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One Ukrainian Church Finds Joy During Tragic Times

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After the attack on a civilian bus this week you might wonder if there’s anything good happening in Ukraine.

How can Ukrainians find joy in such tragic times?

Our church, Hope for People in Odessa, Ukraine recently decided to help people see through the sadness by putting on a special outdoor Christmas festival for the neighborhood!

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They called the festival “Joy at Christmas.” The purpose was to share the gospel by telling the true Christmas story using live actors and animals.

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Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on January 7th but Christmas related activities can continue for at least a week after Christmas. We held our outdoor Christmas reenactment and festival on January 10th and 11th.

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I had the priviledge of being one of the wisemen. It was overwhelming to see the sea of stocking caps and little heads turned our way as we made our way down the path.

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Our oldest two, Naomi and Mishael, were angels who hailed the Messiah’s birth from the top of our building.

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We had over 75 actors participating from several different churches.

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In addition to horses we also had a donkey, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks and ponies.

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We were worried about the weather because just a few days before it had been -4f. Thankfully it warmed up to +35f just in time for our festival!

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In addition to the reenactment of Jesus’ birth we also had 12 stations with games for the kids to play. We brought in a group of 40 ophan refugees from Eastern Ukraine who are living in a sanatorium a few miles from our church.

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We invited a team of Ukrainian cooks from a nearby Church to come and cook Ukrainian veriniky for over 2,000 people!

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Most importantly we told the story of Jesus to a couple thousand people. We explained who he was and why he came to earth.

One woman asked my wife, Christina,

“What kind of organization is this? How can I join it?”

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Thank you for praying for us! It made a difference! Please continue to pray for the over 2,000 people who attended, some of whom may have heard the gospel for the first time!

You can find many more photos on our church’s facebook.

14 Responses
  • TCAvey
    January 16, 2015

    How Awesome!
    Praise God.

    Really enjoyed seeing the pics. Wish I could have seen it in real life.

    • Caleb
      January 17, 2015

      It was pretty amazing in real life. I’m so glad I could be part of it!

  • Bernard Haynes
    January 16, 2015

    This is truly awesome. You, your family and church are continually in my prayers. This blessed my day.

    • Caleb
      January 17, 2015

      I’m so thankful that you are praying for us Bernard!

  • ConstanceReeder
    January 17, 2015

    I would have loved to see this – it looks beautiful! Blessings to you and your church family as you share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a land of sadness. I am praying for you all. Con-

    • Caleb
      January 17, 2015

      We took some video too so hopefully that will come out soon and then you can get a better feel for how it was. For me it was pretty overwhelming to be part of. I’m so thankful for my church here.

  • Eileen
    January 17, 2015

    Wow. Very cool. Beautiful pictures, Caleb!

    • Caleb
      January 17, 2015

      Thanks Eileen. It was cool but not cold and for that we were grateful!

  • floyd
    January 17, 2015

    That is awesome! That’s what it’s all about. What a legacy you’re leaving for your family and this world. Excellent job… you indeed are a wise man!!!

    • Caleb
      January 17, 2015

      Lol! I hope I’m a wise man. I had a good time playing one and memorizing the lines in Russian.

  • Maureen Ray
    January 17, 2015

    I just loved the costuming. This event is really lovely. Thanks for sending it to us.

    • Caleb
      January 17, 2015

      Yes, Maureen, they did a tremendous job with the costumes.

  • Heather @ My Overflowing Cup
    January 17, 2015

    Thank you so much for sharing this encouragement, Caleb! What a wonderful tribute to our Savior. It reminded me of the verse that says, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Thank you for sharing some great news from the Ukraine. Keep up the excellent work, and know that you all are in our prayers.

  • Zee Gimon
    January 23, 2015

    This is cool, I would’ve loved to be a part of something like that (or even just to see this) 🙂