JACKSON RESIDENTS BRING MESSAGE OF HOPE TO THE UKRAINE

Julie Brothers, of Jackson (right) and Debbie McCulley, of Cape Girardeau (center) are at an orphanage for mentally handicapped children in Vinnitsa.

Ben Crass, of Jackson, poses outside his hotel in Vinnitsa with Pastor Peter, pastor of the church there that is supported by Gary Brothers.

Dianna Ostapenko, of Seattle, Wash., is pictured here at an orphanage for kids ages 4-10. She was one of the missionaries on the trip to Vinnitsa.

World War II tanks are on display outside of Kiev at a World War II museum. They have flowers and butterflies painted on them and they are tied together with heavy rope to symbolize peace.

Pastor Gary Brothers, Julie Brothers (Gary's daughter), and Ben Crass all of Jackson went on a mission to the Ukraine.

The trip was sponsored by the First Assembly of God in Cape Girardeau. Rose Brothers (Gary's wife) and Debbie McCulley of Cape Girardeau also went on the trip.

They went with a group of 22 from June 10-19. Their destination was Vinnitsa in the Ukraine. It is 220 kilometers from Kiev, according to Gary Brothers.

The group had people from Kentucky, Washington, Massachusetts, and the Ukraine.

Julie Brothers and Crass performed street ministries, visited orphanages, and passed out invitations to the crusade, which was nightly church services.

They also passed out copies of a book translated to Russian, written by Gary Brothers. The book was about what it is to be a true Christian.

The group passed out more than 10,000 copies of the book that was printed in Rivena, Ukraine, Gary Brothers said.

Julie Brothers said that the street ministries attracted crowds of people that stopped and listened for awhile.

Gary Brothers visits the Ukraine about every six months. This was his fifth time in the country.

This was the first time for Julie Brothers and Crass to visit. They both said that they would like to go back sometime.

The services had a very good response, according to Gary Brothers.

Since the fall of Communism, there have been a lot of people to come over and do mission work.

Some people were scared to respond to the missionaries because of memories of what happened to Christians in the former Soviet Union, Julie Brothers said.

"Some people we met were persecuted for being Christian. We met someone who's grandmother was sent to a work camp in Siberia for owning a Bible," Julie Brothers said.

The group came to work with a church in Vinnitsa that is supported by Gary Brothers.

The church in Vinnitsa rents out a movie theater for church services. The crusade held services in the theater, an amphitheater, and had a baptismal service at a lake, according to Crass and Julie Brothers.

Gary Brothers said that the Ukraine is a country with little hope on the faces of its people. He added that the Communists are still in power, they have just changed their names.

The leaders are trying to destroy Capitalism in any way they can. The economy hasn't stabilized, in fact, it has gotten worse since Gary Brothers first came there in 1993.

In 1993, the exchange rate was 2500 coupons (Ukraine currency) to one U.S. dollar. On this trip, the exchange rate was 181,000 coupons per dollar and prices also have increased.

The country has no constitution, hyperinflation, and there are 31 registered political groups, according to Gary Brothers.

Teachers were on strike up until just before this mission trip was taken. Gary Brothers said that they tried to pay the teachers with vodka.

They were also there during the Russian election. Julie Brothers said that most people didn't care about the election they only cared about where their next meal was coming from.

Despite all of the despair, the missionaries brought hope to the people.

Crass said that they visited three orphanages while they were there. One child asked if Crass would give him something to remember him by. Crass gave the child a pen.

The children were very happy to see them, according to Julie Brothers.

Because of the terrible economic conditions, some orphans starve to death when food supplies get low and workers at the orphanages bring the food home to their families instead of feeding the orphans, Julie Brothers said.

A lot of the children in orphanages are there because their parents could no longer afford to feed them.

Gary Brothers said that they had a great crusade. "More than 3000 people came to the Lord. The church there has a membership of 300 people. We made some extremely good contacts, and the mayor was receptive to us."

"On Sunday morning, on a lake. There were 2500 people present for a baptismal," Gary Brothers said.

Gary Brothers went on to say, "there was an elderly man in the crowd that pulled out a billfold and pulled out two black and white photos of two people standing in front of an American 6X6 truck from World War II."

The old man told Brothers, "I came today because I was told I would see Americans there. I haven't had hope since the war. Now, I have hope." Gary Brothers said, "he accepted Jesus and he now had hope."

Gary Brothers said, "As long as the Communists are still there causing corruption, the government will never get off its feet...They need a government for the people and by the people."

While there are increasing problems in the former Soviet Union, the people are still receptive to Americans and are just like us, they want a better life, according to Gary Brothers.

Crass said he wants to go back next summer. Julie Brothers also said she wants to go back. Gary Brothers said that with every visit, from a religious standpoint things are going great. Since 1993, the number of churches has grown from 200 to 1000.