COVID-19 may have dominated our attention for most of the last three months, but Jesus is still on the move!
The following Jesus-on-the-move-story involves Dwelling 1:14, Eastern Europe and a furloughed young woman named Katja in Ukraine.
Only Jesus could pull this off!
The Backdrop
Dwelling 1:14 has started working with Spiritual Orphans Network (formerly known as East European Mission Network) to bring the insights and training of missional discipleship to pastors and church leaders in former communist and Soviet bloc countries – places like Albania, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia and more. In March, just before travel restrictions were put into place, Pastor David Breidenbach and Mike Wind of Spiritual Orphans Network chose a conference in Ukraine as the place to begin introducing leaders to the training.
The goal was to give an overview of my two books, “Joining Jesus on His Mission” and “Show Me How,” gage the leaders’ response, and, if the response was favorable, move forward with translating the books into Russian and eventually German and Slovak, as well.
The Story
(I will let Mike Wind, Director of Global Development, tell the story in his own words.)
Pastor David Breidenbach and I were blessed to lead a conference in Ukraine in the beginning of March. There were many amazing moments, but here is one that really stood out:
One of the many things that Greg Finke has taught us is that we should pay attention to what God is doing around us… to what He is preparing in advance for us to do with Him (Ephesians 2:10). This can be challenging to me, especially when I am in “Conference planning and execution mode.” The event in Ukraine was no exception. At the end of our opening evening session, our translator told me he would not be able to translate for the rest of the conference. So, after I picked my heart up off the floor, I happened to glance down at the material I had prepared for the next day. I also heard Greg’s phrase ringing in my ears, “Get over yourself!” The next day’s topic was “Seek, Recognize and Respond” to what Jesus is already doing. There it was! Was I going to apply this to myself, or was I going to panic?
Just at that moment, our host Pastor Alexander Gross informed me that the Bishop’s Secretary would be coming and would translate for the rest of the conference. I had never met Katja before and knew nothing about her, but Pastor Alexander assured me not to worry.
Okay Jesus, what are you up to here?
The next morning, Katja arrived after a 20-hour train ride, and jumped right in without any hesitation – and no rest! Needless to say, Katja was a fantastic translator and the conference went better than we could have hoped for.
One of the interesting things about doing conferences in other countries is how we interact with and through our translators. The translators don’t just repeat what we say, word for word. They have to grasp and interpret the meaning and then put it into the native language in a way that makes sense to the participants. This gives the translators an extremely deep connection to the material we are presenting. The conference in Ukraine was no exception and the material from Greg Finke’s two books touched Katja profoundly.
As the conference ended and we all said our good-byes, I casually mentioned to Katja that I was looking to have Greg’s books translated into Russian, and would she be interested in the job. She politely declined, citing the crazy schedule she was working under.
Pastor David and I then headed back to the USA, just as the Covid-19 restrictions were being put in place. As we were beginning to get used to our “new normal,” I was thinking that the translation project would be on hold for a while.
However, a few weeks later an email arrived from Pastor Alexander in Ukraine. Buried in the middle of his note was a reference to our Translator, Katja, and mentioned that the shut-down had affected her work severely. Hmmm. Ok, Jesus, what are you up to here? An excellent translator, who knows the material just happens to have an open schedule and is in need of income. Could it be that simple? You bet! It was if Jesus was saying, “I’ve got this covered. Just watch and respond!”
So, what’s Jesus been up to around you?
What’s He showing you?
How’s He messing with you?
Who’s He bringing across your path?
And how will you respond?