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August 16, 2024

My Journey as an Intern in Ukraine

The summer is quickly coming to a close, but I would like to share with you about God’s goodness and what a fantastic summer I had as an intern in Ukraine. I will start from the beginning and why I decided to do the internship. The desire to try an internship remained with me at a time when all other desires disappeared. God kept this sparkle in my heart. (It may sound strange, but this is a feeling that I remember well.) I wanted to boldly accept this challenge and serve him in a new way. My time as an intern helped me become closer to God, strengthened my faith, and led me to discover if God was leading me to full-time ministry. During my internship, God showed me how to say “yes” to every challenge he had prepared for me.

I am so thankful for the intern team God blessed me with. It felt like a “lil’ family” (what we called ourselves) and became an important part of the summer for me. I believe God used this family to heal something in me. He showed me what healthy relationships should look like at home and how it feels to be a part of them. These relationships showed me how much God can knit us together when we surround ourselves with Christ-centered people who want to move in the same direction and that community truly matters.

It brought me so much joy to see how God’s kingdom is being built here and how he uses everything as a part of his perfect plan for us. This summer provided me with so many opportunities to see lives that were changed at camps and to see God work in the moments when we least expected it.

During the Amazing Race and traveling in Ukraine, we had great conversations with teenagers and strangers on the train. We invited them to join us, played board games with them, and also had the chance to share the gospel with them. At that moment, I thought, “Okay, God, I was ready to see the harvest at the end of the summer, but I didn’t think that your goodness would be manifested like this right away.”

Throughout the internship, I noticed many areas in my life where God wanted me to grow, and he gave me situations to do so. He showed me that healthy rhythms, rest, Sabbath, trusting God, letting go of all control, accepting help and care, and being ready to “do my best” would look different daily. Also, there were many funny challenges like: having to rearrange a party quickly when the electricity went out, leading a rafting camp with my church when a few key male leaders couldn’t attend due to mobilization in our country, or fixing a boat with duct tape in the middle of a river.

God continually led me to 2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

God’s strength was revealed to me in moments when I was weak and could not cope on my own. I knew that If I walked in a puddle, I would not learn how to walk on water. This seemed to be plain truth, but it became a discovery and a “God lesson” for me during this time.

Even during the war, we had 34 camps in Ukraine, and Jesus continued to show his light and love to people. Honestly, I used to think that war brought darkness and difficulty, but I am amazed at how God can turn so many situations into something good. Despite the challenges and uncertainty, he gives churches the strength and desire to organize camps and the ability to reach out to young people. He supports us every step; even if something looks like the darkest valley, we have a promise that he will provide us with everything we need.

Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine and for this awful war to end. Pray that God will continue doing his work here with a new generation. Pray for rest and recovery in churches and the feeling of God’s joy and peace in times of uncertainty.

Thank you for the prayers and support!

Anya Dyka

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