Ukraine Appeal - Getting to Know Our Partners - Oleg and Lena
Meet our partners: Oleg and Lena Vasilevsky
“I want to be like you.”
Before Putin’s massive invasion of Ukraine, I was pleased to know Oleg and Lena Vasilevsky. I have always been inspired by their passion for the Lord, the young people of Ukraine, and their commitment to transforming culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1994 they gave birth to Radooga Ministry which seeks to transform Ukraine from the grassroots, beginning with the next generation. Channel 5 in Nashville, TN featured their story as part of their series detailing The Outreach Foundation’s war relief efforts. Click HERE and HERE to view two segments from the series. Let’s get to know these terrific partners!
Oleg and Lena live in Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv. They met soon after they turned their lives to Jesus at a Christian conference. It only took Oleg a few days to propose and two years later they were married! Their convictions about the importance of youth ministry came about while Oleg was a summer camp counselor in Virginia. He brought the model back to Ukraine, where he and Lena started the first Radooga camp.
Oleg and Lena have two sons and one daughter, and they refer to them as their best teachers. Oleksii, 26, is a natural born leader. He majored in International Business Management, worked in real estate before the war, stayed in Kyiv defending it during the war, and is highly involved in humanitarian aid now. Elijah, 22, is a talented musician, studying at the Arts Academy, and helps in the Radooga’s “Radobot camps.” He and his fiancé were planning to get married in early June. Anya, 19, earned a scholarship to study at Kennesaw State University near Atlanta. A month ago she was elected president of the Honors College program.
What is Radooga? Radooga is a comprehensive children and youth ministry in Ukraine. Their vision is to make Ukraine a better place by reaching and shaping Ukraine’s future servant leaders. They have a fully accredited online school (2020), experiential camps, and clubs. Their work includes evangelistic camps for orphans and children who come from the least advantaged families in Ukraine. What is somewhat unique about Radooga is that they also serve children and youth from families of means and influence because most likely these youth will be the next generation of Ukraine’s leaders.
Since its inception in 1994, Radooga has served over 23,000 children who attended 230 camps. They have contributed to the training of nearly 6,000 youth leaders who went on to university and beyond into industry, education, business, and politics as leaders. The online school expanded to nearly 11,000 online students during the war. For more information use this link: https://www.facebook.com/radoogacom.
The women on the team evacuated to Valencia, Spain while the men and boys remained in Ukraine. In Ukraine, Radooga is able to hold “Radobot” camps, which teach orphans and disadvantaged youth basic engineering and programming skills they would normally never learn. Some of the pictures here show how much fun these children and youth are having even in the midst of war. In addition to all this, Radooga is part of the massive humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine providing food, solar-powered generators, and clothing to thousands.
Oleg and Lena want us to realize that this war is not new. It has been going on since 2014 when Russia invaded the eastern part of Ukraine and Crimea. Since that time, they have been on the edge, knowing a larger war could break out at any time. So, they were ready when they woke up one day at 5:19 a.m. to bombing in Kyiv. They immediately evacuated the Radooga ministry team in what turned out to be a nearly 36-hour drive to the border. It was “a nightmare. It was unimaginable to believe this barbaric war could break out in Europe in the 21st century, everybody would be watching it, but would be unable to stop it.”
Still, they see God’s hand at work. Lena writes, “Someone said there are no unbelievers in war. If you could understand Ukrainian, you would hear people from the president to pop stars refer to God in their speeches. While I hope their calls are sincere, I can testify by sharing a story that happened on our team. Two weeks before the war began, we hired a new marketing coordinator. She was a non-believer on our team of believers and she and her daughter joined us in our evacuation. During the next month, she watched us deal with the harsh reality with God, praying, finding hope in the Scripture, supporting each other, and going to the church in Warsaw that hosted us when the war broke out. God was working in her heart, and she said: ‘I want to be like you.’ She gave her life to Jesus. Many of my Christian friends are ministering to people in extreme need. I hope there are many stories of ‘I want to be like you’ as a result of our practical ministry in the midst of this horror.”
Thank you to Oleg and Lena for helping The Outreach Foundation put a personal face on this war. We are leading a team of 12 to visit our war relief partners June 8-17, and we will be visiting Lena and her team in person. For details please see our trip flyer HERE.
Your gifts to The Outreach Foundation are making a difference! You are helping Oleg and Lena provide education, humanitarian relief, and sustaining their team for their ministry. Thank you for your generosity . To continue your giving, please click HERE.
Rev. Dr. Thomas J. Boone, Associate Director for Mission