Chernivtsi in the Ukraine

In 1993 I took a group of fifteen Americans to Chernivtsi in the Ukraine to evangelize and distribute Scriptures.  We had Russian New Testaments and Romanian New Testaments for the sizeable Romanian population in the southern Ukraine.  The Ukrainian pastor took us to a plaza surrounded by six multi-story apartment buildings.  He set up an amplifier and gave the microphone to me saying, “Just start taking in English and everyone will come out to hear what’s going on.”  I did, and people began opening windows and pouring out of the doors to see the Americans.  We handed out hundreds of New Testaments that morning.  A similar event (but on a larger scale) happened with the apostles in Acts chapter 2.  Dr. Luke recorded in Acts 2:6-8, “Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another … how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?”  I spoke only one language in Chernivtsi, and the people heard only one language.  But when Peter and John spoke on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit translated their words into many languages - a wonderful miracle!  And what a wonderful day of salvation it was to the 3,000 souls that were converted that day!  I still remember the faces of those curious Ukrainians reaching for their copy of the blessed Word of God!  May we realize how special the Bible is to us.  It is the very words of God!