Juvenile Detention Center Ministry, Juvenile Prisons, at-risk youth, Straight Ahead Ministries. Ukraine. Ya.
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Kinsley's Out There: Community
Kinsley's Out There: Community: "The guys downstairs This morning, I went downstairs and there were four guys sleeping in various places in the little house where I'm sta..."
Community
The guys downstairs |
What's interesting is that most of the guys were ones who didn't come to the camps for one reason or another and who never really connected with us.
Last night, we had a Bible study and most of them came, including Vitya, who hung out with us at the first camp (Tiger used to call him Curly, which may be part of the problem...), but shut down after that. As Anya was asking the group to explain what it means to be a Christian, I saw Vitya listening intently. I'm not sure what got through, but that he was listening was a bit of a miracle.
Family, celebrating my birthday. |
Maybe that is what Vitya was experiencing for the first time.
Colony Visit
Lydia, Ira and John at the festival |
Sergei, Lydia and I also got a chance to invite all of the guys to the Bible study, which was great, as there were 80 new guys from other colonies that had just closed.
Guys doing acrobatics |
One boy, Vlad said that he comes to get closer to the Lord. He has repented and he now feels hope that he can make it. Sanya shared that his father killed his mother when he was 9 and that he started stealing when he was not much older than that. Sanya told us that he loves coming to Sergei and Lydia's group, but when he goes back to the rest of the prison, he often feels hopeless. That lead to a great discussion about Sergei and Lydia's love for him and for the other guys, and how that love comes from Jesus, who never leaves us, no matter where we go. Sanya started to beam.
When it was time to wrap things up, Sergei said that if any of the guys wanted to repent, if they felt like their faith was coming alive, that they should stay. A couple of guys left, but the rest stayed. Sergei wanted to make sure that they understood so he told them again that they should leave unless they wanted to pray. No one moved and they all prayed. This is not something that they take lightly as they get harassed and put down for coming to the group and for becoming believers.
As we were leaving, there were a lot more smiles and hugs, and many guys asked when we were coming back. It's amazing to see hope and life come into hearts that have been so hurt and closed. We need to pray that they keep that light and share it.
Red and Yura
Deb and Red, 2001 |
When Red passed, it seemed like a lot of my heart went with him. But just a month later, I was back in Ukraine with our band, Svuki Bostona, even though I was still in a fog. As usual, we did a concert for the guys at the juvenile colony in Kremenchug. After the concert, a tall, tough looking young man was standing on the stage by himself. I got one of those, "go over and talk with him" nudges and so I went.
His name was Yura and he had been there for about a year. He was not a believer, but something was stirring within him. Yura shared about his life: he didn't know his father and he and his mother had come to Ukraine from Russia when he was 5. When he was 6, his mother sent Yura for a bottle of wine, which he dropped and broke. When he came home, she beat him and kicked him out. Yura lived on the streets and when the police would bring him to the orphanage, he would run away. His mother died when he was 9. When he was 13 the police arrested him and Yura thought that they had caught him for stealing food. They charged him with murder, held a kangaroo court, and he was sentenced to 10 years for a crime he didn't commit.
Me and Yura, June 2011 |
Last week, on June 7, 2011, Yura called me. He had been released from the adult prison after serving the rest of his sentence. He was living in Kiev and wanted to meet as soon as possible. I was happy, but I was also apprehensive as I hadn't seen Yura in the 6 years that he had served in the adult prison system, a system that often breaks people.
We met and it was great. Yura looked healthy and he was enjoying life. He had a good church and was living in a hostel until he could afford a room someplace. Yura asked what I saw in his soul and I told him that I was happy to see that he was full of life. I also shared that I had worried about what I would see. Yura smiled and said, "I am a believer and Jesus never left me." As we left, Yura told me that he loved me and that he was thankful to God that I was his "spiritual" father. I told him the same and we made plans to meet again over the weekend, with an interpreter so we could talk more in depth.
When I contacted Yura the next day, he had decided to go to another city a few hundred miles from here as his friend had a place for him there and he could live for two months on what he could live on in Kiev for just a couple of weeks. Part of me was happy for him, but part was bummed that he would not be around. That is pretty typical with the guys and girls with whom we work. Then again, I guess that's part of "spiritual" parenthood.
Life is full of comings and goings, but what a blessing it is when we get glimpses into the connectedness of it all.
Please keep Yura in your prayers (and Pasha, whom we still have not heard from since he left the house in Zolotonosha) as he works through his freedom for the first time in ten years.
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Why
For a while now, I have thought about sharing some of the things I encounter in the ministry, dream up, or just find amusing, challenging, or thought provoking. So here it is. My blog. I will use it to post things that are going on within Straight Ahead Ministries, including stories involving the kids we meet in the juvenile justice system.