 2011.  I am sleepily zipping up my suitcase and going over the list of travel essentials in my head one last time: passport, toothbrush, bible; check.  My younger brother Gregory and I are about to embark on a journey that will take us more than 6000 miles away from our home in Los Angeles, California, to Vinohradiv, Ukraine.  Gregory, three other volunteers and I are traveling there to teach English for three weeks at a day camp for children run by a Sabbatarian pastor.

The months leading up to our departure were spent preparing for what felt like the complete unknown.  My brother and I knew nothing about teaching English and very little about the other volunteers.  Even information about the camp was sparse.  While we might have felt under-prepared, each of the five volunteers brought something valuable to the group.  Oleh Kubik, who is fluent in Ukrainian, brought three dozen colorful posters to use as teaching aids, and his years of experience as a substitute teacher in Binghamton, New York.  Oleh's daughter, Natasha, previously traveled to India to work with children living in the slums of Calcutta, and brought with her that experience.  Heather Kubik, Oleh's niece, had served on a mission project in the Dominican Republic, and brought with her that experience as well as lots of children's worship songs.  In addition to books and worksheets, Gregory and I brought our knowledge of the Ukrainian language and our experience tutoring young children.

The five us were also each armed with three teaching tools that we would make the biggest difference: trust in God, courage to enthusiastically charge into the unknown, and open hearts that were ready to serve and to learn.

As with any new experience, the best of our expectations were soon fulfilled, and the worst of our fears were never realized.  Our hosts immediately welcomed us, and treated us not only as guests, but also as family.  There was never a shortage of good conversation or delicious food while we were in Vinohradiv.  We stayed at the home of Vasil and Maria Thomaschook, who within the last four years have adopted eight foster children, all boys between the ages of 6 and 18.  Our other hosts were the church pastor and his wife, Vasil and Irina Polichko.

The Polichkos and the Thomaschooks had built a loving home for the eight boys, and were further reaching out to help other disadvantaged children in Vinohradiv through the day camp they organize every summer.

The camp brought together about 30 children of various ages, from a variety of economic and family backgrounds.  Some were children of single parents, others came from homes terrorized by an alcoholic mother or father, and others too came from happy, loving families.  The children came to the camp for a variety of reasons too, whether to play, learn English, eat, learn about God, or find peace from their troubled homes.  Whatever the reasons, all were happy to be there, and we were ready to serve them.

Sunday through Friday, the camp offered the children three meals a day, many hours of play time, English classes, bible classes, and daily fieldtrips to places of interest in Vinohradiv, including ruined castles and the nearby Tissa river.  We accompanied the children on their excursions, and spent as much of the day with them as we could.

Throughout the day and during the classes, the children were attentive, respectful, and always excited to get to know their American visitors.  While Oleh, Gregory, and I had some knowledge of the Ukrainian language, Natasha and Heather knew only a handful of Ukrainian words.  The children were utterly undeterred by the language barrier, and every day were excited to spend time with all five of us. 

Working with the children, and especially watching their interactions with Heather and Natasha, taught me that the acts of play, laughter, and love were bridges across the chasm of language and culture that could have prevented us from getting to know the Ukrainian children.  Those bridges, and God's blessing, allowed us to teach the children, learn from them, and have a truly wonderful experience at the camp.

Aside from my time working and playing at the camp, the opportunities we had to fellowship with the Ukrainian Sabbatarians, especially our hosts, made my experience in Ukraine all the more special.

Before 1991, Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union, whose government discouraged religion, closed down churches and persecuted religious people, including Sabbatarians.  Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Christians in Ukraine have enthusiastically opened churches and now freely practice their faiths. 

Due in part to their past trials, the Sabbatarian brethren in Ukraine have a zeal for God that is inspiring and encouraging.  While visiting three congregations, I was humbled by the whole-hearted joy with which the people celebrated the Sabbath and praised God in prayer and song, and I was uplifted by the passionate messages they preached.

Our trip would have been impossible without the relationship that exists between the American and Ukrainian Sabbatarians.  A minister in the United Church of God, Victor Kubik, through his non-profit organization LifeNets, has been especially active in building and maintaining relationships with the brethren in Ukraine.  LifeNets not only regularly sends volunteers to the Polichko's camp, but also awards students with college scholarships and helps fund humanitarian aid projects that are organized by the Sabbatarian churches in Ukraine.

On the sunny afternoon of July 26th, I sat in a train compartment in western Ukraine, tearfully waving goodbye to the Polichko's, the Thomaschook's, and the eight boys.  My brother and I pulled away from that station knowing that we had been forever changed by our experience there, and began counting the days to when we might be able to return next year.

LifeNets volunteers, Stephanie and Gregory Zajac Heather Kubik getting a piggy-back ride from one of the children Heather Kubik with one of the children from the camp Children from the camp climbing on castle ruins in Vinohradiv

Natasha Kubik and Ivanka, 9 years old Natasha Kubik reads a book with Vanessa LifeNets volunteers on the Sabbath with young people from the Chust congregation   Oleh Kubik with Irina Polichko and Vasil Thomaschook