It's Wednesday night about 10 p.m. and this is my first chance to get in front of a computer since the last post.
There were about 32 or 33 decisions Tuesday that I know about. I have not heard an update on today though.
The four-person team I'm on has been on a whirlwind tour of this region. Yesterday we left at 8:30 a.m. and returned to the hotel at about 11:45 p.m. We traveled to Khotin and presented our seminars to between 8 and 12 youth leaders (the number changed every hour).
After Tuesday's seminar we then traveled to the most remote and gorgeous youth camp I've ever visited. Though completely primitive with no permanent infrastructure, they have brought a generator which powers their sound system, computer, television, DVD player, printer, etc.
The camp itself sits on top of a hill over looking the Dnister River which is one of the major rivers in the country, but unlike the Mississippi or Ohio there appears to be no commercial traffic on it. We were there from 3 to 10 p.m. and only saw one fisherman in a rowboat. The kids swim in a tributary, play volleyball and have two-hour church services in the evening.
On Wednesday we left about 8:30 a.m. and traveled for more than an hour to another camp even more remote where we took part in smaller break-out sessions with all the campers before doing or seminar topics in front of about 30 youth workers. We did it outside on a hill side under a grove of oak trees. It was around 70 (yes, the forecasts were wrong, it did warm up) and a nice breeze. In other words, perfect.
At all the sessions we've done this week I think we have been able to encourage the youth workers and at least plant the seeds of God's salvation in the non-believing youth who are there camping.
Keep a kid named Roman from St. Petersburg in your prayers - he believes in God in his head, just not yet in his heart. That's him in the picture watching some of the other campers swim in the river.
Tomorrow morning we go to First Baptist here in Chernivtsi where we will be meeting with youth workers here in the city and surrounding suburbs. In the afternoon there is a group meeting at the church though we have not been given the details. (Bob may know but I haven't seen him yet tonight).
As to issues of national pride I can report that (with the help of our Ukrainian interpreters and drivers) we managed to show a decent team effort in our volleyball games with the Ukrainian kids and their leaders. We may have even won one or two games in the last few days.
It has definitely not been the complete embarrassment seen during our near-infamous attempt five years ago at playing soccer with kids who have played all their lives.
The mission team members who have been witnessing are reporting some remarkable successes, even with strong Orthodox believers. I'll post more as I know more.
I haven't listened to the some of the last few audio posts, but there maybe a few bad ones where I punched the wrong button on the cell phone but a post was still made anyway. Sorry.
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