God did exceedingly, abundantly more than we could have asked or imagined!!!!

It is Sunday night in Kiev and we are all still on a very tired "high" from the New Life conference! GOD did do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we could have ever asked or imagined!!! I think we all are still in awe. Rachel did an incredible job as the keynote speaker -- She was amazing! She was tender, and poignant and yet very direct and Biblical. You could just feel the audience connecting with her. The New Life team had decorated the stage in the hall and it looked lovely. Their worship team led us before the throne of grace at the beginning of each session. The entire conference was on God's redeeming love that is told through our stories. In all of the seminars and keynote talks we all shared about how each woman was a unique and beloved story of God's redemption. And that all of the good and bad events in our lives, all of the relationships - healthy and broken, were ordained to reveal God to us and give us a perspective on His character and His truth. Dede, Sharon, Debbie, Marti and Rachel all lead their two hour seminars four times! And then did much counseling afterward. Walls came crashing down, much healing took place, and women began to see that God had always been with them even in the most painful times. And the pain in many of these women's lives is unbelievable. We all are changed too after experiencing the intimacy of God as He used us to minister to hurting women and we too experienced more of His healing love. The women loved the beautiful bracelets that we brought for each one of them, made by women in Nashville (thank you, Dinah!!!). Steve was the center of attention on many occasions being one of only three men around. On Saturday the weather was crisp and clear and the women loved being able to be outside the city and experience the fresh air in the woods. I could go on and on.....

Today we were part of two worship services at New Life which was always like being home with family. After lunch we did some sightseeing at St. Michael's and St. Sophia and then shopping down St. Andrusky. Dinner in Podil and then the metro back to the hotel!

We head out in the morning to the first conference!

The team is doing their final preparation tonight and getting ready to head out early in the morning to the sanatorium. The bus picks us up at 8 AM. Everyone is nervous and uncertain and no one feels totally prepared but trusting that God will do more than we can ask or imagine. We just pray that we are vessels fit for His use! After we meet our translators, go through our talks with them, and do the first one I trust that peace will reign or at least start! SO PLEASE PRAY!

Today we started the morning with Ben and Tanya Robinson and it was a blessing for all to hear their hearts about Loza. Then we went to New Life and met with some of the women leaders to go through all of the final details of the conference. We headed down to the Invalid Children's ministry to have our hearts broken over the dear children there. We had a pizza lunch with some of the New Life staff and then headed back to the hotel to prepare for the weekend. Everyone had their first metro ride into downtown during rush hour! It is always fun to walk along Kreschatuk, the main street in downtown Kiev, and look at all the people, lights and stores. Old women are selling daffadils on all the corners. We had an Italian dinner and returned to the hotel for prayer time.

First Day in Kiev!

We have had a great start to our trip to Ukraine. Over breakfast this morning Oleg and Lena Vasilevsky joined us and shared about Radooga and what God is doing in that ministry as well as a little history on how they got started. We had a special time of prayer over them. Then Dede and Steve met with a friend of Dede's and the rest of us went to the War Memorial Museum with Oleg with Sveta Boiko as tour guide. After that we went to Maiden/Independence Square and had lunch and delicious ice cream at Globus food court underneath the square. Afterwards, standing in Maiden, Oleg gave us a short history of the Orange Revolution, and what it was like in October 2004. Sharon is so surprised at all of the changes in Kiev! We headed back to the hotel to rest, work on our talks, and regroup. Dinner is at 6 PM.

They've arrived!

The MDI team received the following message from Marti's Blackberry today at around 3 (around 11 pm Kiev time):

"Hi! We are here and have had dinner with Anatoly. The weather is nasty. Cold, windy, sleet, snow and rain mixture! And I cannot get my internet to work. And all is well and the weather is bad!. We are all heading to bed exhausted!"

MDI leading team to conduct Women's Conferences in Ukraine

MDI is taking a team of seven people from four churches to lead three women's conferences in three cities! We leave March 23, and the team returns to the USA on April 6, 2009. You can follow the team's travels on this site.

The theme of the conferences is, "God's Redeeming Love." Rachel Roper is the keynote speaker at all three conferences, and her focus will be redemption is the story of God at work in our world. The promise that God is moving, caring, loving, joining, authoring and perfecting our stories is central to the theme of scripture. We are unique and holy creations with unique and valuable stories, and God has a plan and a purpose for every event and person in our lives.

Along with the keynote talks, Dede Franz is leading a seminar on, "Waiting is Part of the Story;" Debbie Hodges is teaching on, "Finding Peace in the Journey;" Sharon Sims is leading on, "Faith Expressing Itself in Love;" and Marti Scudder, along with Rachel Roper, is speaking on, "Writing and Telling Your Story." Beverly Warren and Steve Lorenz will be providing support for the team.

We will be speaking at a two-day women's conference for New Life Church at a sanatorium outside of Kiev on March 27-28, a two-day conference for Trinity International Church in Odessa on April 2-3, and a one-day conference for the Presbyterian Church in Belgorod D'nestrovsky on April 4. We are praying for over 500 women to attend the conferences, and they will each leave with greater understanding of what it means to "put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love, and with him is full redemption." Psalm 130:7

Final preparations!

Our team is leaving this Monday, March 23 for Ukraine. This weekend all are doing their final preparations -- packing, plans for children, finishing details on their talks for the conferences and celebrating Communion together on Sunday evening at 7 PM. Please pray for all of the last minute details that have to be completed. And for traveling mercies!

New video highlighting MDI's work in Ukraine