NEWS from Ukraine, April 2003
by David Tinney
Subscribe to Newsletter
I still remember the evening I met Ed Dickson in Kiev. It was a cool and crisp Kiev night as we entered the dark parking lot outside a building complex where his office was located. There were several people standing around talking in Russian. Then, out of the darkness, a friendly Canadian voice greeted me as Ed Dickson shook my hand. I introduced myself and he invited me inside.
Pastor Anatoliy had arranged the meeting as he and Ed work together in the missions department of Embassy of God. Ed has a passion for missions and Anatoliy felt it was necessary we meet.
Sitting on the overstuffed couch in his office, I listened to him describe the different projects he was doing in Ukraine. I instantly liked him, he's intense, and his eyes flashed with excitement as he told how they were ministering to hundreds of orphans.
Since then, we communicate by email and try to get together when I am frequently in Kiev. Its hard, because we are both busy and cannot always connect. However, Ed and I made a commitment to each other that night to partner and network in ministry whenever we could.
As I have become to know him, I've discovered he not only works in Ukraine, but several other former Soviet republics. In recent months, I have felt the direction from the Lord in the future, I would be using Ukraine as a base to reach into Muslim nations.
Recently, he sent this personal note and photos by email to me. I had just found out he had been to Afghanistan and was preparing to return in May of this year. Here is that email and the accompanying photos: (click on each photo to see a larger version, a new window will open.)
I went to Afghanistan the first time last April of 2002, it was absolutely the adventure of a lifetime.
A church I planted in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, was sending a guy in there (just after the war ended) to bring bread to the people ... people were accepting Jesus because someone cared!
Pastor Volodiya Dzyuba (from the Troyeshina church in Kiev) went with me (I got visas because of my agricultural work with the Canadian government).
I visited two mission sites (one was run by a Korean-based / Russian Christian church from Tajikistan, and the other was Americans). This Korean-based / Russian group was doing some PHENOMENAL work ... I had a chance to preach there to people ... see the first picture! (Ed is wearing the black vest with his back to the camera...David)
They were just baking bread and giving it to the poor.
We had a chance to support 70 families (who's fathers
either had missing arms / legs etc from the war - see
the second picture). We fed those 70 families with
bread for two months for $900!!!
The other Korean/Russian group had lead three city leaders to the Lord ... set up a makeshift mission, bakery and medical outreach. We also helped them to build wells for school children who didn't have access to good water ... each well was only $100 to build!
I didn't have a lot of money to take with me (for
ministry this time) but God made money out of nothing
for me! You see, I bought an apartment in Tajikistan
when I was there two years ago (they were so cheap -
$4000 for a two room) and I just sold it last week for
$9400!!! You don't have to guess where that money is
going to be sown :)
The last picture shows me and Pastor Dzuba in a lineup with the Northern Alliance when we were there. Just unbelievable. Notice the tanks in the background.