DIMA OMELCHENKO - CROSS-CURRENT POLITICS

My name is Dima Omelchenko. I’m from Dnipro, Ukraine. I’m 23 years old. I was born into a family with deaf parents. But God gave me and my older sister hearing. God saved me when I was 9. Since that time I can’t see any sense in life without Him. Everything I do I want to do it for His glory. Our family was very poor. We didn’t have money for a quality education or talent development. My sister and I had to develop ourselves, without support. Since elementary school I understood that I like three things: languages, geography and politics.

I studied the basics of languages and geography in school for free. Then I took four years of language study in university.

When I turned 16, I asked God about my calling and about what He wants me to be and where. I often cried out to Him. Sometimes I couldn’t sleep. I decided to dedicate my life to Him doing what He wants me to do. Then a few years later I understood that the most honourable profession and position in the whole world is to be His faithful servant. Nothing else and nothing more. Nothing can be compared. I shouldn’t care about what is prestigious in the eyes of people but I should care what is prestigious in the eyes of God. And I know for sure that to be a faithful servant for Him is the highest rank in this world. So my research became much narrower. I continued my journey with the words “faithful servant of Jesus Christ”.

As for politics, I knew nothing about it. I had only ever watched it on TV, until I was 18 years old. But then I started searching out everything about politics and international relations. I read biographies, news, stories, articles, books, etc. Then one night I couldn’t sleep. That night God showed me three goals I need to reach for throughout life: God’s glory, spreading His Kingdom and Word to the end of the earth, and serving His Church.

I saw that a great way to be a faithful servant is to be in politics. Its main goal is to serve. In spite of the fact that we have an over-corrupted government in the Ukraine, it’s a great opportunity to be totally different and set apart as a faithful servant of Christ and Ukrainians, in order to tell the whole country and world about God and Jesus Christ. Secondly, being in international politics is a great opportunity to share the Gospel with every authority on the earth. I have a goal to share God’s wisdom in Jesus Christ with every authority on the earth through international relations. Finally, I have gifts by which I can serve in His church as well as participating in church planting throughout Ukraine and world.

I believe it’s my calling. And I do that in the name of Jesus Christ and for His glory only!

The most interesting thing that I have not found is that nobody supported me. Nobody believes in politics in the Ukraine.  Well, nobody believes that politics can be a ministry or calling. I had no support except one believer from Kiev. His name is Andriy. He works as legal advisor in the Ukrainian Parliament, and he was a part of IFES Graduate Impacts Cross-Current Politics group. I got information about Cross-Current through him and I decided to apply. But I had left a job seven months earlier to create an NGO which we were self-funding. We had spent all of our savings and had no possibility to reach Cross-Current at all. But all I can say is, if it’s God’s plan, then it will happen, because He sent His people to support me for the first trip and meeting. Some of them I saw only once in my life but they helped me more than anyone else.

It was a great blessing for me in every way. It was my first time abroad. I met great people who inspired me to go on. Such great people as Tim and Julia and the IFES team. I met same-minded people from different parts of the world. We spent a blessed time in worship together. I was encouraged and blessed to go forward. Cross-Current Politics was, and is, a great support to me in my calling!

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