In the 1930’s, the basement of Kiev’s National Concert Hall (formerly known as October Palace) was used by the Nazi occupation force as a torture chamber for Christians they had rounded up from throughout the city. Now, 75 years later, on October 15, 2005, just one floor above that basement, nearly 2,500 Christians gathered in the building’s main auditorium, to victoriously lift up the name of Jesus boldly, courageously – legally. Just Give Me Jesus Kiev was a glorious day of seeing Jesus reign as Lord of His Church in the Ukraine.

It was also a beautiful vision of Him as our personal Lord – meeting each Ukrainian woman in a way that spoke to her heart. With this being the first Just Give Me Jesus to be held in a former Soviet republic, this Saturday event was also a historic moment in Ukrainian Christian history. It was the first-ever all women’s meeting of its kind. As is the case in Ukrainian culture, it is most common for women to be assisting men in their meetings. Or, if they attend, to go in the company of their husband or father.

What a joy it was to watch women, representing every single one of the Ukraine’s 25 geographic regions, pour through the auditorium doors – free of charge – to have an entire day devoted to showing them Jesus through teaching, worship and learning how to read His Word for themselves. The Ukrainian sisters were joined by women who traveled dozens of hours from neighboring countries – Moldova, Belarus, Russia and beyond.

We thank the Lord for all the ways He blessed those on the program platform – giving focus and unity of Spirit to Anne and her Russian translator, Oksana Khimich. And, for how He blended our Russian-speaking, American worship leader, Deneen Turner, with her Ukrainian back-up musicians. The signature simplicity that is the Just Give Me Jesus program, was preserved while accommodating the cultural distinctions of the Ukraine. To hear Deneen’s solo rendition of the spiritual, Give Me Jesus, using Fernando’s arrangement, but sung in Russian, was a remarkable moment of sensing God’s universality.

Throughout the day, it became clear, Anne’s messages from God’s Word are also universally applicable– the recount of Jesus’ suffering for our sake; the encounter He had with Mary Magdalene; the honor we have in bearing “nails” in our lives to draw us closer to Him; and that even those who have “little resources” must give it all to the Lord trusting Him to bless their obedience.

Throughout the messages, the sound of crying was evidence that Jesus was speaking into women’s hearts – heavy hearts that bear great burdens in a society marked by its past and present suffering. We have learned since, in testimonies shared, of the “nails” that were given to the Lord at day’s end….release of guilt from past abortions…submission to a life being lived in poverty…suffering from physical ailments…each woman, waving her flag in genuine surrender, was a testimony to a life changed.

One highlight of the day, a way the Lord gave the women hope within their difficult circumstances, was how He unleashed joy in their hearts through the Bible Study Workshop session. Warned, upon arrival, that Anne’s Bible study workshop “won’t work” in Kiev because women don’t read their Bibles, Anne was undaunted in conducting it as planned. The women not only opened their Bibles, they devoured the workshop content, came alive in their small groups and clamored for the microphones to get to share what the Lord had shown them in the Luke passage. At the end of the day, Hanna, an older woman who traveled to the revival from Russia, exclaimed, "Our pastors always tell us to study the Bible but they never tell us how. Now we know how! It was so practical for us!"

As they left the hall, many women were ready to “go and tell” as Anne had challenged them. And, they were already able to reflect on all they had experienced during their day at the Concert Hall. Here are just a few of the comments.

Sveta (a young woman from Irpin, Ukraine) - "I wanted to take notes but every time I went to write I couldn't because the tears were streaming down my cheeks."

Anna (from Lviv) - "We heard Anne's emotion and heart for women even through the translator. She was one of us."

Tanya - "Anne spoke not only to my head but to my heart. My heart is changed - I feel different. We wanted more. All her words go right to our hearts."

Valentina – Russia “We never hear these words in our churches. She speaks to our hearts. Our hearts are touched. This is what we need.”

Oksana – “I have known Jesus for 15 years. But, until today, I had never cried for His suffering.”

Vanessa – “What Anne said about Mary Magdalene and forgiving ourselves touched me deeply. I will do the Bible study technique every day and I will hold the Bible study in my church for all the women! I will share Jesus more and more!”

Please continue with us in prayer for our sisters that attended:
• Pray protection for all those who stood to accept Christ as their personal Savior.
• Pray that those who stood to recommit their lives will find their source of strength in reading and studying God’s Word every day.
• Pray that the 500 sets of DVDs with Anne’s Vision of His Glory Bible study series, translated into Russian, will be put to use in the churches throughout the Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Russia, so thousands more than could attend in Kiev can learn the inductive Bible study method, and begin to hear God speak, personally, through His Word.
• Pray the Lord will find pleasure with His Church, beginning with these women, that He will hear their prayers and heal their land and deliver hope to each Ukranian.