MELINDA BATALIAS

Today was a busy day in Ostroh, Ukraine. The day began at 9 with a breakfast that includes local favorite foods, such as: potato pancakes, wheat bread and butter, buckwheat, raw vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers), cabbage salad, and scrambled eggs. After breakfast, about twelve student volunteers and Cru staff joined our team and listened as I shared my testimony of how Christ met me in my pain and walked me through my healing. After this, Michael led everyone through a devotion time using Psalm 100, reminding us all that God loves our joyful worship. After our devotion time, we spent a little time prepping for our English Class before heading out to “Coffee Time”.

During Coffee Time, I was able to spend time getting to know several Ukrainian students that are participating in the English Club. The students completed a Life Map, highlighting events that they felt were important and shaped their life. We then spent time chatting, answering clarifying questions, and getting to know each other better.

After a quick dinner we headed off for our second night of English Club. In my Advanced Class there are about 25 students and 6 student volunteers. Michael, Misty, and I are helping students grow more confident in their English vocabulary and English speaking skills using some excellent materials prepared by Jeannie Tabb. We used the story of the 10 Lepers in Luke 17: 11 – 19 to help students learn vocabulary, summarize the story, and discuss ideas like gratitude, loss of hope, and how our behavior compares to the lepers.

After finishing up our English Club about 9 PM we headed back to the hotel to debrief and eat a quick snack before heading up to prepare for the next day and rest. During our debrief, we spent time sharing how God showed up for us during the day. Cindy noticed how the student volunteers were so good with the English Club students and she could see God’s presence in the volunteers. Alex noticed that one of his students commented that, “God is present everywhere all at once”. Misty noticed that one of her student volunteers invited her to his group to share a bit of her testimony with his group members.

We ended our meeting by praying.

Thank you for your continued support of our mission and please continue to pray for us as we are working to encourage the students involved in this English Club here in Ostroh, Ukraine.

 

2026-03-04T01:17:34-05:00