The Lord put Ukraine on our hearts the very first time we visited the country on a short-term mission trip a number of years ago. Ever since our feet touched Ukrainian soil, our hearts have been attached. The Lord placed a special passion and calling on our lives to reach the people of Ukraine with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In October 2012, we moved to Ukraine to live out the calling that God gave us and to begin ministering to Ukrainians. There is a hunger and a need for solid Bible teaching in Ukraine, and we feel so privileged and blessed that the Lord has called us to do His work in this country.
Now that we're in Ukraine, God has placed a vision for church planting on our hearts. Ukraine is a very religious country (Orthodoxy and Catholicism), however, the idea of a relationship with Jesus and a Bible teaching church is far too obscure. We feel the Lord's leading to not only plant Bible teaching churches, but also help raise up pastors and teachers that will go out and make more disciples of Jesus.
God has also given us a desire to reach the youth of Ukraine. Our vision is to reach the next generation - from orphans and teenagers to university students and young adults. We want to disciple the saved and reach the lost. We want to see this generation catch on fire for Jesus and impact Ukraine.
Our first year in Ukraine (We moved to Ternopil October 3, 2012), God had called us to Ternopil, a small city in Western Ukraine. We were able to work alongside a Calvary Chapel Church plant that began in 2007. It was such a blessing to be in Ternopil, where we could learn how to be missionaries and serve at a bilingual church. During our time in Ternopil, we were blessed to participate in ministries such as:
We felt the Lord give us a clear vision for ministry in Donetsk, and during our time in there, we felt the Lord ask us to pursue the following ministries:
As the unrest escalated, is eventually became impossible for us to continue with ministry, and on April 17, 2014, we had to flee the city of Donetsk because of the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine. In addition to having to quickly leave Donetsk, this also brought about an immediate end to our orphanage work, English ministry, and the Calvary Chapel Donetsk church plant (because the people attending Calvary Donetsk also had to flee). Calvary Donetsk was scattered and spread abroad and throughout other regions of Ukraine.
After leaving Donetsk and floating around Europe, Ukraine, and traveling back to the US to be with our families and reconnect with our sending church, the Lord told us to not become idle, and He opened a door for us to serve with Potter's Field Ministries as house parents for 6 months in Entebbe, Uganda.
We moved to Entebbe on October 3, 2014, where we served until April 7th, 2015. Although our hearts were grieving and broken for Ukraine while we were in Uganda, we were thankful to still be able to continue working with kids and foreign church plants (which we feel is a big part of the calling the Lord has given us). While we were in Uganda, our ministry included:
On May 1, 2015, the Lord allowed us to move back to Ukraine, answering many of our prayers. Our ministry in Kiev included:
Now that we're in Ukraine, God has placed a vision for church planting on our hearts. Ukraine is a very religious country (Orthodoxy and Catholicism), however, the idea of a relationship with Jesus and a Bible teaching church is far too obscure. We feel the Lord's leading to not only plant Bible teaching churches, but also help raise up pastors and teachers that will go out and make more disciples of Jesus.
God has also given us a desire to reach the youth of Ukraine. Our vision is to reach the next generation - from orphans and teenagers to university students and young adults. We want to disciple the saved and reach the lost. We want to see this generation catch on fire for Jesus and impact Ukraine.
Our first year in Ukraine (We moved to Ternopil October 3, 2012), God had called us to Ternopil, a small city in Western Ukraine. We were able to work alongside a Calvary Chapel Church plant that began in 2007. It was such a blessing to be in Ternopil, where we could learn how to be missionaries and serve at a bilingual church. During our time in Ternopil, we were blessed to participate in ministries such as:
- English Ministry
- Youth Group
- University Student Bible Study
- Hospitality/Cleaning
- Graphic Design
We felt the Lord give us a clear vision for ministry in Donetsk, and during our time in there, we felt the Lord ask us to pursue the following ministries:
- Planting a Calvary Chapel in Donetsk
- Regularly serving at local orphanages
- Turning our home into a transitional home for teenage orphan girls, ages 16-20
- English Ministry
As the unrest escalated, is eventually became impossible for us to continue with ministry, and on April 17, 2014, we had to flee the city of Donetsk because of the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine. In addition to having to quickly leave Donetsk, this also brought about an immediate end to our orphanage work, English ministry, and the Calvary Chapel Donetsk church plant (because the people attending Calvary Donetsk also had to flee). Calvary Donetsk was scattered and spread abroad and throughout other regions of Ukraine.
After leaving Donetsk and floating around Europe, Ukraine, and traveling back to the US to be with our families and reconnect with our sending church, the Lord told us to not become idle, and He opened a door for us to serve with Potter's Field Ministries as house parents for 6 months in Entebbe, Uganda.
We moved to Entebbe on October 3, 2014, where we served until April 7th, 2015. Although our hearts were grieving and broken for Ukraine while we were in Uganda, we were thankful to still be able to continue working with kids and foreign church plants (which we feel is a big part of the calling the Lord has given us). While we were in Uganda, our ministry included:
- Being house parents for four American Potter's Field interns, aged 18-25
- Worship team
- English ministry
- One-on-one discipleship meetings
- Working at the Calvary Entebbe's farm
- Doing school outreaches on Nangombe
- Kids Club for Calvary Chapel Entebbe and Calvary Chapel Nangombe
- Teaching Bible lessons to 7th graders at Calvary Chapel Entebbe Christian Academy
On May 1, 2015, the Lord allowed us to move back to Ukraine, answering many of our prayers. Our ministry in Kiev included:
- The opening of our transitional home for older aged-out orphan girls (Began June 30, 2015)
- Intensive Russian studies (In preparation for the time when the Lord brings us back to eastern Ukraine)
- One-on-one meetings with people that used to go to Calvary Donetsk and are now living in Kiev
- Building a relationship with Calvary Chapel Kiev
When the Lord brought us back to Ukraine to live in Kiev, we knew that we wouldn't be in Kiev permanently - it was a step of obedience that we knew the Lord would use to bring us back to eastern Ukraine. From the very beginning, we believed that Kiev would be a place of preparation for us. Looking back, we also understand now that Kiev was a safe place for us to work through the PTSD that we had from our time in Donetsk.
Shortly after arriving in Kiev, one of the pastors at Calvary Chapel Kiev mentioned to us that there was a Calvary Chapel in Zaporozhye, Ukraine that was without a pastor, and he asked if we would consider moving to Zaporozhye.
Our first response was no way, we just got to Kiev! How can we start thinking about moving again? But as time continued, the Lord started placing a love and compassion in our hearts for the city of Zaporozhye.
Calvary Chapel Zaporozhye had been without a pastor for 8 years, and one of their biggest prayer requests was for God to send them a pastor. At the same time, we had been moving from city to city, faithfully following the Lord, but also praying that He would give us a home, a place we could really settled down for a longer period of time.
In November, 2015, we visited Zaporozhye on a scouting trip to see if the Lord was calling us to move. The Lord spoke clearly to us, and He asked us to relocated to Zaporozhye. But He also asked us to complete the work He'd called us to do in Kiev before moving. We continued with our Russian studies and developing close relationships with the two girls living with us. When it finally came time to move to Zaporozhye, we invited the girls living with us to join us and move to Zaporozhye as a family. The girls really considered moving, but since their university is in Kiev, they felt it best to stay in Kiev.
In mid-March 2016, we began commuting on the weekends to Zaporozhye, and in April 2016, we moved to Zaporozhye.
In May 2016, George Markey Jr., Phil Metzger, and John Chubik ordained Byron at the Calvary Chapel Ukraine National Conference, and Byron is currently the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Zaporozhye.
Our current ministries include:
Shortly after arriving in Kiev, one of the pastors at Calvary Chapel Kiev mentioned to us that there was a Calvary Chapel in Zaporozhye, Ukraine that was without a pastor, and he asked if we would consider moving to Zaporozhye.
Our first response was no way, we just got to Kiev! How can we start thinking about moving again? But as time continued, the Lord started placing a love and compassion in our hearts for the city of Zaporozhye.
Calvary Chapel Zaporozhye had been without a pastor for 8 years, and one of their biggest prayer requests was for God to send them a pastor. At the same time, we had been moving from city to city, faithfully following the Lord, but also praying that He would give us a home, a place we could really settled down for a longer period of time.
In November, 2015, we visited Zaporozhye on a scouting trip to see if the Lord was calling us to move. The Lord spoke clearly to us, and He asked us to relocated to Zaporozhye. But He also asked us to complete the work He'd called us to do in Kiev before moving. We continued with our Russian studies and developing close relationships with the two girls living with us. When it finally came time to move to Zaporozhye, we invited the girls living with us to join us and move to Zaporozhye as a family. The girls really considered moving, but since their university is in Kiev, they felt it best to stay in Kiev.
In mid-March 2016, we began commuting on the weekends to Zaporozhye, and in April 2016, we moved to Zaporozhye.
In May 2016, George Markey Jr., Phil Metzger, and John Chubik ordained Byron at the Calvary Chapel Ukraine National Conference, and Byron is currently the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Zaporozhye.
Our current ministries include:
- Teaching the Word of God on Sundays and at the mid-week study
- Children's Ministry
- Worship Team
- English Outreach Ministry
- Biblical Counseling and Discipleship
- Men's and Women's Ministry
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to seek the Lord and serve Him in the city of Zaporozhye, Ukraine.
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