Editor’s Note: An SGA Storyteller in Ukraine shares the following testimony.
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Karolina is our newest SGA Storyteller, and she is also the daughter of the pastor in the story she has provided below. They live near the front lines of the war in Ukraine. Pastor Dima and his team have faithfully been delivering food and supplies to those in need since 2014, many times even risking their own lives to bring people to safety.
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The war has brought about a new way of life for the people who live in Ukraine. There is no longer a “norm” to what life was like before the war. Now there is a new normal, filled with many new circumstances and emotions. Most people feel that life will never be the same again. Many pastors and their families have been called to move out of their comfort zones and instead head straight into the battle zones. Within these zones though, the Gospel is being shared and lived out! New churches are starting up and people are being saved!
Please continue to pray for all who continue to serve through great sacrifice of a peaceful way of life. Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).
Pastor Dmytro says…
“It all started ten years ago with the City Aid Center. I remember very well how in 2014, the first conflicts began in Donbas, and our city received thousands of refugees. Believers wondered, ‘How can we help?’ Our team came together and created the City Aid Center. We thought about the fact that people were coming to us, we were telling them about Christ, but what else could we do? And then we realized that this could be the beginning of a new church. That’s how we started—with a Bible study group, then Sunday worship services, and later, God blessed our team to start a new church here.
“Thousands of people have passed through our premises—people who received help, who heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ from our lips, and who have now traveled all over the world. Today, our church is experiencing rapid growth; this year, we baptized 10 people. Right now, we are praying for a new building because we have already outgrown the one we are in.
“Our city is on the front line. It may not be the right time for our church to think about a new building or church growth, but we know God’s calling for us. We don’t need to wait for favorable times—we need to do God’s work here and now. That’s why our church is called ‘Good News,’ becausehere, the Good News is proclaimed to people.
“The vision of this church is serving people—serving through food, clothing, time, and most importantly, through Jesus Christ. The church is now starting youth gatherings, so I ask you to pray for the teenagers [here], that God may touch their young hearts and that the church may continue to grow.
“An elderly woman from our church used to come to the Bible study group, and one day someone asked her: ‘You have been coming here very often and for a long time, but why don’t you say anything?’ The woman replied, ‘Because I can’t hear you.’ This woman is deaf, but this conversation made us realize just how deeply she longs to study God’s Word—so much so that she comes even though she cannot hear anything. The church has already taken care of this woman and blessed her with a hearing aid so that she can now fully study God’s Word. She is very grateful to God for the church.”
Please pray for this church, for their safety and hope for the future, and for the opportunity to continue witnessing to people about Jesus Christ during these difficult times.
Insight from Michael
As God’s Word is faithfully proclaimed by churches and compassion lovingly shown by believers, the Lord draws thousands to Himself in faith.
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