A Love Story but Not a Romance
From Shakespeare to Spielberg, romance sells! Love does more than that. One of Gospelink’s Field Directors, recounts the story....
I met Nikolai Zholovan in 2003. The images of the Ukrainian city of Zaparozhoe impressed my mind like the debut of a play. It was indeed my first time to visit Ukraine, and the opening scene, Act 1 as it were for Gospelink, occurred in a small church basement as Pavel Petrovich introduced us to a dozen national preachers. These evangelical men were time-tested followers of Christ though most were veterans of Communist persecutions. Their expressions were subdued and guarded; the Soviet had taught everyone to be stoic. These preachers were men of the Word, but they bought their rye bread with money made by hands rough from laying bricks, driving trucks, and mechanical repairs.
Anatoly Lalenko owned not a white tooth—they were all brass. Alexander Isaiev spoke little, gaining respect from silence and age rather than wit and verbosity. Nikolai Zholovan showed no airs of arrogance nor ecstasy of anticipation. He sat with his comrades, calm and listening. We explained our desire to aid them in the spread of the gospel in their country and stated that God had many in America who desired to help them reach their people. These men were already working for the Lord, they were not dependent on funds from abroad to serve the Lord of the harvest, but if the Lord was indeed opening such a door, they would thank Him for it!
I met Judy in 2003 as well—also in a church building. This building was situated in northern Virginia, within potential walking distance of our nation’s capital. The padded pews and air conditioning surely lay in contrast to that of the church in Zaparozhoe. On my person I carried profiles of our recently approved Ukrainian national preachers. After repeating our Lord’s cry for laborers in His harvest and our great privilege to be partakers in Jesus’ Great Commission, I talked to individuals about sponsoring a national preacher. Judy read Nikolai’s testimony, then told me that she wanted to be his sponsor.
Though not romantic, the story of Nikolai and Judy is a true love story. The object of their love is the Lord Jesus. Judy gives money and reads Nikolai’s letters simply because they both love Jesus. Nikolai works hard and though he has aged since 2003, he continues to teach Bible studies in the villages and help with children’s camps in the summer. His endeavors are not executed to impress an American lady; he loves Jesus. Judy has never visited Zaparozhoe, but she has photos of those touched through their joined ministry. Judy writes to Nikolai and in turn reads his quarterly reports. She prays for his labors. She continues to be his sole supporter. God must have envisioned such a relationship when he commanded the Philippians to "be ye like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord."
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