Christian To The Core

Check out this new video from our friends at the International Leadership Institute.  If you want more information about their Christian to the Core Curriculum, the basis of which is the same as the History Makers Curriculum, please contact YouthReach International at info@youthreach.org. 

 



 

A Story and Pictures of A New Ukrainian Brother in Christ

I heard recently about a church leader saying to their missions ministry, "I'm glad we can commit ourselves to and rejoice in seed planting opportunities as well as harvesting opportunities."  I agree fully as YouthReach International does indeed do a lot of seed planting and that leader's church is one of our key partner churches.

Seed planting though is never an end to itself.  Today, we want to share with you some concrete fruit as a result of seeds sown years ago through the mentoring work of YouthReach International.  Yakov and his wife Alyona recently helped YouthReach International launch a new ministry in Gorlovka, Ukraine, allowing us to follow up directly with graduates from partner orphanages who have now been passed along in the social care system to a higher level of learning called a Trade School.  Since these children are of legal age, this effort involves very direct evangelism, discipleship, and even church planting.  More on all of that in the months to come.  For now, hear Yakov, in his own words, share with Tony Morrow, YouthReach International's Director of Ukraine Operations, the following good news about a young man that he has maintained a mentoring relationship with for a few years now.  

The story of Sergey is not really bright, more than that I never thought that he going to decide to fallow Jesus as soon as he did. But thanks God he did. God ways are amazing!

Sergey start to come in 2010 with his friend Andrey, a guy who believe in Satan, to our School of Life. Both of them were fools and crazy but with great heart.  They were constantly helping us with new projects and the reparation work that we were doing in the building. We had plenty chats with him and Andrey about everything and soon we become friends. 

At that time Sergey was good in Photoshop so in a couple of months he start to lead a class of Photoshop and also he leads sports. Sometimes he disappeared for some months cause he had to work … But then reappear and he was great encouraging for everybody! 

Last summer he was also helping with a camp that some friends did.  I think that God saw his carying heart and because of that aloud him to have salvation in Jesus!

Couple of days ago he called me and said that he is not shore but maybe he wood like to get baptized. Today he was a so proud of what was going on even he wear the special ring of their family and also a little bit scared couse he don’t said a thing abut the baptism to his family and they are Orthodox! 

But anyway he was happy like a child with a new toy!

Let's follow the story in pictures now right up until the moment of Sergey's baptism.

Sergey (center in white turtle neck) connects for one of the first times with other Ukrainian Christians as Yakov, to Sergey's right, invites him to a church gathering. 

Yasha, far right in front of open Bible, instructs Sergey, two over from Yakov's right, and friends in a Bible study. 

Sergey, clapping, Yakov, and other YouthReach International Mentors celebrate Andrey's birthday.

Yasha and Sergey, a picture of one to one mentoring.

Sergey washed and clean on his new birthday.

As we have said so often before, none of this can be hurried.  Relationships take time.  Trust on the part of a child who has never been given reason to trust takes time.  The penetrating truth of the gospel can cut to the heart or marinate in the heart for as long as God allows.  Whether immediate or over time, the results are clear.  Rejoice with us at this new creature in Christ and pray for him as he begins now working alongside Yakov to serve and mentor orphans in his own country. 

Technically Speaking

If you are reading this email then you have signed up to be on one of YouthReach International's distribution lists.  Thank you for choosing to connect with us this way.  Beyond this newsletter though, are you aware that YouthReach International occupies other digital space you are sure to find informative?  Do you know about our YouTube channel?  How about the Twitter feed?  Heard of our blog?  There's a Facebook group too.  Don't forget LinkedIn.  We're there as well.

Obviously, what we share through those mediums is tailored to each of those mediums.  If you find you are more of a keep it short and sweet person then subscribe to our Twitter feed.  If you want a full sensory experience with video, music, and graphics then the YouTube channel is for you.  Explore it all, choose one or two, and journey with us.  Your understanding and appreciation of what happens through this minstry will only increase as you do.  We promise you that.

You can "Like" our Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/YouthReachIntl is the place to start and from there you can actually meet some of these Mentors and Team Leades we love to brag on.

Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.youthreach.org and you will be notified whenever an update is posted.  Lots of great stories, pictures, and testimonies from this summer's work await you there.  

Watch our videos at http://www.youtube.com/YouthReachIntl.  Recent posts include a video parable made by Benjamin Browne in Russia this past July as well as a video tribute to the recently completed History Makers Journey in Belarus.  Subscribing to our page will automatically update you whenever new content is available.

Twitter is one of our fastest growing outlets so connect with us at http://www.twitter.com/youthreachintl and chose to follow us. 

Want to know who all is connected to the YouthReach International movement in the world of LinkedIn?  Our group is called YouthReach International.  Join us there!

In our world today, there is no shortage of "stuff" to download, link to, read, forward, post, retweet, or delete.  Let us meet you in the mode and in the place you feel most comfortable.  As you do that you will rejoice at the growing mentoring communities in Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus and see first hand the changes for good they are in the lives of orphans.

In whatever mode you choose, thank you for journeying with us.

All God's best to you and yours,
Rob Browne
Executive Director
YouthReach International

Interesting Numbers From A Fascinating Land

Every summer I am in Russia I keep a running list of fresh statistics and curious truths representing many areas of life in that great land.  This data is gathered only from sources that bother to document their source and vary from government offices to think tanks to various watchdog groups.  I normally hold on to them and refer to them in writings throughout the fall and winter.  I thought I would share my list here at the end of our ministry year though with little or no social commentary.  You may (or may not) find some (or all) of these statistics interesting.  Obviously, very little absolute truth can be garnered about a nation as large and as diverse as Russia from simple statistical analysis but there are some interesting trends and realities we can note.

 

Without further jibber jabber from me…

 

·         The population of Russia is just over 143,000,000

·         1,788,948 babies were born in Russia in 2010 which is a record since the end of the Soviet Union

·         The death rate in Russia fell 70% in 2011

·         26,000,000 people in Russia are under the age of 17 accounting for 18% of the entire population

·         82% of Russians speak no second language (reminds me a joke Russians like to tell.  What do you call a person who speaks 3 languages?  Tri-lingual.  What do you call a person who speaks 2 languages?  Bi-lingual.  What do you call a person who speaks 1 language?  American)

·         The average grocery bill of an Russian citizen for one month is $117

·         Since 1945, Russia has had the second most fatal airline accidents in the world with 273 total.  In first place over that same time is the United States with 653 fatal crashes

·         Russia currently has more than 160 commercial airlines

·         Of Russia's roughly 138 million people, about 100 million refer to themselves as Russian Orthodox believers

·         Other prominent religions include Islam (up to 20 million believers), Protestantism (more than 2 million adherents), Judaism (up to 1 million followers) and Buddhism

 

Do you see anything there worth commenting on or asking a question about?

 

Rob Browne Executive Director   rob@youthreach.org
678-935-0220 ext. 103 404-518-5646 Cell 678-935-9674 Fax	http://www.youthreach.org           1911 Grayson Hwy, Ste 8-344           Grayson, GA 30017

 

Ruslan in Belarus

YouthReach International's own Ruslan Asadov appears in a new English language video by new Belarus Partner Church, Reconciliation Church.

Michael Jackson, in a Thriller sort of way, would be proud.

Final Update from Morrow' Family in Ukraine

From left to right - Vala, Tony, Lena, Anush, Anush's mother, Elizabeth, and Toma 

Hello Everyone,

This will be our last update before we begin our journey back to the United States tomorrow morning.

The prayers that each of you have continued to offer on our behalf have paved a clear and very blessed path for us over this past week.  Meetings with the Donetsk Region Scouting Director, the Director of Donetsk Orphanage #1, and the Assistant Director of the Trade School in Makeevka were great.  God richly blessed our interactions with each of these individuals.  All conversations were gracious and very positive.  Any future work with these individuals should turn out to be a true blessing to the children we are serving.

Shana cooked dinner last night for Anush and her three daughters.  Two of them (Toma and Lena) are Mentors for YouthReach International and have become very close friends of Elizabeth.  After dinner we spent some time encouraging one another, prayed for Anush's family, and said our tearful goodbyes.  Truly God has stamped this family in our hearts and minds.  The above photo was taken when we ate at their home in July.  Toma and Lena are key Mentors for YouthReach in our Donetsk work.

We will spend the rest of today (Saturday) packing and preparing to leave for the airport tomorrow morning at 5:30am.  Our flight from Donetsk to Moscow leaves at 8am.  After a 3 hour layover in Moscow, we leave for New York (JFK) at 2:40 pm.  We will overnight in New York and are set to fly out of La Guardia at 11:15 a.m. Monday morning.  Hopefully, after arriving into DFW at 2 p.m., we should board our final flight to Abilene at 3 p.m. and touch ground in A-Town at 3:50 p.m!

We need and appreciate your consistent prayers over the next three days.  Please pray for every aspect of our travel itinerary.

We have many experiences and stories from this summer and are looking forward to sharing what God is doing to advance His Kingdom through the efforts of YouthReach International in Ukraine.

Gratefully,

Tony, Shana, and Elizabeth

--
Tony Morrow

Director of Ukraine Operations

YouthReach International

Thank You From YouthReach International

A Sincere Thank You From YouthReach International

Do we say it enough?  Likely not.  Given that, let us stop here at the end of our September to August ministry calendar and express our gratitude to each of you.  Thank you all for your generosity in prayer, encouragement, finances, and participation in the ministry God has entrusted to us.  It has been a year like no other and one where we have seen at least one of each desire of our ministry come true. 

• In September we welcomed 2 new Board Members, Sherriann Hicks and Jim Pack, to our organization expanding the instrument of wisdom and guidance our Board of Directors is
• During the months of November and December we engaged 19 new donors who agreed to partner with us on a regular basis in 2012
• In January we added Dathan Hammer to our staff and hosted our annual leader retreat using past Board Members, Team Leaders, and Team Members as hosts, facilitators, and trainers during our weekend of training in Atlanta, Georgia
• February saw us conduct one major Mentor training event in Russia and one in Ukraine
• March was the month we carried out for the first time both modules of the Chick-fil-A SERVE Seminar in two cities in Siberia (Novosibirsk and Tomsk)
• In April, we sent for the first time a team from Greater Atlanta Christian School to Tomsk, Russia
• May allowed us the blessing of hosting John Lahutsky at our Spring Nashville Fundraising Dinner bringing in more than $45,000 in the process 
• Also in May, our first team on the ground in Southern Ukraine stepped into a new partner orphanage literally washing feet as they went
• June was when we began a new work in Novosibirsk, Russia, with a new city orphanage which called just yesterday to thank us for a job well done and to give us "all access" for the coming year to the more than 100 orphans there
• July saw a mentor in Ukraine step into a new relationship with Jesus Christ.  She was baptized by our own Tony Morrow
• During the last week in July we launched a new ministry in Belarus working to mobilize existing churches and volunteers to more greatly impact the orphan population in that country
• Now, in August, we close out our ministry year having met nearly all of the goals we set at the beginning of this year

We encourage you to visit our blog (http://blog.youthreach.org) to read about these milestones as well as see pictures that are sure to touch your heart.  While there consider leaving a comment, asking a question, or sending an encouraging word to the YouthReach International staff or mentor family. 

Our Board and Staff will meet together in mid-September to launch next year's work.  Your prayers for us as we do that are definitely needed.   

Above all else, we simply want to say thank you.  You have chosen to stand with us in a way that is changing forever the lives of orphans in 3 countries.  For that we are very, very grateful.

With sincere thanks,
The YouthReach International Staff and Board of Directors 

Ukraine Update From Morrows - August 4th

Tanya Trikozina  on the ropes course.

All of the kids, one of their teachers from the orphanage, and the talented Shana Morrow 

Hello Everyone,

Yesterday we were blessed to spend several hours with 9 of the 11 orphanage graduates from Snezhnoye at Sherbikova Park in Donetsk.  The main events of the day were a challenging ropes course , a dolphin and seal show, lunch at McDonald's, and amusement park rides. Although it was a bit challenging at times to keep 19 kids, counselors, mentors, and Morrow's on the same page, the day turned out very well.

Thanks to all who were praying for this event.  Our goals were to spend as much time with kids as possible and bless them with a day of fun activities.  Both goals were achieved and we hope and pray that the memories of this time will strengthen future interactions between the Mentors, Morrows, and kids as they matriculate to other Schools in Gorlovka, Makievka, and Donetsk.

Upcoming events that need your prayers:

1) Sunday, August the 5th - Meeting with Scouting Director of the Donetsk Region

2) Monday, August the 6th - Meeting with the Director of Orphanage #1 in Donetsk

3) Tuesday, August the 7th - Meeting with Director and and/or Administration of the Makievka Trade School.

We only have one more week until we begin our journey home. We need God's wisdom and strength to finish well so that He is honored as we complete the final tasks He has set before us.

Gratefully,

Tony, Shana, and Elizabeth
--
Tony Morrow

Director of Ukraine Operations

YouthReach International