Expanding Vision

Over the course of my life I have observed that God doesn’t seem to be in the same hurry that I am often in. I am learning however, that with our God no time is wasted time, & I realize now how God has been using this time to bring about some subtle yet important changes in our philosophy of ministry and missions.
         When I first moved to Ukraine back in 2004 my heart was broken for a select group of orphans. I loved the transitional & orphanage ministries I was involved in & we were able to involve a few Ukrainian Christians in our ministry, but for the most part we worked on our own, which ultimately limited our effectiveness.
      As we have been in America and these kids have grown up, our heart is still for orphans but our vision has expanded to include the local church in a much more prominent way. SEND’s philosophy of missions is to Mobilize God’s People to Engage the unreached and Establish reproducing churches. I used to be unsure how orphan ministry fit into that, but in order for long-term growth and change to be accomplished in these children’s lives they have to be incorporated into a healthy church body.
            As we contemplate how to do this, the passage of Scripture I keep returning to is Ephesians 4:11-16.  In this passage Paul lists important traits of any church.... edifying & equipping the saints, seeking unity of faith & the fullness of Christ, & speaking the truth in love.  We want to invest in the church and live out these traits together with Ukrainian believers.  Our hope and prayer is that in this process we can impart a passion for orphans to these believers, so that reaching out to the fatherless will become an essential part of what the Ukrainian church is.  It will be a joy to see these kids loved and discipled not just by us but by the Body of Christ!  Then, by God's grace, a ministry will have begun that far outlasts us.