Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings in the Name of the Lord! We thank God and you all, who bring prayers before the Lord for our nation! Thank you for serving us, our people, who are affected by the war in Ukraine. 

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, our church has been providing all kinds of assistance to Internationally Displaced People (IDP’s) who lost their homes and were forced to come to our region to save their lives. The church makes sure to stay in touch with the displaced people: we hold Bible study meetings every week. At the groups, we have fellowship around the Word of God, read and discuss the texts from the Word of God together, sing, and pray together; and as a pastor of the church I explain the Word of God to people and answer their questions, praying for many of those who are not saved yet. Here are three testimonies from families we’ve been able to help because of you.

Testimony #1

The family of Volodymyr and Oksana and their daughter Bohdana came to our region in March 2022. Back home, the family had their own house and car, and they bought and renovated an apartment for their daughter. Volodymyr worked as a diesel locomotive driver, Oksana was a kindergarten teacher, and their daughter studied at the local University. The war brought suffering to the peaceful life of this family. They had to leave everything behind: their home, furniture, appliances, belongings, even their dearest family members. Her father refused to leave and stayed in the city with his son (Oksana’s brother). The family took only what they could fit in three backpacks and a small bag.

In their new location, the family was welcomed by the local church. The church helped them find an apartment to rent, furnish it, and make it more or less cozy and livable. The family has been living in their new city for almost a year and a half. The daughter is graduating from the University, Volodymyr has found a job, and Oksana works remotely in a kindergarten. She conducts online classes with IDP preschoolers. At church, they joined the children’s ministry. It would seem that life has improved, the family has fully experienced the love and care of the great God, but their hearts still cry for their hometown, their father, their neighbors, their church, and their comfortable, cozy life. The family also dreams of having their own home, not a rented one, where they could get a new start in life. They are grateful for the care and manifestation of Christ’s great love for their family, for the food, for the support. 

Testimony #2

Back home, Olena’s family had their own small business and always had something to eat and wear. The family was of average income. But when the war started, terrible days began for this family. They experienced the horrors of explosions and the deaths of relatives. Olena’s husband was taken to the war. After a while, the entire household and business of this family was destroyed. Olena and her children were fleeing from their hometown, running away and did not know where to hide.

Here, they were given temporary housing. The children were admitted to school and Olena got a job on a farm as a dairywoman. But their sufferings did not end there. Soon she received a phone call that her husband and father of their three children was killed in the war. Olena had to bear everything by herself and continue to bring up her children by herself.  The children suffer without their father, and Olena suffers without her husband so much. But they are so grateful to the church and all those kind people who take care of them and help them with food! This is a very big help for this family right now.  May God, whom we trust, bless and help us to endure and bear all the sufferings and pain. God please bring peace to our country!

Testimony #3

Mrs. Olena left her house in the Kharkiv region, but it was completely destroyed by shelling! She came to one of our villages and lives there now. 

Olena says: “My family is my sons. Unfortunately, my eldest son was killed in the war. He was honored with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky (posthumously). My younger son was wounded and is being treated in hospital. I am grateful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity and strength to recover. God had mercy on me and brought me to the evangelical church, which I now attend regularly. At the moment, I help our soldiers who are fighting by knitting them warm socks. I thank the Lord and you for your help and support. May God bless you!”

Sincerely,
Pastor Vadym
Ukraine