Our Dear Friends,
Two Little Ukrainian Boys – home at last
Here is a tragic story of two little boys found, some years ago, in devastating circumstances in terrible conditions in Ukraine. Little 3-year-old, Sasha lost his parents in a car accident and was placed by the authorities in our Homeless Kids Centre. He just sat all day and cried, thinking his parents were coming to fetch him. He couldn’t conceive that they had died. At least he received love, care and warmth in the Centre. He was told the wonderful gospel story, and we were trusting that he would derive some element of healing for his loss. At the time, I thought, “This is all so grossly unfair. What can we do to help ease his sorrow and prepare him and other children there for a future with the Lord.”
Our manager found out that little Sasha had three other brothers who had been discovered in another orphanage. A poor family in the area felt pity for these children and adopted all four of them. Although they live in poor circumstances, they are all together, in a warm home with loving, compassionate “parents”. God has a wonderful plan for these children in spite of a tragic beginning. This keeps us motivated to help such children.
Around the same time, little 4-year-old Viktor was found wandering the streets for three weeks in -30C weather looking for his father. His mother had died, and his dad had disappeared. He was taken into our Homeless Kids Centre but wandered around like a little lost soul. He too was cared for very lovingly and had the love of Jesus shared with him.
We found out recently that he was moved to one of the local orphanages nearby. Unbeknown to us, behind the scenes, his grandmother had been praying and searching relentlessly for him. Through some miraculous connections, she found him and took him into her home. He now lives with his caring grandmother in poor but very Godly circumstances.
Two lost little boys, once crushed by life’s tragic circumstances, are now in caring homes, with the hope of a better future. In the midst of the chaos and despair the small children have found a glimmer of hope, a testimony to the enduring power of love and resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity. Please help us to continue helping them and many others.
The invading forces are scanning social media for information confirming results of there attacks and to adjust their tactics. They have also been posing as representatives of foreign media for the same purpose. With this in mind we will not publish on the website photographs that either identify people or locations, similarly towns, other than those regularly mentioned by the media will not be named. Some names have also been changed in this report.
If you receive a direct copy of our news letters please do not re-publish any part to social media. Thank you for your understanding.
Alice from a village outside Odesa
Alice sat on the edge of her bed, cradling her new born daughter, Sonia, against her chest. The room was dimly lit by a flickering bulb that hung from the ceiling, casting soft shadows on the cracked walls. Outside, the wind howled through the trees. Her two sons, Michael, 13, and Andrew, 7, sat on the floor nearby, playing quietly with makeshift toys they'd fashioned from bottle caps and scraps of wood.
It had been a year since everything changed. At the end of 2022, Alice's husband had been drafted into the army. They saw each other a few times in those early, uncertain months, and in that brief period, Alice discovered she was pregnant again. But just as quickly as hope had blossomed, it was torn away. Rumours spread through the village like wildfire, and soon Alice learned the truth — her husband had found a mistress near his deployment. He had chosen another life, leaving her alone with their unborn child and two young boys who still believed their father would come home.
Winter had arrived, harsh and unrelenting, with little comfort to offer. Alice's savings had dwindled to almost nothing, and every day was a struggle to provide for her children. The house they lived in, offered to them out of charity, was small and crumbling, but it was a roof over their heads and a place to keep warm as the nights grew colder.
One chilly autumn day, two strangers arrived in the village. They were unlike the people Alice usually encountered—kind eyes, warm smiles. Their names were Avigail and Andre from the House of Hope, and they carried with them books and spoke gently about hope and love, and as they spoke, something in her heart stirred. She felt an unfamiliar warmth, a flicker of light in the darkness that had enveloped her for so long. When they handed her a Bible, she accepted it hesitantly, her hands trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.
That day, Avigail and Andre shared the gospel with her, speaking of grace and resilience. As they spoke, Alice's tears flowed freely, a release she hadn’t realized she needed. She felt the weight of her burdens easing, if only for a moment, and she knew, somehow, that she wasn’t alone.
Since that visit, Alice had clung to the Bible they gave her like a lifeline, reading its pages in late at night when her children were asleep. It brought her comfort, yes, but it did not change the stark reality she faced every day. The cupboards were nearly bare. Her body, still weak from childbirth, was exhausted from lack of food and rest. Sofia needed diapers and formula; Michael and Andrew needed clothes and school supplies. There were moments when Alice felt the desperation close around her, a cold grip that threatened to suffocate her.
But then, Avigail and Andre returned. This time, they did not come empty-handed. They brought with them a sense of hope and relief that Alice had not dared to expect. They provided school supplies for her boys—bright notebooks, pencils, and even a pair of shoes that fit Michael perfectly. For Alice and her baby, they brought much-needed medication, diapers, baby food, and a package filled with basic necessities—flour, rice, canned goods, soap, and shampoo.
Alice felt tears of gratitude well up again as she took the supplies from their hands. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I don’t know what we would have done without you."
Avigail placed a gentle hand on Alice's shoulder. "You are not alone," she said. "We are here to help you, and we will continue to be here as long as you need us."
Andre nodded his smile warm. "You have strength, Alice. More than you know. And we're here to help you find it."
That evening, Alice sat down at the kitchen table with her children. It was a simple meal, but more than they’d had in days. She watched as Michael and Andrew ate with hungry enthusiasm, their faces alight with joy. Sonia slept peacefully in her arms, a small, serene smile on her tiny face.
For the first time in a long while, Alice felt a sense of calm settle over her, a small but bright ember of hope. Avigail and Andrew had shown her that even in the darkest of times, there were people who cared, who were willing to help her carry the weight. And with that knowledge, Alice felt something she had almost forgotten—a quiet, steady determination to keep going, to fight for her children, and to believe that, somehow, brighter days would come. With your support we can make those brighter days come.
Thank you for the encouragement you are to us, and thousands of needy people through us. Please continue to stand with us in prayer and support for these needs.
Yours in the Spirit of Rescue,
Dave and Margurita
“The love of Christ compels us.”
P.S.
Since writing the above newsletter information has been received of the flooding and damage in the Odesa and Chernomorsk region following cyclone Boris". before arriving in the Ukraine "Boris" managed to cause problems in several countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary are suffering from heavy rains, snow and winds. As you can imagine this has added to the existing difficulties and hardships. Please keep the people in the region in your prayers and also the team at the House of Hope as they continue to seek to minister to those in the villages around them.
