Why I Do What I Do

This photo is of a young man in his twenties named Dennis. I met Dennis in a park where he was sitting on a bench asking for money. I bought him four large buns, a liter of water and gave him 20 hrivnyas. I then sat down to talk to him. I could tell that I had overwhelmed him. I felt that he needed someone to treat him more like a human being and spend some time talking to him than to just keep going on my way. He was very personable, smart and even funny. I found out that Dennis has been living on the street for some time and wants to get off the streets. I asked him if he had been to one of the homeless shelters in Kyiv and he said that he had but he didn’t like them. He told me that the centers feed people but that’s about all they do. He didn’t like the atmosphere and he doesn’t want to be treated like a street person, he wants help and to be shown how to get off the streets. He said that he doesn’t need to be fed; he knows how to find food on the streets. I asked Dennis if he knew Jesus and he said yes. I asked him if he prayed and he said, “Everyday.” I told him about myself and promised to pray for him daily and that we would agree that God would show him a way to leave his life on the streets. He was very gracious and allowed me to take a photo of him. I told him that I would tell others about him and ask them to pray for him as well.

Sometimes people ask me why I want to do ministry in Ukraine instead of at home. The first answer is, “Because the Lord has led me here.” But I also feel strongly that helping people here is a privilege. It’s a privilege because in the states we have so many resources and there are already so many organizations/churches/ministries working and ministering to people in all different kinds of situations. Here in Ukraine, the odds of anyone getting extra help, spiritual, social or otherwise, is slim indeed. And like Dennis told me, there are groups helping, but in his situation, he needs to be shown the steps and given the support to live a changed life. He doesn’t need help that just sustains his current situation in life. That is a cultural problem here. In Ukraine, your lot in life is your lot in life and there’s an unspoken belief that that is where God has placed you and you just have to deal with it, accept it and don’t hope to change it.

But as Christians who understand a personal relationship with God, we know that Christ came to set us free. We know and understand redemption and because of his grace to us, we have a desire to share that and help others. That’s why I love what I am doing working with street/at risk children and families.

(This is an excerpt from my monthly newsletter. If you would like to receive copies of my newsletter, please send your name and email address to semkee@yahoo.com)