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Dasha’s Story: Dasha and her mother are both HIV-positive. Her father has already died from AIDS. The school administration prevented Dasha from enrolling in kindergarten, and other parents didn’t want Dasha playing with their children. Dasha’s mother is unable to work, placing a huge financial burden on the family. When young Next Generation Christians from Moldova sponsored a camp for people living with HIV/AIDS, Dasha and her mother were able to attend. In fact, the majority of the 38 people attending the camp were mothers and their children. In addition to teaching proper nutrition, the power of a mother’s prayer and dealing with emotions, this camp emphasized Christian values and the spiritual transformation that comes only through Christ. As Dasha was leaving camp, she declared, “I waited so long to come to camp. I liked it so much. And, I know that Jesus will save me, and that I will see Him in heaven.” A mother who attended the camp summed it up by saying, “HIV-positive people are lonely. But this camp gives them the chance to open their hearts and learn how to care for themselves. They also changed their perspective from ‘I am going to die soon,’ to ‘I can live and produce fruit for God as I serve Him wholeheartedly and save others from destruction.’” Svetlana’s story: In Ukraine, the “School Without Walls” is developing faster than in any other country where the program exists. Why? Because “School Without Walls” meets the real needs of the developing Ukrainian Christian society, as it takes big steps from its communist past into a democratic future. Svetlana participated in “School Without Walls” in the fall of 2007. According to Svetlana, “Since the first session, ‘School Without Walls’ caught my attention, and I can’t wait until every other Saturday--it is the day when ‘School Without Walls’ seminars are held! I especially liked the session on evangelism and discipleship. There, I realized that if I want to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, I need to tell others about His salvation and His love.” After one “School Without Walls” seminar, Svetlana joined a church-plant in a nearby village so she could start telling other people about Jesus Christ. She signed up for a volunteer group that would go around the village and invite people to the new church. Svetlana had always been afraid to share her faith, “but that day I felt confident! I knew what I was going to say," she happily explains. Then she had her first opportunity to talk with someone. "I told [him] about Jesus Christ, about the new church and about God’s love for him. It was my first experience in evangelism, but I believe it will not be the last one because I study at ‘School Without Walls.’” Roman’s story: Ostrog, a city in Ukraine, is home to the Ostrog Nationial Academy, where 3,000 students study and live on campus. The city also plays host to an ever-increasing HIV/AIDS and drug addiction problem. In the nearby city of Rivne, Roman Kurbatskiy coordinates the “School Without Walls” program, and he wants his students to be involved in reaching out to their peers in high schools and at the university. “The students who study and live in Ostrog are the future of the country and we have to tell them about God and [His]alternative lifestyle," Romans explains. These young Next Generation Christian students organized and presented “Stop Drugs,” a weeklong event that included talks about God and Christian morals, an art contest and culminated in a concert with Christian music bands. More than 3,000 young people were able to hear about a life without premarital sex, drugs and alcohol as well as the importance of strong, Christian moral values. “Christians need to be active in combatting the problem of drug abuse and HIV/AIDS. We teach our students to be relevant in their ministries and such events are good examples,” points out Roman. Jenya’s Story: Next Generation Christians from Perm, Russia held a summer camp for teenagers from a local shelter. In 2006, Jenya was living on the streets, abusing drugs and alcohol. His alcoholic mother had long since abandoned him. Police found him and brought him to camp. The first thing Jenya announced when he arrived was that there was no God, he was the master of his own life, and he would do as he pleased. But, by the time camp ended, Jenya had a new master of his life—Jesus. During the year, young Christian leaders visited Jenya at the shelter, and he became involved in youth meetings. Jenya came to camp in 2007 with two of his friends from the shelter. He asked the counselors to explain about God and Christ to his friends. And Jenya’s friends trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior as well.
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Stories of Change |
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