UPDATE

In May of 2011 we were able to work along side missionary church-planters Jake Knotts and Danny Foote in Ukraine. You can read the blog (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) for the recap of our time with them and their ministries. Since that time we have been prayerfully considering our next steps in helping to provision these ministry teams for their work with the disabled.

The best way to frame why what is next is so important is to share this from Jake Knotts:

Partnering with the Elisha Foundation to more effectively serve the disabled community in our region in Ukraine is an answer to prayer. The need is massive, the disabled in Ukraine are largely removed from society due to social stigma carried over from the Soviet period, and the church is inexperienced in building in-roads into the disabled community, as well as uneducated on how to practically serve and meet their physical needs. The Elisha Foundation’s strengths are exactly what the church in Ukraine needs. Our church is looking forward to learning, growing, and developing a more long-term approach to serving the disabled to bring about both gospel-transformation and physical well-being to those who are largely rejected and unseen in our city.

WHAT WE WILL DO

The next step of our ministry in Ukraine will entail the following:

- Provide training in the biblical perspective on disability to the ministry teams.

- Provide basic therapeutic (physical, occupational, other specialized areas) training to the ministry teams.

- Build relationships with the local mental hospitals, orphanages, and other facilities to grant access to the disabled within their walls.

- Reach out to the families of disabled children in the area through Respite-like programs.

We anticipate many opportunities to share the gospel within the framework of this project. We are grateful that in addition to the spiritual resources, these teams will also be providing needed physical assistance. We believe that our work needs to be focused on indigenous sustainability. Our efforts serve to further the Ukrainian believer’s ability to carry on the dynamic work of effectively ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of the disabled. There is much work to be done to accomplish these goals but we are confident in these “next steps” for our REACH into Ukraine.

WHO and WHEN

The Reimer family will head to Chernigov, Ukraine in May for three months of cultivating this new work. Living “in country” will help us develop relationships with the ministry teams and facility staff more deeply. During that time at least two different resource specialists (physical therapist and special educator) will be serving for a period of time with us. We will utilize their skills to train the ministry teams and help evaluate how we can serve the many needs more effectively. We are excited!

HOW

You can help with the “HOW”. This project will cost $15,000 to complete. That includes travel, in country expenses, lodging, food, equipment, and transportation. Due to the generosity of one of our supporters we have $5,000 committed to this project already! We still have a bit to raise in a short period of time. Every gift, no matter the size, counts!

Please prayerfully consider contributing to this project. If you have any questions regarding this project please contact us via email at info(at)theelishafoundation(dot)org or via telephone at 541-419-6007.

We are hopeful of the continued impact that TEF will have in equipping local churches to better serve the disabled communities in their area, whether here or abroad. Together we are pursuing the Christ-centered transformation in the lives of the disabled people of the world.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and support!

JDR