Here is an encouraging report from a distribution event with two SGA-sponsored churches in Ukraine, in which SGA team members Lydia and Sergei participated. Their report includes interviews that will challenge your heart and messages of thankfulness for shared purpose in work for the Kingdom.
These words stand out:
There are no limits to doing good in the name of the Lord!
God uses this time to keep us from “sleeping” in our comfortable beds, and to go, drive, and run to such broken hearts! Thank you all for your ministry of sacrifice. God sees everything and will repay you in His time by His grace.
Please let this sink in, and be challenged to not rest in a life of ease, but to labor daily for our Lord— yet resting moment by moment peacefully in His grace and power.
Church #1
Dear friends in the Lord!
In this quite difficult time for our country and region, our church continues to serve the needy and internally displaced persons that are here. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing attacks, the number of needy people and internally displaced persons is growing. These categories of people are in great need of food. It is for this help that they regularly come to our church. We not only help those people who come to us physically for support and help, but we also prepare food packages and send them by mail. Our team also organizes and does mobile evangelism in other locations where we see an urgent need and openness of people.There are no limits to doing good in the name of the Lord!
Besides providing food to the IDPs [internally displaced persons], we get to know people and share the Gospel with them. We witness to them about God’s love and reveal God’s way of salvation. To prepare food packages, our church is looking for opportunities to get different types of grits, noodles, oil, if possible, stew or canned food, sugar and flour.
We are very grateful to Slavic Gospel Association and the Poltava Regional Association of Baptist Churches for their concern for people, and for providing humanitarian aid in the form of food and detergents. This allows us to go to the homes of numerous IDP families in our region and people in need with a good mission and the Gospel. We can show God’s love for them and show them how much God cares about them.
May God reward the entire mission team and those who are involved in this ministry, and bless everyone who donated money, time, and energy to help people receive the most necessary things in this very difficult time of war in Ukraine.
With love,Pastor of the church
Church #2
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Slavic Gospel Association for the assistance provided in the form of food to be distributed to IDPs who are registered in our region, as well as for the personal hygiene supplies.May God richly reward everyone who made it possible for us to receive this help!
For His glory,
Grigory
Interviews with Thankful People
Lyudmyla
I was born and raised in Kramatorsk. The picturesque city of Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region became my home, where I knew every inch of it, where I had family, friends and work. It was the city with which I associated my dreams. My husband Anatoly and I were able to build our family nest there. We had our own house, three greenhouses for growing vegetables. We had equipment to work with. We had everything we needed, we had prosperity. But the terrible pain of the war took away my dreams, my family and my home. Also, all my friends scattered. I ended up in this city in the Poltava region, and a strange city became my home. Strangers became my family. Only my husband is no longer in good health. Hard work and hardships have brought him bitter surprises: a heart attack, a stroke, and now diabetes. I am sincerely grateful to the church for not leaving us here alone, but for enveloping us with their care. I am grateful for the food provided. I am grateful to everyone who is involved in this kind of blessing.
Veronika
I was born and raised in the Poltava region.My life was not easy. I raised my two children, a daughter and a son, almost alone, although I had a husband. Unfortunately, instead of love and care from a parent, I often received severe physical abuses, bad attitudes and harassment from my husband. The reasons for this were obvious. For some reason, his own mother, who was also involved in the altercations, always turned him against me.My husband liked to drink, had lovers and I carried all the family burdens on my shoulders. That’s why my health was very bad. And although my husband is no longer alive, I still carry the traces of his beatings on my body and in my heart. COVID has completely destroyed my immunity. And the fact that I can hardly walk and try to do my housekeeping is only by the grace of God.Recently I started attending the church, where God revealed His love and kindness to me. And the warmth of local Christians inspired me to entrust my life to God’s guidance. I am sincerely grateful to the church for the material support they provide me, as I am unable to work because of my health condition. I am grateful for the food and other things I need. I am grateful to everyone who donated money for these things and who delivered them here. I believe and know that God will definitely bless you. Because whoever does it for people does it for God.
Natalia
I was born and raised in the city of Sloviansk, Donetsk region. I have lived in my home all my life. And even when the full-scale war started, I wasn’t planning to leave my home for a long time. I was not afraid of the threats, the shelling of the city. I was planting a garden under fire. But when a shell exploded right in my garden, I was thrown by a blast wave and had a broken leg, and only after that I agreed to be evacuated.Thus, I ended up with a broken leg. But this was only the beginning of my trials. My health was badly damaged by all these experiences. I had to seek help from doctors, and during the examination I was diagnosed with cancer.But here I met people who truly believe in God. I saw how God answers their prayers, and I am very grateful that the Baptist church often prays to God for me. I am also sincerely grateful for the material support from the church with food and other things.Now in my life there are quite difficult times, but the encouragement, kind words and help of the faithful people help me to get through it all.I thank everyone for your kindness.
Dmytro
Concerning Dmytro, with whom Lydia spoke, while unloading the food, he is an IDP, he comes to our church and helps with many activities. I see that he really likes to volunteer with us. But, unfortunately, he has not yet accepted Jesus. The Lord has already made some changes in his life. At least the fact that he legalized his relationship with his wife by registering it.
Ministry in Action
In all the videos, we showed how we evangelize people, how we listen to them, their pain and suffering. And thus, such people come to our church to receive spiritual support, because this is something that the world cannot give.
We also go to other villages and share Christ with people there. You can see all this in the short videos. God uses this time to keep us from “sleeping” in our comfortable beds, and to go, drive, and run to such broken hearts! Thank you all for your ministry of sacrifice. God sees everything and will repay you in His time by His grace.
In a time of great uncertainty, God is bringing help, healing, and hope to the people of Ukraine through SGA-supported pastors, churches, a seminary, and SGA-sponsored Compassion Ministry. Be a part of God’s incredible work with your generosity and prayer support.
Your gift of compassion helps struggling people with emergency aid that generally includes Scripture materials, food, medicine, warm clothing, and shoes.