Newspaper Page Text
December 31, 2008 g l^CpOrtCT PAGE 5B
Teacher on a mission
A love for children drives Monroe Academy’s Monta Rae Purser to reach out to Ukraine’s youngest
M bnroe Academy art
teacher, Monta
Rae Purser really
enjoys her job. “I
have the best
job in the world! I get to be
around children, teach ab
stractly and make proj
ects and actually
get paid for it,”
says Purser.
The love of
teaching
children
has been a
life long
passion.
She has
taught at
her church
ever since
she was a
child
herself.
She has
been a senior girls counselor at two differ
ent church camps every summer for over
20 years. So it only seems natural for her
passion for children’s ministry to spread
beyond the classroom and home front.
Since 2003, Purser has become actively
involved in missions overseas. She has
recently returned from her fourth medical
and ministerial mission in Ukraine. She
worked with children in various orphan
ages and schools throughout the south
eastern villages of Ukraine by bringing
Christian literature, games and lessons.
Many of the children were victims of
poverty, abandonment and abuse. Purser
brought many other supplies such as
toothbrushes, toothpaste, and vitamins to
help aid the children because many chil
dren (especially in the public orphanages)
suffer from malnourishment and have no
access to basic hygiene supplies. Small
gifts were given to the children because in
the orphanages many children do not
have any personal belongings other than
clothing that has been donated.
Monroe Academy elementary students
and parents very generously collected
items for the orphanages a month prior to
the trip and all supplies were distributed
in the most needy institutions. Other citi
zens of Forsyth and Barnesville con
tributed items and funds as well. Glover
Stuart of the Gideons donated many stu
dent-sized bibles written in the Russian
language (eastern Ukraine’s spoken lan
guage).
It was very unclear if the Bibles would
be seized at customs. Mrs. Purser was so
excited that not only did the Bibles make
it through but they were distributed to a
public orphanage in a more remote region
to teens that would likely have treasured
these Bibles as their most valuable pos
session.
Ukraine is a former Soviet republic that
has suffered enormous oppression from
various dictators in the past. Although it
has begun to stabilize, Ukraine has
endured severe economical collapse, exces
sive governmental corruption, and reli
gious persecution in current years as well
as throughout its long and rich history.
Purser became involved in this mission
through her former pastor, Elder Pat
McCoy, who has led this outreach from its
very inception. Pastor McCoy started this
ministry when Ukraine was an infant
nation in the early 1990s. An under
ground church in Ukraine had heard
radio transmissions sent overseas
and contacted him for ministerial
assistance. After many years of
mission growth, there are
many of the original
people (Ukrainian and
American) that began
this effort that still
labor together to see
this ministry progress.
There is now a
mission house
in Donetsk,
Ukraine that
gives regular
relief to the
poor and
teaches
about the
hope of
Christ.
They have
also
built a
church at
the mission and are currently building a
medical clinic as well. All the buildings
are clustered near each other and are
truly a beacon to the community. A dedi
cated staff members (some of which were
the former underground church members
who silk-screened scripture on cloth in
secret and were arrested for their faith in
prior years) work tirelessly to facilitate all
facets of the outreach which includes
prison ministry, educational ministry, food
pantry, and medical assistance. They also
assist many other fledgling churches and
struggling orphanages. Some of the people
that receive help are alcoholics or drug
addicts. The government of Ukraine also
is working to improve conditions of their
country by rounding up street children
and placing them in orphanages, funding
the poor widows, and cleaning up the
tremendous pollution problems.
Improvements are being made to the
highways, and some facilities are being
restored. Yet, Ukraine has a long way to
go financially and spiritually.
There were 13 members of the team. Ten
were from the states and three were from
Russia. Many denominations and skills
were represented. There were doctors,
nurses, Alcoholic’s
Anonymous directors, and
translators that helped in
the various clinics set up
at village churches and at
the mission house. Also, a
pastor, lay person and a
paramedic assisted in dis
tributing, counting and
labeling medical supplies.
Mrs. Purser was the only
teacher of the group and
solely focused on chil
dren’s ministry. She
taught Bible lessons in
churches as an extension
of the clinics, spoke at
numerous schools (from
preschool to college lev
els) and visited Christian,
private and public orphan
ages all over the Donestk
region. Everyone on the
team worked from sun up
to well beyond sun down
with consistency during
the two week trip.
Approximately 1,000
patients were served med
ically. Many hundreds
more were reached through children’s
ministries and seminars for Alcoholic’s
Anonymous. Scheduling, transportation,
and housing was very graciously and effi
ciently arranged by the staff of
Ukrainians that run the mission house
throughout the year.
Mission teams from the states (and
Russia) travel twice a year to minister,
provide financial and medical assistance,
and bring in much needed supplies.
“Ukraine is such an unusual place,”
Purser said. “They have beauty mixed
with poverty, and wealth with sadness. It
is really hard to describe Ukraine. The
beautiful trees and flowers bud amongst
filth and destitution. Beautifully dressed
young women in furs and stiletto shoes
walk busily to work right beside elderly
stooping grandmothers in homemade
scarves and dresses as they pull ram
shackle wagons of potatoes. Fertile fields
and farmland are often flanked by mas
sive coal slag hills, gold topped cathedrals
stand next to gutted concrete building
hulls, and large statues overlook crum
bling bus stops and potholes in the street.
In many ways there seems to be such a
time warp. Workers uses blankets to gath
er leaves in truck beds, women sweep
streets with homemade brooms, much like
our decorative cinnamon scented broom
door hangings for Christmas, and good
bathrooms are just about impossible to
find. Heat exists but it is often in over
drive or not adequate at all. Many chil
dren still attend school in the freezing
winter months with no heat at all. Food
can be very delicious or a little suspicious.
Many soups and pastries are especially
good, but meat is fairly limited for most
Ukrainians unless they have chickens or
live near a big city. Ukraine has a world
wide reputation for excessive corruption
but is also known for hospitality. The
place is so very paradoxical. Ukraine is
wonderful and tragic in many, many ways.
I have grown to love the people of
Ukraine although sometimes I feel very
much out of my comfort zone.”
Students and parents are already asking
about next year’s trip. Purser says she
wants to return and looks forward to it,
but will only return if she feels God’s lead.
“I wouldn’t dare presume about next year.
Taking a Christian mission trip to a coun
try that is sitting in a potential position to
have duress from communistic threat is
something one should never take lightly,”
said Purser. “The mission is a wonderful
and important endeavor, but I pray about
it first. In the past, I have been threat
ened on the plane, medical supplies have
been confiscated and intentional propa
ganda against the team has been placed
in the news on television and newspaper.”
Purser says world events, such as the
recent Russian invasion of Georgia, have
shaken things up in that region. Many
speculate that Russia will try similar tac
tics in Ukraine because Ukraine now
owns port areas that the U.S.S.R. once
controlled. Also, most of the most valuable
artifacts and historical sights of Russia’s
history reside in Kiev, the capital of
Ukraine.
For now, Purser continues to work hard
at Monroe Academy with hopes of posi
tively influencing young lives at home.
She currently teaches 5K-5th grades art,
6th and 7th grade social studies, as well
as working in publicity and photography
for the school.
“Please pray for the people of Ukraine.
They have endured dictatorship and reli
gious oppression for hundreds of years,”
pleas Purser. “Their government has
improved substantially but is still fraught
with corruption. Their orphanages over
flow with abandoned children that have
been abused and neglected. The orphans
have had huge physical and emotional
trauma. Many were ‘street kids’ for years
and had to steal to survive. Widows suffer
financially and have been through so
much hardship. Poverty and pollution is
so overwhelming that even with govern
mental assistance, certain areas are still
truly shocking. The infrastructure is sur
real as well as dangerous in certain areas.
Know that America needs a lot of
improvements, but realize as a nation
that we are so very blessed.”
For more information contact Patrick
McCoy at Donetsk Ministry Incorporated
(DMI) at director@donetskministry.com.
Monta Rae Purser loves interacting with the children of Ukraine.
Monta Rae Purser forged many friendships on her trip to Ukraine.
Pastor’s Column
From Advent to New Year’s resolutions
I n advent we celebrate the reali
ty that Jesus has come and the
hope of Jesus’ coming
again. Having dedi
cated the month of
December to the birth and
return of Jesus, it is now
time to turn our attention
to the New Year. With the
New Year comes a sense of
freshness, the opportunity
to start again. We do this
by way of New
Year’s resolutions.
At First Baptist,
we have been chal
lenged to embrace
the New Year’s res
olution of becom
ing more intentional about our walk
with Christ. The five elements that
are forming our New Year’s resolution
are Scripture, Stewardship, Prayer,
Sabbath, and Sharing. These are five
essential elements of Christian Disci-
pleship.
Scripture
The ultimate purpose of
Scripture is to point us
to and build our rela
tionship with the infal
lible, inerrant Word of
God who is Jesus. On
Jan. 1, 2009, our church
is being challenged to
read through the Bible
in 90 days so that our
lives will be
flooded with
the word of
God, and we
will be
thrust
toward Jesus
our Savior and Lord.
Stewardship
Stewardship begins when we
truly realize that all that I am
and all that I have is a gift
entrusted to me by God. We are
called by God to be faithful stew
ards of His gifts, giving those
gifts away for the benefit of His
Kingdom rather than the selfish
hording of God’s gifts for our own
selfish benefit. As stewards of
God’s gifts, we understand that
eternal joy is the gift which as a
result of the giving. On Jan. 1,
2009, we are being challenged for
90 days to give 10 percent of the
money we have been entrusted
to the unified budget of God’s
church.
Prayer
Prayer is the chief discipline
because prayer puts us in com
munion with God. It is only
when we are in communion with
God that our souls are filled with
the fuel which brings us eternal
life. William Carey once wrote,
“Prayer—secret, fervent, believ
ing prayer—lies at the root of all
personal godliness.” On Jan. 1,
2009, we are being challenged for
90 days to pray at least every
morning and every night so that
we can be in communion with
the Lord of life.
Sabbath
After each day of creation God’s
commentary was, “It is good.”
The seventh day, however rather
than “good” the word used to
describe the Sabbath is “holy”.
The Sabbath is holy because the
Sabbath casts our total attention
upon the Eternal rather than the
temporary activities or the tangi
ble realities which consume us
the other six days of the week.
Said another way, the Sabbath
sheds light on and gives perspec
tive to the other six days of the
week. On Jan. 1, 2009, we are
being challenged for 90 days to
attend Sunday school and wor
ship.
Share
When the recipient of a great
gift, sharing it with others only
enhances our joy. In Jesus
Christ, God has given us the gift
of salvation and love. Love mul
tiplies in the sharing. This is
why on Jan. 1, 2009, we are
being challenged for 90 days to
invite one other person who is
un-churched, to come to church
with us.
Scripture, Stewardship, Prayer,
Sabbath, and Sharing are five
essential elements of Christian
Discipleship. Let’s let our advent
celebration lead us to a New
Year’s resolution of Christian
Discipleship.
Darrell Watson is the pastor of
First Baptist Church of Forsyth
and a member of the Monroe
County Ministerial Association,
which sponsors this weekly pas
tor column.