Blogs are like social media posts. If they aren’t regular, people don’t look for the updates.
So … apologies with the faithfulness of our blog posts, but please know that we ARE being faithful to continue to support, encourage, and work with our partners in Ukraine. And your designated funds for Ukraine ARE making a difference!
In September, Gary will again take a team of five into Ukraine to connect and work with most of the six partners we’ve been working with during this tragic time in Ukraine’s history. It will be our 3rd trip so far this year.
This is where we are working and the partners we we are working with …
LVIV
Pastors Kostya and Olga are pastors and faithful servants who we were connected with early in the war when Olga moved to Slovakia with their two kids, and Kostya stayed behind to support refugees moving to and through the city of Lviv. Fast forward to today - their whole family is living in Lviv, and we are continuing to provide humanitarian aid (food, medicine, clothes), support, and encouragement to them and the church in which they serve. This team of individuals are faithfully working to get aid where needed … both in Western Ukraine, and as far east as the front lines where fathers, sons, husbands, from their church are serving.
ZHYTOMER
Anastasiia and a group of mission school graduates are supporting and ministering to a community of families of both serving and fallen soldiers. They are providing practical aid, but also a Christian community for adults, teens, and children through bible studies, kids activities and camps, and practical help for families in need. We have been supplying humanitarian aid, and in-person encouragement for their work. We are both humbled and inspired by the sacrifice and dedication of these very young Ukrainian missionaries!
KYIV
Pastor Dmytro Mason and his team of faithful and dynamic pastors and lay leaders oversee the City of Light Foursquare Church. It is a powerful expression of the church for their community of faith, it is a refuge for internally displaced persons (IDPs - individuals within a country who are refugees due to circumstances requiring relocation), and it is a compassionate outreach expression of Christ to many parts of Ukraine (including villages at the front line). We continue to support these efforts in any way the Lord makes a way.
TAL’NE & DONESTK OBLAST
Pastor Andrej, along with lay leaders Volodymyr and Oksana, have been making weekly (and more often) humanitarian and evangelism trips to near-front-lines villages since the war began. We are supplying humanitarian aid (food, medicine, clothing, etc.), and in-person support on these trips when we are in Ukraine. These are some of the most courageous, faithful, and compassionate Jesus followers we have had the honor of partnering with. Their local churches fully support and assist in their work, and we consider it a privilege to be invited along each time we are in-country.
ONUFRIIVKA
Pastor Olexander Federov and his team of pastors and leaders oversee the Church of the Living God and the Pearl Orphanage. Their compassionate work focuses on providing a loving community of faith in their city, a safe and nurturing home for the children that are residents of The Pearl, and support and aid that refugees or the war need both locally and regionally. We are proving ongoing support and encouragement (and humanitarian aid when our itinerary includes this community) to Olexander and his team.
DNIPRO
Pastors Alla and Pavol lead a team of faithful and passionate Jesus followers who help shepherd churches in both Dnipro and in Synel'nykove. Alla and her husband, Pavol, are also both chaplains. So their work crosses many boundaries and gives them opportunity to bring the hope and love of Christ to many different cross sections of Ukrainian people. We are in the early stages of this relationship and will build upon it as our team spends a couple of days with them in September.
Time and provision does not permit us to be in each of these locations every time we are in Ukraine. But we trust the Lord to be His encouragement, His love, His compassion, and His provision where He leads us each time. Thank you for continuing to invest specifically in this work. We go and serve with this provision which is above and beyond His provision for our work in Bratislava and across Europe. We do not sense that He is asking us to reduce our workload in Ukraine, so we are trusting Him to continue providing for this ministry through the hands of so many faithful churches and individuals. Thank you for listening to Him as you give, and thank you, ,God, for every way in which you make this work possible!