Ukraine Scripture Blitz yields strong results—and a need for prayer
The International Scripture Blitz held in Kiev, Ukraine from May 10-17, 2008 was indeed a success—with more than 71,334 Scriptures placed. However, there remain significant concerns for the spiritual growth of this former Soviet Union country.
Ukraine experienced true independence for the first time in 750 years with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Unfortunately, Christians were so severely persecuted there under communist regimes that it left a tremendous spiritual vacuum. Many pseudo-Christian churches, and other non-Christian religious organizations, have sought to fill the void. As a result, the people do not always have a clear understanding of the Gospel message.
Local Gideons today face a significant challenge in Ukraine. This recent International Scripture Blitz proved a real “shot in the arm” to their efforts. The blitz team that came from multiple countries, along with the local Ukraine Gideons, Auxiliary and interpreters immediately “hit it off” and began to interact as if they were old friends. This bonding proved valuable when some of the groups began to experience problems during their distributions.
The Ukraine Blitz team soon discovered that Kiev has cooled to the Gospel message. Most of the school distributions were conducted from sidewalks because headmasters denied entry to their schools. Still, more than half of the Scriptures placed (39,684) were distributed at eighty-four different schools.
Universities were another story. Even though the team estimated that only one in five of the college students took a Testament, they felt that their greatest response came on the twelve university campuses. Almost 45 percent of the total Scriptures distributed (30,762) were at colleges.
Despite the language differences, some of the team did have the opportunity to converse with those college students who spoke English.
Gideon Roald Rodseth, from South Africa, shared the following testimony:
“We were handing out New Testaments at one of the universities in Kiev. A young man who had been talking to one of the local Gideons was passed on to me because he could speak English. He told me that he had just returned from Canada, where he had been for the past five years while completing his degree in chemical engineering. He had returned to Ukraine and was looking for work.
We spoke, at length, about a range of spiritual issues. His questions were good ones, and it was clear that he was seriously seeking the truth. After talking with him for some time, I had the opportunity to lead him in a prayer of decision.
A few days later, we met again, along with a local Gideon, Viktor Kosyak, and his sister, Lean. This young man confirmed that he had made a decision for Christ. Viktor and Lena committed to keep in contact with him and help him on his journey with the Lord. Slava Bogu!” (Praise God!)
Even with testimonies like this, the team was concerned with just twenty percent of the students taking the Testaments they offered. With so many glowing reports coming back from the Eastern European countries over the years, the team wondered what has happened to make the distributions this difficult in Ukraine. While conducting a sidewalk distribution one morning, the team met a gentleman who came up to talk. He was from the U.S. and has been a missionary to Ukraine since the early 90’s. He indicated that many of the countries in Eastern Europe have indeed become very cold and resistant to the Gospel—although Ukraine is still recognized as the most open of any of these countries.
“The people have become very materialistic,” he said. With their freedom came prosperity, and with prosperity came self-reliance. Who needs God when you have money in your pocket for the first time? Proverbs 30:8-9 came to mind for one of the team: “…give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord?” It appears that people in Ukraine, and other Eastern European countries, have become full and deny the Lord. Other local Gideons confirmed this assessment.
As difficult as the Blitz appeared to be to those from outside Ukraine, the local Gideons and Auxiliary members exhibited the most wonderful Christ-like attitude. They take God’s work seriously and have a strong desire to see the lost of their country come to know Jesus. They greatly appreciated the results from this Blitz, and previous Gideon efforts, that have seen more than 32 million Scriptures placed in Ukraine.
Please pray for all of these Eastern European countries, and lift up the Gideon and Auxiliary members there.
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