When I was a senior in high school, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Ukraine to spread the good news of the Gospel there and help run a music camp through our church’s partnership with the missions organization, Josiah Venture. This past summer, an intergenerational team of us had the opportunity to help run another music camp through Josiah Venture. It was clear on this trip how powerfully God is working in Ukraine and in the lives of the campers, church staff and missionaries. We were able to see the amazing and beautiful truth of God – that He is the same God across all cultures and nations, and the same God who loves us and the people there as well. Our team and the Ukrainian staff were able to minister to the teenagers at camp who so desperately need Jesus and we got to watch their desire and acceptance of Jesus grow within a culture that rejects Him completely.

All of this work was not able to come to fruition by our team alone. God was moving powerfully through the prayers and support of the community and family here at Fullerton Free. One of the most incredible opportunities our team had was to be “adopted” by an adult fellowship class, BYKOTA. As a team we visited the class on several occasions and we were all individually paired with a prayer partner from the class. It was so remarkable and reassuring to personally connect and pray with someone over our trip. I was paired with a sweet, sweet woman named Harriett Nichols. (Harriett, if you’re reading this, you’re the bomb!) Harriett so graciously invited me to have dinner before our trip with her and her husband Jack over at Morningside. Together, we were able to talk and connect about what our team would be doing in Ukraine and pray over the Lord’s plan for us. Harriett was such a blessing of peace to me in preparing for the trip, and it was so comforting to see the connectedness of our church family in her and through her prayers over the trip. We were able to pray for all the worries and challenges our team would meet, such as our health and safety and she continued to pray and support me as we left in July. It was so evident that the prayers of BYKOTA and Harriett were being answered as our team was able to see the transformation of the students there, and we all were healthy and safe! Upon coming home, Harriett, Jack and I were able to meet for dinner again and share the fruits of their prayers and everything God has done and is continuing to do in Ukraine. Getting to know them, pray with them and connect with them was one of the most beautiful examples of the true community God designed us for and that Jesus modeled for us. I believe that the importance of community is so evident and fruitful here at Fullerton Free.

-Bri Fain