By Simon Baker, student news writer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. - Mina Podgaisky, a missionary to Ukraine, spoke recently at a 青瓜视频 chapel about how Christ can do what seems impossible and the essence of following His calling.
Podgaisky read from Mark 6:36-37, the story of how Christ performed the miracle of feeding 5,000 people to emphasize how God can do what seems like the impossible.
Podgaisky said she and her husband, Gennady, 鈥渃ame to Kyiv 20 years ago鈥� and noticed there were 鈥�17,000 and 24,000 street children just in Kyiv alone鈥� and discovered these children were 鈥渟ent into the streets to get some food from people or to get some money.鈥�
鈥淭he task was overwhelming,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut the Lord sent us, and there was no mistake in that.鈥� While in Kyiv, she questioned, 鈥淗ow can we feed them? How do we feed a hundred a day?鈥�
Podgaisky compared the task of feeding all the children in Kyiv to the story in the Bible.
鈥淭his sounds a bit closer to our problem, where Jesus tells the disciples, you give them something to eat,鈥� she said.
Podgaisky described the similarities between how the disciples felt and her husband's feelings in Kyiv.
Podgaisky said, 鈥淭he disciples were feeling inadequate. They couldn't provide for the needs of the people, and Gennady and I feel inadequate to try to meet the needs of the Ukrainian people.鈥�
Podgaisky said there are three lessons to learn from the story found in Mark 6:36-37. The first is 鈥渘ever measure the problem in light of your resources.鈥�
鈥淲hen we went to Kyiv, we did not have the resources to feed or meet the needs of thousands of children, but we knew God sent us there,鈥� she said.
鈥淕od's goal is neither easy nor understandable at times,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut following it is the best thing we could do with our lives. It gives us a sense of peace to know that we are in the place where the Lord called us, doing what the Lord calls us to do.鈥�
She said lesson two is, 鈥渁 little becomes much in the hands of Jesus.鈥�
Podgaisky said they 鈥渄id not know how we could help the street children at the time. But one of the first things we did is we helped create a coalition of organizations, individual non-governmental organizations and churches.
鈥淣othing would have convinced us that in 10 years that problem would have been solved. There was no more need for the coalition.鈥�
Podgaisky said, 鈥淎 leader from our coalition was approached by the government and asked if he could become the adviser to the president on Children and Family Matters.鈥�
Podgaisky told students the final lesson: 鈥淕od will use a need in your life to demonstrate that He can meet it.鈥�
鈥淭here are many times when Jesus tests our faith,鈥� Podgaisky said.
鈥淟ike in everybody else's lives, in our lives, we have tests and challenges, but 鈥淕od has helped us to go through them.鈥�
Podgaisky said, 鈥淣ow 40 million Ukrainians are suffering and grieving鈥� because of the Russian and Ukraine War. She said about 200 Ukrainian men die every single day since the occupation by Russia.
Podgaisky said, 鈥淗ow God will use a need in our lives to demonstrate that He can meet that need.鈥�
青瓜视频 is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university that offers over 100 programs of study including doctoral, master, bachelor, associate and certificate programs. The website for complete information is鈥痺ww.campbellsville.edu.