I have been fortunate enough to get to serve in Moldova this week some really great friends. To make it even better, I’ve also gotten to be here in Eastern Europe with my amazing sister, Helen. Here’s a photo taken from our city tour today of the old Soviet Tanks. I’m not sure we were supposed to do that… but we did.
Today, I asked her to guest post a snippet of her thoughts here in my corner of the interwebs… and she chose to talk about a couple of amazing men we’ve gotten the privilege to work alongside. Without further adieu… “I Need A Hero” by Helen Wong Taylor.
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Serge and Peter exude confidence. They are young, smart, funny, and good-looking. They are men’s men. And they spend their days modeling exemplary behavior to the youth of Moldova. Together, Serge and Peter teach at 19 of the 40 Russian public schools in Chisinau; they are positive male influences in a female-dominated educational system. Making small-talk with Serge three days ago, I asked him how long he had worked for Beginning of Life (BOL) as a prevention trainer. He responded, “Three years–it is good for me to do what I am passionate about.” Love that.
Three times a week, with the permission of the Ministry of Education, Serge and Peter go into schools to teach about domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and other societal problems. More important than telling students what they shouldn’t do is modeling what they should do. Serge and Peter place equal emphasis on empowering students to respect themselves, respect each other, and work hard to pursue their dreams.
Their intentionality has made a huge impact.
Hopeless teens have realized that suicide is not the only option, girls have empowered their mothers to seek help in abusive situations, and boys are stating that their pride in life will come from being good husbands and fathers. This did not happen overnight. BOL has been in schools for over 10 years now. These youth look up to Serge and Peter–they are heroes.
What would our world look like if each person intentionally pursued something for God’s Kingdom for 10 years or more? This world needs heroes…
I love how you challenge people to dedicate themselves something bigger than they are and to become a hero. We have been discussing similar challenges in the newest community for the faithful, http://community.bibleseries.tv – we’d love to hear some of your input into our discussions.