Team
JULIA
My name is Julia Sydiy. I am from Ukraine, Ternopil. I am 29 years old. I came to Kenya in July 2008 as a member of the first team. And I am still here as I have taken a firm decision to dedicate my life to serving God and people. But it was not always so!
I had never wanted to be a missionary. And even after accepting Christ as my Savior, I was ready to die for Christ, but I was not ready to live for Him. I did not allow myself a thought about missionary because I could not imagine living away from home, without my family, friends, and I had never been out of the Ternopil region. But living the usual life, attending church and studying the Bible, my heart was especially touched by the verse of the Bible: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; ... And who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of me. "Matthew 10: 37-38, as well as the story of a young man whom Christ said," ... whatever you have, sell and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. "Luke 18: 18-30. The clear understanding came to me that I cannot know God in His fullness, living the usual life for me, but leaving everything and following Him. Then I will know him in a new way and get so much more. After having taken a firm decision, I said to God: "Here am I, send me."
Indeed, God has shown me a more excellent way. And now I cannot imagine my life without a mission that makes me the happiest person on earth. God has changed my desires: I want to be the hands of God on earth, to weep with those who weep, to rejoice with those who rejoice, to share with those in need, to become like Jesus, to never stop transforming into His image, to be an example and to tell people about Christ with my live. And I also want to be a humble servant, both for people and for the future family, to be a real helper, a wife.
Many people imagine missionaries as preachers, speaking the Word of God from the pulpit, visiting distant places and corners of the planet. For me, a missionary is a soldier on the front line, which represents the interests of his or her Lord, and is ready to do everything: bathe dirty children, clean toilets, dig, build, feed, heal, teach and do all the routine work, as he or she does that to the Lord, in order to show an example to others. And when God gives His word to share with your neighbor, then he or she would go and tell everyone: big and small. This is what I am doing now. I am responsible for the ministry of the mission "Helping Heart" in Kenya. At the moment we have opened three missionary points: in Kitale, Mombasa (Mtwapa) and in Kerio (desert).
TANYA
My name is Tatyana Fedorchuk. I am 20 years old and I live in a big and bustling metropolis - Washington. Once when I was a child, I saw a program on television about the Christian ministry in Kenya. But let's start from the beginning. In my family there are authoritative ministers, so I have known from childhood that everyone has his or her calling and ministry. After reading the book of the author David Platt "Radical" many things have changed in my life, and I took a number of important decisions. And now I'm here in Africa. My ministry is to teach English, mathematics and of course Bible lessons to children at school. Also I help to improve the educational program. My dream is to serve for the victims of trafficking and street children.
OKSANA
I was born in Odessa region, in a picturesque place, the village Iosifovka. My name is Oksana Levinets. I went on a mission for the first time when I was 24 (three years ago). Since the early childhood, I knew that God was calling me to be a missionary. Here, on a mission, I am responsible for a children's shelter "Helping Heart", food part, clinics for the homeless, I also drive a car, teach at Sunday school, serve as an operator of the church.
ROMA
My name is Roman Gural. I'm from Ternopil, Ukraine. This is my second time in Kenya. First time I went here was out of curiosity. My hobby, photography, helped me to see how against the background of poverty, destruction and despair, people are able to enjoy their life... Hakuna Matata. But there was another side to the coin - too superficial Christianity ... All this didn’t leave me indifferent, I'm back ... At the moment, our team has begun the construction of the church complex (at the stage of a project), in which I am directly involved. We have fifteen orphans living with us under the same roof - I try to help them, giving the love that they have been deprived. I also perform media ministry, because I consider the lighting of reality through photography to be very important. I thank God that I'm here.
VIKA
My name is Yaroshenko Victoria and I am 19 years old. I was born in Zaporozhe region, in the small village Elenovka, Ukraine. My friend invited me to become a missionary but I didn’t really want to be one. I realize that this is what I want to do when I came to mission. When I came to Kenya to minister, I saw how God does many things through me and for me. Also, I enjoyed serving; I liked the nation, children and everything about them. I understood that this is where Gods wants to see me, that this is the place where I am needed more than anywhere else. At this time my ministry just began. The first time when I was in Kenya from June through October 2013, I was in children’s home. Now, I am back with my husband (Vova) for the second time, we are working on the mission site in the tribe Turkano, desert. For the time being, while we are serving here, my husband and I really want to open a children’s home, create workspaces in the village, and also look for families for the orphan children, families who will be ready to accept children as their own. Praying and dreaming about this.
VOVA
My name is Yaroshenko Vladimir and I am 20 years old. Most of my life I lived in the small town in Sumska region, Ukraine. To visit Africa, I dreamed from my early childhood, but as I grew up those dreams vanished but they came back only a year ago, when the opportunity appeared. I was in Kenya twice, the first time I was here for 4 months, the second time for 2 months because I have decided to get married. When I first came to mission, I cardinally changed on the inside and my behavior was also changed. God has changed me and helped me, and then I began helping the local people. At this time together with my wife (Vika), we are carrying out a ministry in the desert in the tribe Turkano.
ED
The understanding of being involved in the mission, occurred to me during the first session in the first term in seminary. One of the courses I had was missiology. The understanding of Misio Dei at that time acquired a form for me, and that’s why becoming a part of mission became a matter of time.
At a time of a short-term mission trip I saw a big need: poverty, what I actually was ready to see, but also desperation. This raised a question in my heart: “You know the way out. How are you better than them, to stay quiet?” This is how the understanding of Misio Dei took shape in my life.
In the team I am responsible for the organization and administration of internet activities, communication and spreading the vision of mission in churches.
And of course, I have a dream: through the distant mission to help people in our churches to understand that we are already (to be specific 20 years ago) can be part of a mission. We have something to give and somethings to share. And with this to fill in the catastrophic shortage of workers on mission.
KIRILL
My name is Kirill, I was born in 1987, in Kursk, Russia. In 2006 (from the second try) I got accepted in Kursk National Medical University….graduated in 2012.
The first earnest thoughts about problems in “Black” Africa came to my mind when I watched the television program with Gennady Mohnenko and Sergey Demidovich “Two Briefcases” about mission in Kenya. This was in the year of 2010. The thought that engaged me was that today churches are spending so much strength and recourses just to be self-dependent, whereas besides from our own towns, our country as a whole has so many opportunity for ministry.
At this time I am ministering as a doctor in the team in Kitale town, where besides medical work I have my own missionary responsibilities, not related to medicine. Also, as a doctor, I constantly visit all African teams (2 teams in Kenya, team in Rwanda and team in South Sudan), helping them to maintain a free medical clinics for poor people.
To read more about Kirill click here
INNA
My name is Inna. I am from Nikovaeyv. I was born in 1990. My profession is software analyst and my calling is missionary. Being involved in children’s ministry: camps and oncology patients, understanding to serve and to use God given talents, I had before the Africa trip. But the
great need and shortage of missionaries, played a role in making a final decision to be a cross-culture missionary. In the team I am responsible for school, Sunday School and youth ministry. I am also involved in the cell group and studies with young mothers.
LUBA
I am Lubov Tson’. I was born in 1991. I was born and raised in Ternopil, city in the west of Ukraine. From young age I understood that we are saved by God not only to attend church but for a greater activity for His glory. After my friends convinced me to study in Ternopil Missionary Institute, it was clear that it wasn’t a coincident or “joining the crowd”. By the end of the term I understood that my calling was – Africa. In the team I am responsible for accounting, project “Widow’s Children” and clinic in school.
MARINA
My name is Marina. I was born in Odessa and raised in a Christian family. At the age of 13 our family moved to California. I attended a missionary church, where almost every Sunday we had guests or missionaries from our church who gave their testimony about their ministry and talked about the need on God’s field. From the teenage years God gave me desire to serve Him among people of Africa. Here on mission, I help with the project “Street Kids” and in the women’s ministry.
VITALIY
My name is Vitaliy. I’m from Kiev, Ukraine. I was born in a Christian family. I came to God in 2009 and since then I serve Him with full consciousness. By the line of planned circumstances God had been calling me to Kenya! But there were some unanswered questions: which mission to choose, where to get money, how and when I’ll get there. I started to pray more. I tried to get some advice from my parents, pastors and friends but they couldn’t give me a clear answer. I kept praying and time also kept ticking. In November, 2015, on one of Mondays I woke up and prayed about my intentions and plans, and suddenly it became clear to me that I was doing nothing but asking God to open a door for me but I didn’t actually do anything from my side. At once I opened an online dictionary of Kenyan common phrases in Swahili and started nailing them. God wasn’t late. In two hours I was written by a mission “Our Kids In Africa” and told that they needed a young man who is eager and ready to serve Him. For me it has been more than clear answer from God! Immediately I started to prepare the all necessary papers that make it possible to stay in the mission for a long period. In the team I’m responsible for construction works, street children, and all man’s job in the mission’s housekeeping.
JULIA
My name is Julia. I have moved to Kenya from Ternopil, Ukraine. As a child, I dreamed of serving God and envisioned what seemed impossible at the time, serving as a missionary in a different country. When the opportunity opened up for me to study at a missionary institute, I knew that it was God’s will that I’d be there. At 21 years old, I stepped foot in Kenya for the first time. After serving here for 3 years, I returned to Ukraine and served at my church. However, in 2016, God called me once again to Kenya. I absolutely love the people here and hope to reach out to them for as long as God desires me to be here. Currently I teach at our Sunday School, I am responsible for the accounting in our team, I lead a home group, and assist in youth ministry. I am so grateful to God for they opportunity to make a difference for His Kingdom!