Each year a two-week mission tour is conducted to Ukraine. The tours normally occur the last two weeks of June. Purpose of the tour is to provide medical and spiritual assistance to the poor and needy and to train and empower nationals to develop the Samaritan spirit of caring for their own people.

Location

The mission takes place in selected villages in the region of Zhitomir, approximately 70 miles SW of Kiev. They are normally conducted in those villages where Good Samaritan Ministries already has an established center and director.

Format

The mission centers around such much-needed medical personnel as doctors, dentists, pediatricians and optometrists. These people are surrounded by a group of people who provide spiritual support in the form of prayer, teaching, evangelism, training, story-telling, sports activities and other ministries as needed. The needs and opportunities for encouragement and hope are endless.

In addition, opportunity is given for a one-day cultural enhancement activity in Kiev upon arrival and interaction with nationals in their churches and homes. For those who have their roots in the immediate area, this provides for a natural opportunity to see where their forefathers lived or where they are buried and/or to extend their trip to do genealogical research and make a stopover in Europe.

Affiliation

The tours are conducted under the auspices and affiliation of Good Samaritan Ministries in Beaverton, Oregon, Bettie P. Mitchell, founder and international executive director. Good Samaritan Ministries was founded in 1979 for the singular purpose of training people to develop the Good Samaritan spirit as modeled in the biblical account in Luke 10:25-37. Good Samaritan Ministries is currently located in twenty-five countries of the world, including Ukraine. The work in Ukraine began in 1993 on the third floor of the Zhitomir Hotel. We now have eight centers and directors and a support staff of approximately 40 Samaritans, including two First Aid Centers, staffed by two doctors who work at the clinics several day a week. Galina Bidenko serves as national director of GSM.

Qualifications

1. A sincere and passionate desire to minister to others.
2. An active member of a local church.
3. Ability and willingness to submit to a team leader, have a team spirit and a positive attitude.
4. Be in good health. You will be required to minister long hours, eat what's put before you and withstand the rigors of a Third World culture. No one under 15 years of age will be considered unless accompanied by a parent and approved by the tour leader.
5. Pay your own way. It may be possible to receive financial assistance from your church and/or to receive a charitable tax deduction from the Government, which can substantially reduce the total cost.
6. You must have a valid passport with an expiration date of not less than six months before departure as well as a visa.

Costs

The total cost is approximately $1,400-$1,600 US dollars depending on the point of departure, plus passport and visa costs. Airfare from Portland or Chicago to Kiev normally runs about $1,000 - $1,200. In addition, a reservation/application fee of $200., (used for transportation and interpreter costs), and another $200. for food and lodging, amount to an additional $400. This does not include personal expenditures while on tour. Obviously, because of the exchange rate, the cost for Canadians is higher than that for Americans.

Every effort is made to keep the costs down. For example, instead of staying in the Zhitomir Hotel which costs approximately $100./day, plus around $25./day for food, tour members stay in our national training center for roughly $15./day for both food and lodging. Each mission team is normally limited to ten to twelve persons. Interested persons hoping to be included should make an initial inquiry no later than September of the previous year as the tour tends to fill up rather quickly. Dentists are especially in short supply, if non-existent in most Ukrainian villages.

For more information, you may contact me in any one of the following ways:

Donald N. Miller
12814 NW Bishop Road
Hillsboro, OR 97124

Telephone: 1 (503) 647-5858
E-mail: dnmiller@whiz.to