In the deep days of autumn, when nearly all of the leaves have fallen and the morning frost whispers about the coming of winter, each new day is a transition into change. My time in Ukraine has been marked with many transitions, not only for Mission to Ukraine but for my own life as well. And last Friday, in Romaniv, we embarked upon a different type transition - one that I hope will echo deep into the heart of Romaniv and resonate into the life of each boy.
Since Ukrainian law officially classifies children with disabilities as "unteachable", charitable organizations, such as Mission to Ukraine, are their only hope of learning and growing. In fact, before MTU started visiting Romaniv, the boys lived no better than animals. Now, after three years of faithfully teaching the boys basic developmental knowledge and key biblical truths, MTU is stepping into a new role: teaching the boys functional, practical skills for every day living.
Not only is this a new concept for Romaniv, but it will be a new method of teaching for MTU. While the bible groups with the other large groups of boys will continue, MTU will now lead functional lessons with a small group of six boys for a trial program. By downsizing the number of boys in the lesson, more concentrated attention can be focused, thus fostering a more effective learning experience.
Last Friday we held our first session with the small group. It was amazing to see how well the boys responded to the lesson. Their eagerness and excitement was simply electrifying. It was as if they knew they were special - destined for something bigger. At one point during the lesson we gave each of them a mirror to look at themselves. One by one, as the boys held up the mirror to look at a reflection that they seldom (if ever) see, I watched as captivation and wonderment set fire in their eyes.
Since that day, I have been thinking a lot about reflections. It's simply amazing how a mirror can take light and bend it in such a way to produce an exact replica of something, preserving the quality of the original image. I think in a lot of ways our hearts serve the same purpose. Whatever we deeply cherish in life is often reflected by our hearts, caught and perceived by the eyes of those around us. But the truth is - we are called to reflect something so much more. We are called to reflect the light of Christ and shine His very likeness into the darkness of the world.
Watching those boys look at their own reflections in the mirror, I am forced to ask myself the question: "What is my heart reflecting?"
