I have spoken about a friend of ours from the Ukraine many times in blogs and updates but I have never formally introduced him. Dan suggested we do a bio about him so here it is!
Kostya's real name is Constantine Tuskyonovski...or something like that. (He'll be mad I didn't post his name properly.) He is 24 and from Odessa Ukraine. Kostya has been involved with International Messengers for years as a student at their English camps in Odessa. He went through training with International Messengers the same time we did but was at their European training center. Kostya came to Uganda two days before us through International Messengers back in January of 2009. He was here for six months and then went home to fundraise again for a longer term here. We welcomed him back in December of 2009.
Kostya is the oldest of three kids and has a younger brother who is Aiden's age! He is pretty mature for his age spiritually but we like to tell him otherwise so he doesn't get too cocky! Kostya works alongside Dan on the upcoming church plant. Aside from that he teaches at the local nurses' hostel weekly. He has a core group of guys there that have been learning from him for the past year. One guy in particular has become a good friend to him and is involved in some of our ministry here as well. Kostya also has been discipling two young men every Sunday. They are sharp young guys and have recently started coming to our community group. Kostya was so proud last night when both of these young guys contributed to the discussion.
Every Wednesday, Kostya preaches the midweek sermon at Arise and Shine Worship Center. (The church we work with and Dan is a pastor at.) He studies all the time and preaches thought provoking messages. We watch amazed as he masters the English language while trying to learn Luganda here as well. (He speaks Russian and Ukrainian as well). Dan, Kostya and Moses are team teaching the Veritas curriculum to local pastors every Thursday.
Kostya is our "adopted son" and my kids think of him like a (mean) older brother. He is such a welcome addition to our team here. He went through culture shock with in our first few months and probably understands us better than anyone else here that we work with.
Kostya currently lives off of very little. He lives with Moses and Betty and their family communally and shares the rent of their home. He has recently started "bunny ranching" to bring in some income. He is learning how to breed rabbits for meat which could be very lucrative in the long run. We make fun of him a bit for this but we are excited to see if it becomes a way for him to supplement his funding.
Please pray for Kostya as he is planning to be here at least a full year. Pray for his family back home in Ukraine who miss him and pray for his relationships with these young men here as he disciples them. Prayerfully consider supporting him as well. He has a heart for missions here and continues to serve God wholeheartedly. If you feel compelled to support him financially you can do so through the link to International Messengers on this site.
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