The eleventh anniversary ended last Sunday. It was my last anniversary as a true part of the Embassy of God. And though it was a very busy, exciting and happy time, it was tinged with a slight sadness for me. I will miss it when I am gone. I have lived here and participated in the Embassy of God for over two years. This was my third anniversary conference. Rarely do we appreciate what we have until it is gone or about to be. I always knew the teaching at my home church in America was good, but only when I was deprived of it did I truly understand how good it was. I encourage you to start appreciating your own pastors and leaders as never before. Realize that God has chosen them and can and will use them to speak into your life.

This anniversary was my favorite, not just because it was my last. The anniversary conference here is the similar to summer campmeeting in many American churches. It is the largest conference and requires the most planning and organization. What I enjoyed the most, was that this year the speakers were mainly from the church. Instead of bringing in the biggest-name ministers from around the world, ministers, pastors and Christians who have begun to do what God called them to do and are making an impact did most of the speaking. Don’t get me wrong, I love it when we have English-speaking guests, I can understand without an interpreter, but these people are even more special to me.

Speakers like Natasha Potopayeva, Tatyana Galushka, Alexander Mikhailik and Vasiliy Biletskiy truly reveal the glory of God. Each of them has a story that is worthy of a book or a mini-series on TV.

Natasha Potopayeva was an alcoholic for 30 years when she got born again. God delivered her and she has helped thousands of people overcome addictions of all kinds and she has written a book with the methods God showed her. She pastors one of the most successful Embassy of God daughter churches. When you see her, you know that God can do anything, and it is never too late to come to God.

Tatyana Galushka, who has written a book about her experiences, had a horrible start in life. I could hardly get through the first chapters of the book, and I am not an overly emotional person, but by the end, I was amazed at the transformation. She is now serving God as the head of a school ministry that ministers to thousands of students in Kyiv and all over Ukraine. She wants to prevent young people from making the same mistakes she did by showing them the love of God.

Alexander Mikhailik went to India about three years ago as a missionary. He didn’t speak Hindi and he spoke little English. I met him for the first time when he was Dean of Joshua Missionary Bible Institute. The next time I saw him was at the 9th anniversary where he was speaking. His sermon had agreatest impact on my life here in Ukraine. I still remember it and hold on to those words. He is filled with a burning passion and desire for India. He, his wife and son left a good life in Kyiv to go to a life lower than the one they had. However, God has been faithful and sustained them. They were alone, but now have a team of people and can reach more lives.

Vasily Biletskiy left Ukraine and moved to America to start a church. He is a missionary to America. He too went with nothing, but God has provided everything he needs. They have their own building and have started other churches in America. He still uses an interpreter when preaching in English, but the Spirit of God visible in him transcends all language barriers.

One thing I have always liked is that the church always embraces Ukrainian culture and incorporates it into almost everything. Even though it has become international, it still remembers the Ukrainian heritage. Ukrainian dancing and songs are used to introduce the services and traditions and customs are used in welcoming guests. The colors of the Ukrainian flag are used in decorations. This year the anniversary began with the singing of the Ukrainian National Anthem, followed by a choir and group of dancers in traditional dress singing a praise song in Ukrainian and performing folk dancing. The song then became a prayer for Ukraine, which everyone present also joined. A lesson that I learn from this is that even though, over the centuries, Ukraine has been out down and treated as “not as good,” the people have refused to accept that. Instead they have decided to believe what God says about them. No matter where you are, or what your history is, God wants to use you and can use you!

Last year a celebratory concert was held, with many Ukrainian stars. This year the concert was held again, and was even better than last time. Two singers stood out to me the most. Everyone was good, but my personal favorite performance was Anatoliy Bugai. He is the singer for the Russian band Open Heaven. He wrote a song that debuted at the last anniversary called, “God has come to Ukraine.” Most of the hall sings along with him during that song. Last year it seemed to be prophetic, this year it was an answer to prayer. Although Bugai was only supposed to sing two songs, the crowd refused to let him leave the stage. They kept clapping and chanting songs for him to sing. His songs are full of incredible energy, spirit and faith. The “Army of Christ” was another crowd pleaser that speaks of the church, obviously, being the army of Christ and revealing the kingdom of God. Ulf Christianson, Victor Pavlic, Anita Gezo, Igor Rudy, Oleg Mayovskiy and numerous other famous stars (Christians) sang also. It wasn’t just a concert where people came to see famous stars, but they came to worship God.

The second floor hallway surrounding the hall resembled a county fair. Several hundred booths from the Transformations Business Center Business Expo 2005 lined the walls. Everything from legal services to Ukrainian tourist agencies, clothing to kitchen cabinets, cosmetics to musical instruments, and more was represented. All the businesses in the Expo are owned by Christian businessmen and women. They have learned Christian business principles and put them in to practice. Fulfilling the call to bring Christ to the business world.

There was so much to see, hear and experience that even with four days, it was impossible to take it all in. While I am already missing next year’s conference, I am excited that I get to take all that I have learned over the years back to my home church and community and spread the kingdom of God there. God has taught me a lot through my time here and the lessons learned need to be taught and shared with others.

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