When a Challenge Becomes a Spiritual Discipline
Poland
Imagine being uprooted from your home, family members, friends, school — everything you know — by war. It’s hard for us to fathom here in the United States. But this happens all too often in other parts of the world.
What would you do? Where would you go? To what or whom would you turn? For sisters Vika and Anya, they turned to the Lord.
Uprooted by war, sisters Vika and Anya have found lasting hope and peace in God’s Word.
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the elementary school-age sisters were forced to leave their home in Ukraine to seek asylum in Poland. Now, they are part of one of two Awana clubs in the country.
Awana clubs offer kids a place to belong and build friendships as they adjust to life in a new country.
Recently, Vika and Anya’s club held a special challenge: Leaders encouraged each child to read a passage of Scripture every day, meditate on what they read and share it with others. Vika and Anya didn’t hesitate. They accepted the challenge immediately, showed great persistence in their endeavors and received their rewards upon completion.
But the story doesn’t end there. As Hebrews 4:12 tells us, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Through their Awana challenge, God’s Word had poignantly pierced Vika and Anya’s hearts. They began to understand that the Gospel can provide peace, joy and hope that they can’t find anywhere else in a difficult, dangerous world.
Through the teaching of God’s Word, Awana leaders in Poland help children build lasting faith.
Today, Vika and Anya still open the Bible every day at home — not as part of a challenge, but as an ongoing discipline to grow in their young faith as they and their parents reflect upon the transformative truths of God’s Word. In the midst of life upheaval that few can imagine, when all other lights appeared to dim, these brave young ladies found hope in the glorious light of Scripture.
Stories like this are possible because of your generous support of Awana. The resources you share help us bring the hope of the Gospel to a dark world, where families and children often bear the brunt of war and tragedy.
Thank you for being part of the heart of Awana to form lasting faith in every child.
