At last the soccer battles began to rumble in the Ukrainian motherland. Mission accomplished: the stadiums were ready, the fans had arrived at their destinations, the souvenirs were on display. The evangelical churches of Poltava (Salvation Church, Living Water, God's Family, Poltava Christian Church) were united and not standing on the sidelines for this big event. Through the Sports Village that these churches organized many Poltavans heard about the Living God and saw Christianity in action.

 

My, what a lot there was there! A performance by a drum ensemble, a whole series of well-known Christian singers, a strong man, a fire-eater, all kinds of games and competitions, quizzes, games for kids, trampolines, cotton candy, screenings on the soccer matches ... Every day there were many happy surprises for all of the visitors.

And why did they arrange all this? Why expend all the time and energy? The answer is simple - for the people. It may be that of all the many people who came to the Sports Village only a few will come to church, but that is not a cause for discouragement. All the time, the residents of Levada were watching everything that the Christians were doing. The children from the neighborhood heard the Word of God every day during the Bible lessons and games. The parents were not afraid to entrust their children to the care of believers - they even led them there by the hand. Unbelieving youth sensed the friendly attitude of the Christians and willingly spent their free time with them in the evenings.

All this shows that, possibly, with time, thanks to undertakings like this the prejudices of the Soviet era will disappear from Ukraine. We hope that the generation of children that came to our Sports Village without fear or doubt will no longer call protestant churches "cults", but simply "churches". Possibly, at Christmas and Easter, Poltavans will think of protestant churches as a possibility for their attendance.

He who sows in sorrow will reap in joy. Therefore, don't stop watering the seed the Lord has sown with your prayers. And remember that the Word of the Lord never returns void!