Children’s Day: CITA missionaries held celebrations in the regions of Ukraine

In Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia and Rivne regions, CITA missionaries organized Children’s Day activities. This year they managed to engage at least 650 children.  

Mykolaiv region

According to the missionaries of the Mykolaiv region, Children’s Day is a wonderful holiday and an opportunity to gather children once again to have a good time together!

On June 1, they invited children to a church in the city of Nova Odesa. The event brought together 16 children. The entertainment included a trampoline and games, and everyone enjoyed ice cream, cherries and strawberries.

Traditionally, there was an equally interesting part of the holiday – a themed craft. The children made a “soft heart” toy to remind them of God’s great love.

On May 31, in the village of Mykhailivka, the missionaries of the Southern Region, in cooperation with the head of the village council, organized a festive event with games, a photo zone in the national colors and treats – ice cream and croissants. The event was attended by 40 children aged 3-14 and more than 10 mothers.

The Children’s Day celebration in the village of Dilnyche brought together 45 young participants. They are all members of the children’s club that the missionaries organize every week. They ate strawberries and ice cream, jumped on trampolines, played games, and received gifts.

The missionaries say the trampolines are a special treat for the children because they can jump on them as long as they want and for free. In February, the children asked when the trampolines would be installed.

The children were delighted, their parents thanked us, and the head of the village council was touched and thanked us for the ministers’ efforts to keep children in their village. 

“Kids’ events are useful not only in times of war, because children should have a childhood. Not all children have the opportunity to pay for entertainment, while here it is free. These festivities are a great joy. They remove the age difference between adults and children, as if we were on the same level. This format makes it easy to talk about God, and children perceive everything better in a playful way. The children do not hesitate to pray with us, they are happy to learn and pass on the Bible verses with diligence,” the missionaries from New Odesa said.

Rivne region

In Rivne and two villages of the region, CITA missionaries joined the team of organizers and helped with children’s activities. During the holiday program, children received cotton candy and popcorn from the missionaries and could jump on trampolines and an inflatable slide. At least 400 children in the area attended the events.

The missionaries say that 5 kg of sugar was used for the cotton candy alone.

“I believe that children experience war in a special way. When they hear disturbing rumors from their parents, it affects their souls. Many of them have fathers in the war or killed, and some have children who are displaced. So the holiday was a comfort for them, and most importantly, they heard about Jesus,” said Hryhoriy Tyshchuk, team leader for the Western Region missionaries.

Zaporizhzhia region

CITA missionaries in Zaporizhzhia held Children’s Day events for children in three locations: in the city and in the surrounding villages.

About 40 children, from toddlers to teenagers, and 20 parents gathered in the city park.

The program included exercises and a quest with outdoor games. Each young participant received a gift. And they all had fun together, jumping on trampolines and eating popcorn.  

According to the missionaries, the children were able to take their minds off the war and received many joyful emotions and impressions.

“Thank you for organizing the retreat – in such a difficult time you make our children happy. The holiday was great, the children were very happy and the parents too, as if they were back in their childhood – these emotions are unforgettable,” said Tetiana Shcherbyna, mother of Ania, 6.

In the village of Petro-Mykhailivka, the missionaries were the only ones who were able to organize the party – according to the parents of the participating children, no one else comes to this village.

Due to some difficulties, the local authorities were also unable to organize an event for the children, limiting themselves to distributing ice cream.

For the children, the missionaries organized an exciting quest, exercises and a water make-up service where each child could choose their favorite picture. A total of 80 children between the ages of 10 and 11 attended the party.

The headmistress of the local school, Liudmyla Pylypivna, thanked us for the event and for the delicious meal of hot dogs and drinks that everyone enjoyed at the end.  

The missionaries say that the children received a lot of positive emotions, communicated with their peers, which is so lacking in the era of distance learning, made new friends and new impressions, because in times of war there are few entertainment events for children.

CITA Ministry pays a lot of attention to children’s ministry as an instrument of the Gospel: purchasing equipment, preparing and holding camps, holidays, sports grounds, and organizing Sunday schools, children’s clubs, teen and youth meetings in local churches.

CITA Ministry Press Center.