We had some plans for 2020, we were pretty sure we knew what we were doing, we thought if we tried hard we could accomplish all our ambitious goals. Things were looking good in January and even in February. In March it all started to change. What we thought was a “hiccup” a small pause in our forward motion ended up becoming a full stop and a change in direction.
Even before quarantine began we were praying hard asking God for direction in our ministry. We felt that God was leading us to plant an international church here but we were not yet sure of when and how we were going to do that. We had planned to travel to the US in the summer to visit 11 of our supporting churches so we hadn’t planned any ministries for the summer in Ukraine.
Our thought was that if God wanted us to plant a new church in Odessa, we would start doing that in the Fall. However, when it turned out that we were not going to be visiting the US, we realized that God wanted us to start now!
We spent this summer working to build a team and to build trust and relationships with internationals here in Odessa. Despite quarantine we were able to meet in parks and on the beach. Later we moved to my office until that got too small. Finally, in August we began renting a hotel conference room right in the center of town.
With COVID still a big issue here ever Sunday was an unknown but as long as the government didn’t shut us down we decided that were going to continue along a with God’s help, and that’s just what we did.
Over the Summer and into the Fall we continued to meet. Our members shared about their countries and we prayed for each country. We heard about Nigeria, US, Moldova, Ukraine, Cameroon, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Singapore, Tajikistan, India, and more. Altogether, I have counted around 15 nationalities that have visited our fellowship in the last few months.
Quarantine has really challenged my faith as I wondered on many occasions whether or not we would be able to meet on Sunday and if so, how we could do best. Even as I write this I’m unsure if we will be able to meet this Sunday. The number of COVID cases has continued to rise. Of course, these challenges to our faith only allow us to see God’s faithfulness more clearly!
What I can tell you is that these past 6 months have strengthened my faith in ways I never would have imagined. I have learned that starting a church doesn’t really depend upon my skills and talents but is wholly and entirely a work of God. How often I have wanted to just take the whole process into my own hands and force it into the direction I thought best. Then a problem would appear, a new quarantine restrictions, or someone would get sick. God seems to put roadblocks in our way just so we remember that he’s the one doing this, he’s in control, and we need to hand over reigns to him.
I don’t know exactly what the future holds for Odessa International Fellowship but I do know that God has a plan for us. In moments of discouragement I have often remind myself the road we took to get here. We sought wise counsel, we prayed, we discussed with church leadership. Through it all we saw God’s hand leading us and even now we see it. So, the past is God’s and he brought us through every circumstance for a reason. The present is God’s too and he has us here now for a reason. Most importantly the future is also God’s and we will not try to rip it out of his hands. We know that he can do a better job than we can!
So if you have a few minutes please take some time to pray for Odessa International Fellowship.
- Pray that God will provide strong biblical leadership for our young church.
- Pray that God would open doors of opportunities for the gospel.
- Pray that God would keep us healthy
- Pray That God would provide for the church’s needs
- Pray that God’s Word would be taught clearly
- Pray that Odessa International Fellowship would bring glory to God and men to God’s glory!
You can follow Odessa International Fellowship on Facebook or Instagram.
