Texts From the Ukraine

Hey, welcome, A Self Talk. This is your host, Dr. Ray Self. This is the show where we talk about some tough issues, but give you some real answers with the help of the Holy Spirit. Today's show is, is unique. You know, as I'm recording this show, one of my very best friends has gone to the Ukraine, not on the border of the Ukraine, but he has got into a vehicle and driven with help of another pastor.

Over 17 hours into the war zone where the fighting is occurring; to be a help, to be, do, things that are just absolutely courageous. And as he's over there, I'm receiving texts from him and also from some other pastors. Right in the middle of all the suffering, giving God glory. So this show is called Texts from the Ukraine. It's gonna be very interesting and a little different.

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[Intro plays]

Hey, welcome to Self Talk. So today I wanna do something a little bit different. I wanna tell you a story and read you some very interesting texts. I have a very close friend in a town called Amite, Louisiana. Sometimes they call it Amite city, not much of a city, and his name is Mervin Strother. He is a pastor of Cornerstone Church in Amite.

I've been blessed to preach at that church multiple times now. I live in Winter Park, Florida, and some of you may know. Um, it's an amazing church. It's an amazing story behind that church, and I'm not gonna get into that, but it's a spirit filled church that's, uh, just full of loving people, preaches the word of God.

They actually have another campus in a town called Franklinton. Well, the Pastor Mervin Strother, um, has an interesting history.

Some years ago, he took a mission trip to Russia. And he signed up for a 30 day mission trip to Russia. He ended up, I think he was in his young twenties when he did this. He ended up staying 14 years in Russia. Fell in love with the Russian people. Planted churches, did incredible missionary work. Met a beautiful young architect named Dasha. Dasa is just a, a beautiful, young, petite Russian woman, very intelligent, full of energy.

They fell in love and they started having three chil- they had three children over a 14 year period, maybe four. I'm not quite sure. I get 'em mixed up sometimes. But anyway, um, that could be five. I think they either got four or five. Their children are, you know, they're all back in Louisiana now, but they lived in Russia. Uh, they had a heart for Russia. While Mervin was there, he learned the Russian language, the Russian culture, and just fell in love with the people.

They lived in a high rise apartment, like so many people do, multiple high rise apartments like so many people do. He lived a pretty, you know, hard life. But again, fell in love with the people working for the Lord. Well, he gets called back to the United States and, and, um, he's given a job to pastor this church in Amite, Louisiana. He comes back with his wife, Dasha and his children.

So Mervin and I have been friends for a while. He's, he's a great guy. Teacher of the word loves to play golf. Now he's not really good at golf, but he loves to play golf so whenever I go to Louisiana, I bring my golf clubs and we play a lot of golf and we preach a lot of word.

But the point of this is Mervin also, and his beautiful wife, Dasha, to me, are two of the most courageous people that I know. They love the Russian people and when it comes to the Ukraine, they see the Ukrainians and the Russians as brothers and sisters related. Now it's a separate country. Ukraine is the largest country outside of Russia in, in Europe that you know, uh, was it Eastern Europe, I believe. And they love the people. They, they just love the people.

So now as I'm talking, Mervin and, uh, his wife, Dasha and another friend of mine, Keith Tusi, are in the Ukraine. They fly into Romania and they meet up with pastors and relief workers in Romania helping people who are a hip on the refugees, tremendously sad stories of what's happening in the Ukraine and with the refugees and stories of a, of a man bringing his family to the Romanian border, his wife and his kids, and he drops 'em off at the border and literally kisses 'em goodbye and goes back to fight the Russians. And it's been a, a terrific, horrible, horrible story of humans suffering.

But the point of this is Mervin right now, and I believe Dasha is with him, not only they fly to the border of Romania, but they, they got into a cargo van. Now, a cargo van is a very indescript type vehicle, and this van is full of food and supplies. And they are driving 17 hours across Ukraine to the other side of the country where the fighting is, where the suffering is the greatest. And they're carrying all kinds of stuff that, that people, that people need.

Uh, They have to drive a van because if they were in a truck, it would be a target for the Russians. The Russians would probably attack it. So they're trying to be, you know, not so noticeable; amazed by his courage. I'm amazed. I mean, how many people will have the courage?

Now I've done mission trips, I've done mission trips to places like Guatemala, I've gone to, um, Indonesia, Spain, but I was not where rockets were flying over, where bombs were exploding. Where, where people are, uh, you know, air raid sirens are going off. So to me, my hat's off to Mervin and I'm just absolutely amazed by his. By his courage and the fact that that he would do it.

But I think what I'm trying to get across in this podcast, for some reason, this has really hit home with me. This has touched my heart because I know my friend is there and I know he's seeing things that I can't even imagine.

He's putting his life at risk just to help pastors and Christians and anybody who is actually being victimized by this horrible, unjust war. He told me something really interesting. He said, I'm here to support the Ukrainian people to do what I can to help them, but he said I would do the same thing for the Russian people if they were being attacked.

He said, It's all about people. It's not about politics. It's not about right or wrong. It's about people who are suffering and churches and pastors who are suffering, who need our help. So, this is what really touched my heart. I wanna read you some texts. He sent me, uh, a series of texts, just, uh, I guess it was last night.

And part of the text is from him, but he also sent me texts from other pastors; Ukrainian pastors who were there. And I want to read these texts and I don't know why, but this is just really touching my heart. I know there's a lot of suffering in the world. There's a lot of people who have need, but for some reason, I guess it's because my best friend is over there and he's right in the midst of it and his wife, that this is really touching me.

So let me read these, these texts to you. Maybe they'll, it'll touch your heart. I don't know why this has impacted me so much, but it, but it really has. Here's the text from, from Mervin: "It's 1:30 in the morning. I had jet lag. I can't sleep." These are stories we are hearing from pastors that are heartbreaking.

Now, here's a text from a Ukrainian pastor: "we had 900 people in our church. Now we have 200. All the young people have left the country. We're trying to understand them and not condemn them, but it's hard. You've heard of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. We have weeping pastors in the Ukraine."

Here's another text from a, from a pastor, a Ukrainian pastor: "my city Mikaliev",I may have mispronounced that. M I K A L I E V, "was a beautiful city, but not anymore. We are shelled every day. We've been without electricity for six months."

You imagine living in a city that's being shelled every day? Here's another pastor, a text from another Ukrainian pastor: "when the Russians started bombing us, they cut off our water supply and they wouldn't let us fix it. Our city of 500,000 hasn't had water for two months." So the Russians cut off the water supply to the city of civilians and will not allow them to fix it.

Now I believe this, this text is from Mervin himself: "it's hard to explain what we're experiencing here. I feel like I'm a part of history. Something special is happening. We're gathering in a small mountain town in a small hotel with delegations from five regions of the Ukraine and Romania. They're sharing their stories, gut-wrenching stories of incredible pain and loss. As well of stories of victory, joy, and God moving. It's like a spiritual war council of people coming in from the front lines for R and R, testimonies and strategic planning."

Then Mervin proceeded to text: "I don't know if this is making the news, but right now there's pandamonium in Russia." Now, remember, Mervin has a heart for Russia as well. "Putin has implemented a partial mobilization of reserves and he is drafting 300,000 people for the war in Ukraine. Protests are breaking out all over Russia.

A couple of thousand people were arrested last night. A couple of draft offices, whatever they're called, have been set on fire in two different Russian cities. All flights leaving Russia, which only go to Turkey or Belgrade due to sanctions, are totally sold out, have increased in price 10 fold. People are trying to flee Russia like crazy, including some of the pastors of our churches there. They said they do not wanna become cannon fodder for Putin. It is just crazy."

I don't know why this text hit me so hard, but maybe knowing that one of my best friends is over there, meeting with pastors, trying to help them, trying to understand them, trying to pray with them; help them through their suffering.

You know, um, I, when you have a situation like this where millions of people are suffering, sometimes all you can do is maybe help one person or two people, or three people. But whatever you do, you know, it's, it, it's beneficial. Some people will say, Well, why is God allowing this? I don't believe war is, is God's will.

I don't believe everything that happens is God's will. I mean, that's crazy. This is men. This is flesh. This is sin. You know, God gave us a free will. He gave us an ability to choose love, to choose life to choose him. He also gave us the ability to reject him. He gave us a free will, and some people have freely rejected God.

And this is demonic. This is evil. This is satanic, I mean, and then so many lies and deception, which makes it even more complicated. Of course, we have that going on in our country too. Uh, maybe the pastor who texted our city's been without water for two months. They won't let us turn the water back on. The Russians are, the other city has been without electricity. Um, we're being shelled every day.

Can you imagine you're sitting in a city and you never know where the next explosion is going to be? There are explosions all over your city. You don't know if that shell's gonna hit your home or hit the hit, the, you know, I'm not, I'm not making an appeal here for anything. I just, I'm just being real.

This has just touched my heart and I wanna pray and maybe if you're listening with me, you'll pray with me. Heavenly Father, Father, I just pray for your mercy, your intervention in this terrible war. Father, just ask you to stop this war. Father, help those that are suffering. Father convict the, the Russians of their evil Father open up their eyes to the evil they're doing.

Father, Father I ask you to bring peace, heal the broken hearted. Set at liberty, those that are captive. Father, we lift up our brothers, our sisters, these pastors, these Christians in Ukraine; the people of Ukraine who are suffering needlessly, Father, Lord, have mercy on them. Lord, help them. Lord, forgive us for this evil world.

Father, show us our part, what you would have us do as Christian's Father. But Lord, I pray for the, the people of the Ukraine Father helped them Father, heal them, restore them. I thank you, Father for the stories of your glory in the midst of everything Father. And Lord, we just give you praise and honor and I thank you for each person listening to this podcast ask that you would bless them and their family. Give them the desires of their heart, all for the glory of your kingdom, in Jesus name.

So this is basically what I want to talk about today. I don't know, folks, it just, those texts hit me kinda hard. And maybe they hit you. I'm not asking for anything. There is a, you know, if, if you want to give, um, I'm part of a network. I'm related to a network called the called the NRP it's the Network of Related Pastors, now they have a fund. As a matter of fact, these two friends of mine who are in Ukraine are part of this network and they are taking funds and supplies that our network has purchased to the Ukraine. But you can go to nrpastors/ukraine if you want to donate, you know, to help.

That's one thing you, you can do. And I think the most important thing for us to pray, and Lord, I pray for, and, and while I'm thinking about it, I pray for Mervin and Dasha and Keith that you would keep them safe. You put a hedge of protection about them and bring my friends back, Bring them back safe Father in Jesus name.

And so a serious podcast today, I told you that, you know, in my show we going to talk about tough issues. I tell you what, what's going on in the, in the Ukraine is about as tough as it gets. So that's what I wanted to talk about today. Maybe this touched your heart. Maybe it gives you a realization of how dangerous it is.

People are suffering. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering. They need our prayers. They need our help. And I thank you for listening this. This means a lot to me. I'm just, this is what's on my heart today and I wanted to share it with you. Thank you so much. This is Dr. Ray Self.

[Outro plays]

Thank you for listening to today's episode of Self-Talk with Dr. Ray Self. This is Dr. Ray Self. Uh, I thank everyone who listens to the show. I pray for you. I pray the blessings of God on you. I pray for a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit to fall on each person listening to this podcast. This is a very special effort.

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Anyway, that's all the announcements. My main thing is thank you so much for being a part of this. Um, it means a lot to me and um, I know that I think this show is helping a lot of people, and that's really what it's about. I'm trying to look at hard stuff and let's give some real solid biblical Holy Spirit led answers that that's what we're trying to do in this show.

Thanks again for being a part of Self Talk with Dr. Ray Self.