Healing Mission to Ukraine

St. Michael’s Healing Mission to Ukraine: Changing History
John the Baptist was in prison. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you he (the Messiah) or should we wait for another?” Jesus said, “Go tell John what you have seen and heard.” Each member of the Healing Mission team has many accounts of what we saw and heard and experienced in a short week in Ukraine. We are blessed beyond measure to have been involved with the ministry of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior in a country that was legally devoid of Christianity for more than three generations under the communist control. Even our host families shared stories of the persecution, imprisonment, and torture to their families.

Pastor Peter’s Village Church is growing and they have a vital ministry to the community. He is overwhelmed and grateful for the team’s presence and all who supported this mission! The mission donations will provide funds for outreach to the poor; through Food, Firewood and Medical Assistance Funds. Thanks to the generosity of people in Charleston and beyond, Pastor Peter can purchase a farm tractor, to be used to increase crop production and to provide assistance for the village poor.

We packed over 800 bags with food and small gifts for hands-on distribution in two nursing homes, five conferences, and about 60 homes. We carried the Good News of the Gospel as we loved them and prayed with them. We saw Jesus Christ in the graceful smiles of dear souls with their kisses and tears of joy and in the warm affection of the toddlers, little children, youth and handicapped, many in wheel chairs. We saw joy in the adults whose debilitating pain left. There was obvious peace in those who asked for forgiveness and were reconciled with others and Jesus. Our own hearts were filled with awe as we prayed. It was a humbling experience as we proclaimed the redeeming power of God and watched as Jesus healed and ministered to his people.

Following are brief accounts of God’s healing and some inspiring stories:
~ A mother held her feverish infant who cried during an afternoon session. We laid hands on the baby and prayed. The fever left and the baby fell asleep.
~ A handicapped child would not allow anyone to touch her. No smiles. Angry. With patient love and tenderness from a prayer team, the child warmed to the team. She began to weep when it was time to leave. They took her photograph and promised to pray for her upon return to US.
~ A woman sought prayer for her body which was slowly becoming paralyzed. The team prayed for healing of her neurological system. Her eye cleared and she was able to walk unassisted.
~ A 35 year old pregnant lady lives in a one bedroom apartment with her nine children and husband. The buildings are typical 6-8 story concrete and steel, communist built of substandard construction. Instead of finding another heartbreaking situation as we had seen numerous times before - people living in a state of depression and poverty - we found a shining example of the joy we can all receive from a life in Christ. The lady and her children, radiating joy and peace, said she and her children evangelize and help their neighbors. Although we went to minister to her, she was the one who ministered to us. With the declining economy and the associated worries, one team member commented that he will remember the family and their witness in living in the power of the Holy Spirit.
~ A man flagged us down on a dirt road. He noticed we were Americans and he begged us to come to his home to visit his wife. We smelled alcohol, but we went to his home. Our translator said his wife was sick. She was an English teacher and it was her heart’s desire after 40 years to hear the English language spoken again. We prayed for healing and in hysterical tears of joy she thanked God over and over again.
~ A one-legged man, living in a filthy, small shed while his farm house was being renovated, listened intently to the Good News of the Gospel. Without hesitation, he prayed and invited Jesus into his heart.

The last two healings occurred after lunch in a rural village in Eastern Ukraine where no church has been for about 80 years. Many atrocities against Jews and Christians occurred there, thousands were put to death and pushed into mass graves. The regional leaders received recognition for their faithfulness to the communist regime.
~ A lady attended the conference but left early to help prepare our lunch. During the conference, she heard us say that the greatest healing of all is our relationship with God. If anyone had never accepted Jesus as Savior, they should ask a team to pray with them and then to ask for physical or emotional healing. Immediately following lunch, she asked the team to pray for her salvation and for healing of her knees. She accepted Jesus, and He healed her spirit and her knees.
~ An elderly, lethargic lady lay sick with severe head pain in her home. A team was invited to pray with her. They prayed three times. Then she said, “Something just peeled off the top of my head and the pain is gone!” Joyfully, she got out of bed, put on her shoes and walked them to the road!

God is changing history in communities in Ukraine! The people halt their daily work to attend the conferences and they prepare the best they have to care for us. A leader said, “The people wait for you (the Americans) to come. When you come, it is like a holiday to celebrate!”

“Reflecting on these five years that we have gone to Ukraine, I am still in awe of the loving God that we serve. We have witnessed many miracles of the blind seeing, the lame walking, and people receiving the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus. We prayed with many people in pain and with complications from botched surgeries. We see transformation in their appearances from hardened, sad faces, to faces that shine with joy. This year we had an additional privilege to minister to the handicapped and their parents and caregivers. We prayed, God touched them and the pain left.”

Hopefully, you have a sense of what our heavenly Father did this year. We look forward to the healing mission in 2009 and the people with whom we shall share Jesus our Lord! It is with grateful hearts that we thank you for supporting this mission to Ukraine!

If you want to hear more, contact Jean Corbett at 843-559-0524. The Team is especially grateful for your prayers and financial support for the ministry in Ukraine!
~ Michele Bryan, Jean and Johnnie Corbett, Swain Marion, Arthur Ravenel, Peggy Reeves, David Richardson, Susalee Sasser, Weezi Shaw, and Margie Williams

 

Team Members
Michele Bryan - Мишель Браян
Jean Corbett - Джін Корбет
Johnnie Corbett - Джонні Корбет
Swain Marion - Свейн Марион
Arthur Ravenel - Артур Ревенем
Peggy Reeves - Пегі Рівз
David Richardson - Девід Річардсон
Susalee Sasser - Сюзалі Сасер
Weezi Shaw - Візі Шоу
Margie Williams - Марджі Вільямз
Ukraine Team Members
Home Team: Intercessors and Supporters!

 

 

Watch the Ukraine Mission Video from 2007 on YouTube.com