Categories
Ukraine

Winter is Coming in Ukraine

Winter is Coming! Ukraine War Continues.  While Ukraine is winning on the battlefield, the impact on the country contuse.

8 million refugees

3 million left the country and 5 million displaced

Over 100,000 dead or wounded Ukrainian soldiers

Thousands of civilians murdered

Homes and villages destroyed

Electrical power damaged across country

No electricity, no heat, no water in much of the country

Daily fears of what will happen next with air raid sirens and missile attacks

This is the current state in the country of Ukraine!

As I am writing this, Russia is firing more missiles at Ukraine’s power grid to cause more harm.  Our friends in Ukraine need help.  Winter is hitting and people are without power which means no heat, no ability to cook meals, charge phones, etc.

As the country heads into winter, the Russian attackers are doing everything they can to make life miserable for civilians.  They are destroying power plants, transformers and infrastructure needed for electrical usage, water, and sewage.  This has caused widespread power outages and fears of freezing in the cold winter months.  As we talked with our Ukrainian friends, there is great fear around how they will survive this winter.  Right now, the power is out at least 12 hours each day and without power there is no heat and no way to cook meals.  Large cities are discussing plans to evacuate people out of the cities because there are issues with sewage and water and the conditions are not livable at the level of service they have today.

As we talk with our partners and friends in Ukraine, they share their needs with us.  There is a great need for mobile generators.

These are used to produce power for heating, light and the ability to charge batteries for phones and other devices.  Generators are not available for purchase in Ukraine, so they must be purchased and shipped from other European countries.  The cost of one generator and to transport it from other country is between $500 and $1000.

The second biggest need to for resources to purchase supplies to heat buildings.  Churches have been places that people are coming to for food and to get warm.  The churches are having to purchase wood for those with wood burning stoves or coal if they have coal fired furnaces.  Others must purchase fuel to run the furnace.  These costs are much higher now as the building are in use round the clock, so they need to heat all day and not just when services are held.

The third biggest need is money to purchase food supplies and clothing that can be given to those in need.  Most churches are providing food packs for the refugees who have resettled in their community but have nothing.  They have no jobs, nothing but the clothes they left with and a shared living space with someone who has taken them into their home or provided a place in a vacant home or building.

We are doing a fundraiser through Facebook for Giving Tuesday.  Facebook matches the first $7 million dollars given, so we hope to be able to get some of that money as well.  We are hoping to raise enough money to purchase at least 20 generators as well as some funds to help some of our church partners with their heating needs.

Thank you for the way you have generously supported Ukraine this past year.  Across the many different non-profit organizations we work with, I know that there has been a large amount of money already sent, but the needs still exist.  Today’s needs are different than what they experience six months ago, but they still need our help.  Donations can be made through our Facebook fundraiser at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/donate/556583139812354/

or given directly to our website at:

https://www.potentialendeavors.com/donation/donate

All money raised will go to support the needs in Ukraine.

We were planning to be in Ukraine right now, but due to the current situation in Ukraine we felt our being there would place a hardship on our partners.  We hope to return to Ukraine this spring to meet with pastors, thank them for their hard work and dedication and try to be an encouragement to them.  We have plans to do a leadership training for 100 pastors and their spouses.  We will try to bring training that will help them as they lead into the future, deal with the trauma caused by the war and as they work to rebuild their country.

Thank you for caring for Ukraine!  Thank you for your generosity and for making an impact in the lives of the people of Ukraine.  And thank you for helping churches be able to care for people’s needs so that they can share the love of Jesus with them.  Our hopes and prayers are that this war will result in seeing hundreds and thousands of people find a relationship with Jesus Christ through the work of His church.  Please continue to Pray for Ukraine!

Categories
Ukraine

Ukraine Kids

The war in Ukraine has had a terrible impact on the people of Ukraine, but it is the kids who are often impacted the most. They lose their sense of safety and peace and wonder if things will ever be normal again. This past summer, churches across Ukraine held camps for kids. Over 300 camps were held, and 30,000 students were able to attend. These camps were in every region of Ukraine except Luhansk.

In these camps, over 3,000 students made a decision to make Jesus the Lord and Savior of their lives! Praise God! Donations from many people made these camps possible, but there is a new opportunity to help. This fall, the leaders of the Baptist Union of Ukraine are holding a 3-day retreat for leaders of kid’s ministries from across Ukraine. This retreat is an opportunity to encourage these workers who have done so much to help the kids impacted by war by providing a retreat away from the stresses of a war impacted life. This retreat will be a time of rest, encouragement, training and preparing these leaders to continue to minister to kids of Ukraine. Originally this retreat was going to be in May and Beth was asked to speak at it, but the war changed that, and now we will not be able to attend.

If you would like to help provide for this retreat, we are helping to raise funds to pay for this event. The cost is estimated at $10,000. This is for housing, food and materials. You can make donations through Potential Endeavors at Donate – Potential Endeavors. Make a note on your donation Kids Workers Retreat. All money donated will go to help pay for this event. You can also send checks to: Potential Endeavors, 840 Aspen Circle, Little Canada, MN 55109.

Categories
Ukraine

Back From Ukraine

I am back from Ukraine!  It was a whirlwind trip, but it was so great to be back in Ukraine and to be able to talk to friends face to face and hear how the war has impacted them personally.  The purpose of the trip was to have leaders from the Baptist Union of Ukraine and Converge (formerly Baptist General Conference) meet to talk about the needs of Ukraine during this war and about the potential for ministry partnerships in the future.  This was the first meeting for many of the people on the trip.  I represented Potential Endeavors and the work that we have been doing in Ukraine over the past 4 years.

The trip was different from any trip I have done in the past.  Since there is no commercial air travel into Ukraine, we had to fly to Poland and drive across the border to get to Ukraine.  Our meeting was in Lviv so it was about a 5-hour drive plus whatever time it would take to get through the Polish and Ukrainian borders.  This was the first time I had been in Poland.  From what I saw it is very beautiful.

Border Crossing

As we entered Ukraine, we saw the effects of war.  There were many checkpoints along the road and a large military presence.  As we were having dinner on the first night, an air raid siren went off.  We were asked if we wanted to go to a shelter, but our Ukrainian partners were used to the sirens and chose to stay at dinner.  We stayed with them.  After all clear was sounded, we heard that there had been a missile fired towards Lviv and had hit 70 kilometers north of the city.  That was close enough to make me a little jittery wondering if another siren goes off what would I do, especially in the middle of the night.  As we walked around the city center after our meetings ended for the evening, we saw a vibrant city life, but noticed that all the lights on the buildings were off and there was a curfew at 11.

Our meetings took place over two days.  We spent time getting to know each other and then we talked about the work of the Baptist Union in providing humanitarian assistance during the time of the war.  As we began our discussion, the first humbling experience was that 4 of the 5 leaders had their homes damaged by the Russian invasion against Kyiv.  They all lived around Irpin and this was the area that saw some of the heaviest damage.  One even had the invaders staying in their home.  Despite what they had experienced personally, they never allowed it to stop the work of aiding others impacted by this war.

Getting to know each other

All the resources that have been sent to the Baptist Union of Ukraine have been distributed to the churches across Ukraine that have provided assistance.  Churches would submit their needs to their regional leadership and then the regional leadership would share their needs to the Baptist Union.  Money was distributed based upon need and impact they could make.  It was impressive how they had detailed documentation showing where the money was spent and how it was used to help.  This is important as it builds trust that resources are not being wasted in any way.

The humanitarian efforts were in three main areas:  Evacuation of people from the conflict areas, housing and care for the individuals as they traveled across Ukraine, and support for people as they resettled into new homes in the western part of Ukraine.  Tens of thousands of people were helped by churches as they traveled across Ukraine.

Due to the war, 450 churches are now in occupied territories, 200 have been forced to be closed and 45 churches have been damaged or destroyed in the war.  There are over 140 dislocated pastors who had to leave their churches and resettle in the western part of Ukraine.  The Baptist Union is aiding these pastors as they have lost their homes, and their ministry.  The Baptist Union is providing for their families and helping them to find new ministry opportunities in the communities they have settled into.

One amazing thing I learned on this trip is how the people from Ukrainian churches who have resettled in Europe are working in the churches to do ministry together and share the gospel with others from Ukraine who have resettled in these communities.

As the war continues, the Baptist Union is looking for new ways to provide assistance.  As Ukraine retakes occupied territories, they are using mobile kitchens to go into these communities to provide hot meals for the people who have no utilities to allow them to cook.  Churches have become support centers to provide food, water and battery charging sites.

While the churches are providing for the physical needs for so many, they are also providing for the spiritual needs.  Churches are filled with new people who need spiritual support.  People are suffering from the effects of trauma and how to deal with the loss of all they have and how to start anew.  They need the hope of Jesus in an environment that can feel hopeless for many.

As our time continued, we moved to discussing future ministry needs.  Due to the war and people who have emigrated out of Ukraine, the Baptist Union estimates that it will need 1,000 new pastors to lead churches and ministry in the next few years.  With that need, resources to train and develop future pastors and ministry leaders is greatly needed.  This need fits in with the work that we (Potential Endeavors) have been doing with Vasily Furta is developing mentoring groups in regions across Ukraine.  Before the war we had starting 4 or 5 of the groups and were in the process of starting 10 more.  These groups have been put on hold as the war has interrupted the plans, but we hope to get them started again this fall.  We are hoping that we can partner with churches from Converge to provide resources to help these groups.  In addition, it would be great if we could develop relationships between these young leaders in Ukraine and leaders in US churches to mentor and support each other.  When the war ends and it is easier to travel again, these relationships could result in ongoing ministry opportunities.

Meeting time

As our time together came to an end, we spent time praying for Ukraine, the leaders of the Baptist Union and the potential for future ministry partnerships between Converge, the Baptist Union and Potential Endeavors.  It was a great blessing to be able to spend time together and for me it was a blessing to get to know the leaders of Converge.

Our journey home was not without its adventure.  The lines to leave Ukraine were very long and slow.  Our driver got us to the border crossing area with the shortest line and then was able to get us to the front of the line, but the process of getting through the two borders still took over 3 hours.  As we entered Poland all of our bags were searched, which takes a lot of time with all the vehicles who are going across.

Line to leave Ukraine

We made it back to our hotel and had an awesome time debriefing our trip together and celebrating how God has brought all of us together and for what we see as the future partnerships that are possible.

I was so blessed to be invited on this trip.  Blessed to spend time with my Ukrainian friends and with my new Converge friends.  I was blessed to see how God is working in Ukraine and how people are finding Jesus in midst of the war.  I don’t know when my next trip to Ukraine will be, but I know that work will continue.  We will continue to raise support for pastors in Ukraine and continue to look for partners to help with the work of the mentoring groups.  We will be ready to return when the doors of opportunity open up.

Continue to pray for Ukraine.  Thanks for all the prayers that were lifted up while we were in Ukraine.  We could feel God’s hand of protection and blessing on us.  The needs are great and when the war ends the needs of rebuilding the damage churches and lives will just be starting.  Pray for new leaders to be raised up to do the work of God in Ukraine and to continue their desire to reach their communities for Jesus.

Categories
Ukraine

Heading to Ukraine

Today I am leaving for my first trip to Ukraine since the war escalated on February 24th.  My trip will look different as I am not traveling with Beth, and we are not going to the places we normally work from.  We will be flying into Poland and driving across the land border to Ukraine.

We will be in Lviv.  While Lviv has been relatively quiet from a war damage perspective, there will still be impacts of the war we will feel such as the air raid sirens and the number of refugees that have moved from the east to the west of Ukraine.

I will be traveling with a group of leaders from Converge and we will be meeting with the leaders of the Baptist Union of Ukraine to discuss future ministry partnerships.  Humanitarian needs and support still exist, but we want to be preparing for the future and the spiritual needs of the people.  As some of you may know, Minnesota and other parts of the US have been working in Ukraine for the past 30 years.  There has been work with day camps, men’s and women’s meetings, sports camps and church partnerships.  Most of the work was done in the Cherkasy and Rivne regions and we want to talk about how to expand work across all the regions of Ukraine.

We want to listen to the needs and dreams of the leaders of the Baptist Union and discuss how we can continue to build on the existing partnerships and grow them even more.  God knows what the plans are for the future, but it is up to us to search for and discover those plans for us.  This could look like helping with church plants, developing new leaders, supporting missionaries who are being sent to unreached people groups and doing ministry in existing churches such as English camps, kids camps, etc.

As I leave for this trip, I have three prayers requests:

  • PRAY for safety in travel and for our time in Ukraine.
  • PRAY for our meetings that we see clearly where God wants us to partner together in the future.
  • PRAY for Ukraine.  The war continues.  There are humanitarian needs for the refugees impacted in the war zones.  There are economic needs for those who were not refugees but have seen the economy destroyed due to Russia actions.  There are spiritual needs for those who feel hopeless and need a relationship with Jesus in their lives.
Categories
Ukraine

How your Donations Help!

We are so thankful for the many people who have made a donation to support the people of Ukraine. We have received $29,700 which has been sent to pastors, churches and ministry leaders in Ukraine who are providing aid to the many people impacted by this terrible war. Below is letter from a church leader sharing how the money they received is being used:

According to Zhashkiv church, we bought cereals, oil, things of the first necessary and packed 16 bags for families with children with disabilities, large families, and pregnant mothers. Also, today we handed over to our local military battalion in Zhashkiv food packages for their families. According to them, this is a great support for their families and children who do not see their fathers. That is, we distributed these packages to families whose husbands serve in the army.

In Buzivka the center of help was opened. The money you have sent was used to buy different products to this center. We also received humanitarian aid. And people call us, ask what they need, then they come to this center and receive help. Some people need products, some need diapers for kids or food for kids, some need clothes etc. We help refugees and needy people.

Thank you so much for your support! God bless you!

Sasha Kuts

We continue to accept donations for Ukraine and send the money to our partners as soon as it is received. You can donate through our website: https://potentialendeavors.com or through checks made payable to Potential Endeavors and send to our address:

840 Aspen Circle

Little Canada, MN 55109

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to rick.post@potentialendeavors.com

Note: We are an approved 501c3 and all donations are tax dedictible.

Categories
Ukraine

Ukraine Update

The past two weeks have been heartbreaking.  I have been watching the devastation of a country I love and seeing innocent people being murdered and lives forever changed due to the loss of their homes, family, and friends.  Yet despite the terrible times there are glimmers of hope.  I have talked to pastors who have shared the work that is being done to help others.  Churches are being used to provide shelter, food and comfort to people who have lost everything.  Churches and ministries are donating or buying food, medical supplies, and transportation.  Vans are loaded with supplies and drive to the war areas in the east and then filled with people from the east and brought back across Ukraine.  The stop at churches along the way for a place to sleep and be fed and they continue their journey.  In the Cherkasy region alone over 1000 people are being fed and cared for each day. 

Here are some pictures:

Because of the generosity of so many people, over $27,000 has been donated through Potential Endeavors.  We have sent this money to churches and ministries in Kyiv, Cherkasy, Zolotonosha, Buzivka, Korsun, Nikolaev, Lviv and Odesa.  Your donations are being used to pay for supplies and fuel to move people and supplies across Ukraine.

When we started this fundraiser, we were hoping to raise $10,000 but God had bigger plans than we could imagine.  I am working to connect with the Senior Pastors of regions across Ukraine to encourage, support, hear their prayer request and provide aid when we can.  Each dollar that has been given is in the hands of a person in Ukraine that I know and trust.  Your gifts are making a difference in lives across Ukraine.

There is still time to give.  Our fundraiser in Facebook is still open and we will be accepting donation there until March 31st.  We will also accept donations on our web site at https://potentialendeavors.com/donation/donate/

We also accept donations via checks made payable to our non-profit Potential Endeavors or through Venmo at @bandrpost.  Just make a note on any donations that says Ukraine Support.  All donations are tax deductible as we are an approved 501c3 organization.

Our address is 840 Aspen Circle, Little Canada, MN 55109.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me at rick.post@potentialendeavors.com  

Categories
Ukraine

Ukraine Support Update

It has been just one week since the attack on Ukraine started.  It is amazing how much can happen in one week!  This week has been hard to focus.  I see the pictures of the war in Ukraine and my heart aches.  I hear the stories of destruction, but also the strong desire to fight for their independence.  I have heard from my friends who have left their homes in search for safety.  I have talked to church and ministry leaders who are using whatever they have to help others.

I have also seen the amazing generosity of people wanting to help Ukraine.  Friends of ours from Ukraine left their homes and have arrived here in Minnesota.  People have donated clothes, beds, kitchen essentials and so much more.  People have given gift cards and even a car, and they keep asking what more can they do.  Our friends are overwhelmed at the generosity of people helping them.

Potential Endeavors started a fundraiser for Ukraine.  In three days, we have already raised over $17,000.  This money has already been sent to Ukraine to help with humanitarian support.  I have talked with the people who we have sent money and asked them how they are using these gifts.  Here is what they shared:

Vasily from the Baptist Union of Ukraine shared that these resources are being used to provide food, medicine, and transportation to help refugees.  Food and medicine are in short supply, so churches are going to Poland to buy food and medicine and they are transporting it to the war areas in Kyiv, eastern Ukraine and southern Ukraine.  Then these vehicles are used to transport refugees of women, children, and older adults to safer places in the west.  Churches along the way are providing places for people to sleep, get a warm meal and rest and they make their way along the slow roads heading west.

Vitaly from Camp Maximum shared how they are transporting supplies into Kyiv and then bringing people to Camp Maximum for a meal on their way west.  They are purchasing additional vehicles to help more people and carry more supplies.

Mykola from Kyiv is helping providing food and transportation to help people who have stayed in the city and are facing daily bombing from Russia.

Thank you to all who have donated to help Ukraine!

As I talked with Vasily, he shared with me how churches across Ukraine have played an important role in supporting the defense of Ukraine.  Churches are providing meals for the soldiers; Chaplains are going to the war zones to pray with and support the soldiers.  Soldiers are telling stories of success against Russia that they cannot explain but know that it is God helping them.  The weather this past week has been stormy and windy.  This has kept naval ships from attacking Odessa and winds in Belarus have kept airborne troops from being parachuted into Ukraine.

However, this is only the first week and the war does not look like it is going to stop any time soon.  It is hard to watch the attacks against civilians and innocent people go on with no way to stop them.  I know that weapons are being provided to help Ukraine, but it feels like at some point NATO and the US must step in and help.  I don’t know what would happen next, but I also know that we can not stand by and watch the slaughter of thousands of innocent people and do nothing.

All we can do at this point is to pray and to provide whatever financial support we can to help the people of Ukraine.  Vasily shared three prayer requests with me:

  • Pray for peace in Ukraine and that Ukraine will win this war.
  • Pray for wisdom and protection of the leaders of leaders – government and religious leaders – that they will know what needs to be done to help the people.
  • For the churches to have the resources they need as they help needy people across Ukraine.

If you are interested in helping, our fundraiser in Facebook will be open until March 15th.  You may also make donations on our website https://potentialendeavors.com  Just note Ukraine Relief in the comments.  We also take Venmo @bandrpost and checks.  These can be made payable to Potential Endeavors and sent to:

              Potential Endeavors

              840 Aspen Circle

              Little Canada, MN 55109

Categories
Ukraine

My Heart Breaks for Ukraine

As I sit down to write this post, I am saddened by the events that are happening in Ukraine.  Over the past few days, I have shared posts from different people who live in Ukraine and have shared their experiences of the terrible things that have been going on.  I have not shared personally though, and I felt I needed to explain a little bit about why this is personal to me.

These events are not just happening to a country that wants freedom and independence.  These events are happening to my friends and to people I love deeply.  My wife and I have been travelling to Ukraine for almost 30 years.  The first 15 years we were doing day camps with children, children who are now young adults fighting to keep the independence that is all they know.  They were born after the fall of the Soviet Union and have never been under Russian control.  Today they are mothers and fathers raising their own families.  They are workers in IT or pastors in churches.  Their lives were filled with opportunity and freedom.

The last 5 years our visits to Ukraine have involved ministry and helping pastors and churches lead changes that will help their churches to reach the next generation for Jesus.  Changes are hard.  The older generation came out of communism and remember the oppression of the church by the soviet leaders.  They remember how people came to the church after their freedom because the church offered hope from an oppressed past.  Today these churches are trying to reach a generation that does not remember times under Russian oppression.  Hope looked different to them – until this week.

We have had the privilege of working with hundreds of pastors and church leaders over the past five years.  We have been able to listen, encourage, support, and challenge them in their efforts to lead their churches and offer hope to those in their communities.  Today these churches and pastors are offering a refuge of hope and support to people who are under attack.

These pastors and leaders are not just people we came to help.  These men and women are people we have grown to love.  We know them and their families.  We have listened to their dreams and challenges.  We have laughed together, cried together, and prayed together.  Today some of these families have been forced to leave their homes to find safety.  Others have been forced to go into the subways to find a place to avoid the bombings.  Others have had to hunker down in their homes and listen to the sound of missiles, aircraft, artillery, and gun fire around them.  I feel helpless but know I can pray.  Pray for their safety!  Pray for peace to return to their land once again!  I want to see the governments of the world stand up to this bully and hold Russia and Putin accountable for the death and destruction his army is causing.

This morning, this passage of scripture was in my devotions, and I found it so timely:

From the book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision. How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. The Lord replied, “Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.”
Habakkuk 1:1-5 NLT

I found hope in the response from God.  God is doing something that we would not believe.  My prayer today is that in this time of uncertainty and destruction that God is going to do something amazing.  Maybe it will be in this time of attack and destruction that people will find that their only true hope is in salvation in Jesus.  Governments can’t save you!  Money can’t save you!  Only Jesus can save you and provide the hope and future we all want!

Categories
Ukraine

PRAY for Peace

Will Russia attack Ukraine or not?  That question is at the top of the news on a daily basis.  The question is in the news because an attack by Russia on an independent country like Ukraine has wide ranging economic and safety impact across the world.  Will it lead to World War III?  But aside from the impact that is discussed across the world, the question is also personal for me.  We have many friends in Ukraine.  We travel to Ukraine multiple times a year and we do work in Ukraine with our non-profit.  This isn’t just two countries fighting for power and control.  This is about a bully trying to take away something that is near and dear to my friends in Ukraine – freedom!  Freedom to choose their own governmental leaders.  Freedom to express their faith and share it with others!  Freedom to raise their families away from government control and oppression.

We are planning to travel to Ukraine in March.  We are trying to decide what to do.  Do we go even though our government is warning all US Citizens to leave Ukraine?  Do we go to encourage and support or friends who do not have a choice about travel or leaving their country?  Do we leave the relative safety and peace in our home to put ourselves in the middle of a potential conflict?  We have far more questions than answers.  We know that there are risks anytime you travel internationally.  We know that we are in God’s hands and must trust Him for protection and safety.  But we also have family and responsibilities here that we must also consider.  It is a hard decision to make.

We have received many questions from people about the Ukraine crisis because they know Ukraine in special to us.  We have talked to our friends in Ukraine who are nervous and have no options other than to trust in God’s protection and pray for peace for their country.  Some feel this is all political and others are preparing for evacuation if an attack comes.  Churches continue to meet, but they are trying to focus on the present while preparing for what the future could be.  On February 20th, churches across Ukraine will be having a National Day of PRAYER for peace.  Let’s join with the people of Ukraine and pray for peace.

We do not know what the future is.  We do not know whether Russia will attack or not.  But we ask that you do three things:

First, PRAY for Ukraine and for peace.

Second, PRAY for the churches of Ukraine that they will offer hope to their communities in a time when many are fearing the worst and struggle to see hope for the future.

Third, PRAY for us as we seek wisdom on whether to travel to Ukraine in March or not and that we will sense God’s direction and follow His leading for us.

Rick and Beth

Categories
Ukraine

Yan’s Dream

This is Yan.  He is a pastor in Ukraine.  Yan was in our first mentoring group we started in March of 2018.  Yan was a new pastor with a dream to reach the people of his community and specially to reach those who struggled with homelessness, addictions and mental health issues.  When we first visited his church, it was a small building that they were renting, and he shared with us his dream to purchase the building and to purchase the buildings on either side so that he could offer transitional housing for homeless people.  Yan and his wife Luida shared after our first meeting with us that they never took time to dream together and we provided that time for them.  When we visited him on this trip, he showed us how his dream was becoming a reality.  He has partnered with another church to open a food pantry and clothing shop to provide food and clothing to those who need it. 

The current building is full on Sunday’s and they have raised the funds to purchase the building and land next door so that he can expand his church.  He is renting the space on the other side and offering it as transitional housing.  His church is growing, and they are reaching people for Jesus.  When I asked him how we work helped him, he shared that we provided a way to challenge his thinking and unlock his potential.  We provided training and coaching.  We were an encouragement to him to find through the challenges and difficulties.

This is an example of what our ministry work is doing.  It is hard to quantify our impact because it is often in very intangible ways, but we are seeing change.  We are seeing churches reaching people for Jesus!  We are seeing leaders making an impact and we have had a small part in helping them have the courage to make changes and push against the status quo.

We have been home for two weeks since our trip to Ukraine.  I have been finding it hard to capture how to describe this trip.  The two words that best described how I am feeling is IMPACT and OVERWHELMING.  Those are big extremes but let me try to explain.

First, IMPACT!  God is shifting our focus from individual pastors to the leaders of those pastors. This trip we had the opportunity to lead a training session with 13 of the Senior Pastors from Regions across Ukraine.  These are the leaders of their churches from each region.  In addition, we had the opportunity to speak at two churches, one seminary and travel to visit 5 regions where we met personally with the senior pastor and their wife.  These meetings were opportunities to learn about their family, their challenges, and their dreams for the future.

As we reflected on these meetings, we realized what an amazing opportunity we have to help the current and future leaders of the church to learn to think differently.  When we concluded our meetings, what was shared was how much they needed what we shared.  What they shared in private was how hard it is to make changes.  These leaders are in a difficult place.  They know that they need to do different things to reach people, but they often get stuck and don’t know where to start or how to change without being criticized. It is often easier to just keep doing what they have been doing than to try and change.

We talked about the importance of having a common vision and the need to work together to ensure that young leaders are being developed with that common vision.  Change starts with knowing where you want to go and then developing plans to get there.  When we return in March, we will be meeting with these senior pastors again and talking about how to create goals, action plans and manage their time most effectively.  They know that we are going to come back and ask them about the progress they are making.  Each region is to be starting a mentoring group of 20 young leaders.  We provided financial resources to help them pull these groups together.  In March we hope to hear about these groups and get out a meet some of them.  We are creating content that the senior pastors can use as they train these young leaders and work with existing pastors within their regions.

This leads to the second word – OVERWHELMING!  This opportunity that God has presented to us seems so big and impossible to accomplish.  I often wonder why God has selected us to be part of this!  When I think about the task of impacting 13 regions and their leaders, I struggle to see how to accomplish this.  How to connect with this many people and be part of developing them and holding them accountable to progress.  The resource needs seem so big for us to find as a small non-profit.  I struggle with figuring out how to tell the story of our ministry.  I struggle as a fund raiser and asking people to become partners with us in this ministry.  It seems so big and so impossible to change, but I know that this is where God has us!  I know that my job is to follow God’s direction and lead where the doors open up, and these are the doors that God is opening.  I know that God has all the resources, I just have to find a way to connect our work with those who God is preparing to partner with us.  I have to overcome my fears and hesitations in asking people to join our mission of developing leaders who will lead their churches to reach people for Jesus!

When I think about what we are doing, the verse that comes to mind is Romans 12:2 – Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

For me, changing the way I think starts with getting all the obstacles out of my mind.  Its about continuing to trust God for the impossible.  To ask God to lead us to people we need to talk to.  To trust that God will provide the resources that are needed!  To not let my doubts and fears get in the way of saying YES to what God has given us the opportunity to be part of.

 In closing, let me finish with this.  First, thank you to those who have been faithfully supporting us with your prayers and financial gifts.  We could not do what we are doing without your support.  Second, if you would like to learn more about how to partner with us, I would love to sit down and have a conversation with you.  I’ll even buy you a coffee.  And lastly, if you have sensed that God is leading you to do something, take a step of faith and trust Him. 

Categories
Ukraine

Pay It Forward

When you look back at your life, have there been people in your life who have impacted you and made a difference in who you have become?  Have you ever wondered how could I do that in someone else’s life?  We have an opportunity for you!  This fall we are partnering with leaders in Ukraine to begin a Leadership Mentoring Group for 320 young leaders in 16 regions of Ukraine.  These groups will meet 4 times a year for 3 years.  Two times will be in large group gatherings and two times in smaller gatherings.  The high-level overview:

We are working with the leaders of each region to provide training and materials to help them lead these groups.

We are looking for individuals or churches who would like to sponsor each region.  The investment is $1200 per year or $100 per month for three years.  This investment will cover 50% of the costs and will help provide materials, lodging and meals for the gatherings.  There are 24 regions in Ukraine and 16 of them have agreed to begin these meetings this fall.  We will be traveling to Ukraine this fall to work with these regional leaders and help prepare them for these gatherings.

Here is a little of the history of this program.  Four years ago, we visited Ukraine to see where God was leading us, as we began Potential Endeavors.  We thought that we would work with one church in one community, but God had different plans for us.  We met with the Vasily Furta, who was the Regional Leader of the Cherkasy Region, and he had a dream.  He wanted to start a leadership mentoring group for young leaders to help them develop and was praying for someone to help him.  We agreed to partner with him, and we started this group in the spring of 2018.  We met with this group six times over two years and we taught three basic things:

At the end of the second year, Vasily Furta, was elected as a Vice President of the Baptist Union.  As he started his new role, he had a dream to start groups like what we did in Cherkasy Region across all of Ukraine.  In March of 2020 we started our second group in Kyiv Region and then covid hit.  During the time when we could not travel, Vasily worked with Regional Leaders across Ukraine to share with them the results of these groups and encouraged them to think about starting such group themselves.  When we returned to Ukraine in May of 2021 we met with people from our groups and listened to their stories.  God had been working over these past three years and making big impacts.  We also traveled to 3 regions and met with their leaders and shared this vision.

Now we need your help!  Would you be willing to consider sponsoring one or more regions to begin these gatherings? 

Let me tell you two stories of impact of two pastors that we have worked with.

First is Yan.  Yan is the pastor of a church in Korsun, Ukraine.  He was part of our first group in Cherkasy Region.  Yan has a dream of reaching people in his city, especially those who are struggling with addictions, homelessness, and abuse.  His church has been growing and making an impact.  The city has seen the impact and provide a list of all the people it was aware of that needed help and the church reached out to each person and helped.  Their church has outgrown their building and they are hoping to buy that building and expand it to make more room.

Our second story is of Sasha.  Sasha attended our second group in Kiev Region last March.  When we were doing our meetings, I shared with the group the reason why people don’t invite to church.  He was challenged by what I shared but wanted to see if it was true, so he surveyed his church, and they came back with the same reason.  It motivated him to begin to make changes at his church and because of that they are seeing many new people coming to their church.  Just last week that set up a pool in the front of the church and they saw many people being baptized.

Getting back to our dream, we have learned our dreams for Potential Endeavors were too small.  They were what we thought we could accomplish on our own.  God wants us to have bold, God-sized dreams.  Now we are dreaming about how we can impact leaders across Ukraine to reach people for Jesus.  We have a dream of seeing over 110,000 people finding Jesus and many new churches being started.  We believe that these leadership mentoring groups will be the start of developing new leaders for existing churches and to start new churches.  This fall we hope to begin to impact 320 leaders – 20 from each of the 16 regions.  If they can each develop 5 leaders that will be 1600 leaders and if those leaders will develop 5 leaders, we will multiply to 8000 leaders reaching people for Jesus and if each leader can help their church reach 10 people for Jesus, that would be 80,000 people. 

We also need partners in one another way.  We need people who will come along side of us and support the work we are doing with leaders and churches in Ukraine and in the upper Midwest.  Maybe you would be willing to help provide support to assist with our travel costs and the costs of the events we lead.  In October we will be bringing together these 16 Regional Leaders and their spouses for a two-day training.  We cover all costs of lodging and meals plus gift packages that include notebooks, pens, and candy.  Plus, we will be traveling to many regions, and we will need to cover our transportation and lodging costs as we meet with regional leaders and their teams.

We can’t do this on our own!  This will only be accomplished with the help of others and God doing the impossible.  If you would like to discuss more, we would be happy to meet with you.  You can reach us at Rick.Post@potentialendeavors.com or Info@potentialendeavors.com

You can give directly with a credit card at  Donate – Potential Endeavors or send a check to the address listed on the donate page.   If it is for the leadership mentoring group, just note it in the comments section.