We trust that you are well and being kept by the power of God.
We have been finding and caring for orphans and homeless children whom our local teams have rescued over the last 20 years in Ukraine, and we thank you for your wonderful support, and your faithful prayers that have helped the House of Hope Children stay alive and kept so many orphans safe during this senseless war in Ukraine. You are such a blessing to many needy children and destitute families in Ukraine.
17.6 million Ukrainians need humanitarian assistance, and more than a third are now in extremely difficult conditions, says a UN report. Among the above-mentioned, children are suffering the most because their world (albeit poor) of reasonable security has been shattered. I am greatly moved when seeing the destruction that is occurring in the Ukraine particularly the destruction of life; then there are the stories of the suffering, the losses that occur to all ages.
The Russian army continues to advance on the eastern front, and now also on the southern front, with the recent occupation of several towns, including Lubkov. This brings the Russian army to a distance of 35km from the important city of Zaporizhzhia. This is why there is almost a panic in the West, and a rapid delivery of weapons to halt that advance. An explosion at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant would equal 6 Chernobyl explosions.
The battle for the city of Bakhmut (in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine) is the largest battle in the Russo-Ukrainian war so far, with tens of thousands of dead on both sides. This strategic city is ruined and abandoned, and the Russians are slowly advancing to conquer it. This battle is too close to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station for comfort. It is assumed that Russia wants this city for access to the nuclear power plant. Putin is not concerned about the people there. They are in the way of his getting the power plant.
The Great Escape
This is a personal account of how a few Ukrainian Christian families escaped with their lives from Melitopol, Eastern Ukraine (about four hour’s drive from the Russian border in the east) and covered a perilous route that normally takes 8 hours to drive westward passed Odesa to the House of Hope.
In January 2022, we heard rumours of war with Russia, but we were busy with the ministry of Jesus – preaching the Gospel, feeding the poor, and reaching out to young people. We were excited about a planned summer outreach and looking forward to what the Lord had in store for us.
It was so weird to hear the roar of airplane jet engines followed by loud bangs. Our house windows shook with each explosion. We couldn’t comprehend what was happening. In a state of shock, my wife and I got up, had breakfast, and went to work. I was the only one there. Driving through the city, we saw bodies lying on the streets, houses burning, and people screaming. The shock prevented us from comprehending the magnitude of what was happening right before our eyes. It took a few days to realize that our city had fallen into the hands of a brutal, merciless enemy. Tanks were everywhere, with roadblocks and manhunts underway. The Russian soldiers captured our church building and turned it into a den of thieves.
Trying to get out of the city was difficult. It took us several days to plan the escape, but fifteen of us, including children, got into three cars with no clothes or provisions, to make a run for it. We were told that all the fields and roads of escape were mined. There seemed no way out. We counted fifteen roadblocks across the city and another eight to get out of the province. Getting through the roadblocks was nerve-wracking, being interrogated each time we crossed one, taking up to eight hours each time. In some places, men were led into a booth and women into another and stripped naked, in search of “swastika tattoos.” With the dirty jokes, threats, and mockery, it was so humiliating. It took us days to get out of the city. We were fearful and prayed all the way, trusting the Lord for a miracle.
We hired a “guide” to get us out through the woods and fields. The rough ground shredded our car tyres, and we were driving the wheel rims. Then we heard loud explosions, followed by our guide screaming, “They’ve seen us. We’re all going to die.” We were in extreme danger between the enemy chasing us and the worry that the Ukrainian army would see us as attackers and fire on us. We prayed and drove through a field’s barely visible path.
There was another car about 500 metres ahead of us. We did not know them and assumed that they might be people like us. Their lights were off, and we could only hear the swish of their driving through the long grass. Then there was an explosion and another one. The car was obliterated, and so were the people. That is when we realized that the field was mined. We had no choice, we had to go on. We had children and had to take them to safety.
Three of us got out Ukrainian flags and walked in front of the cars, making ourselves visible with a mobile phone’s flashlight. We walked very slowly and prayerfully through the field, directing the cars behind us to maneuver carefully between possible mines. It was the longest night of our lives. Several hours later, we were seen by a watchman from the Ukrainian army who sent a vehicle to us and helped us to the other side. We were so tired and sore from the tension that sleep was not an option. For hours we sat in silence, trying not to think of any “what ifs.”
Then there was another long journey out of the country – through Odesa–Moldova–Romania–Hungary–Slovenia – and into Germany.
We thought we had found sanctuary, but what we didn’t know was that Germany had taken in too many refugees and their economy was suffering. They were trying to discourage refugees from staying. We endured Refugee Camps, Job Centers, and six long months of attempts to get help. By that point, we were more depressed than leaving Ukraine. We got no benefits, no help, just empty promises. Then we decided to move to Norway, which in contrast, welcomed us with great support. There were friends, housing, and alive church services that have been incredibly rehabilitating.
Six of us are part of the worship band in the church in Molde. Music is an important part of our lives and our service to the Lord. While we were in Germany there were no opportunities like this. We couldn’t get instruments, and we were depressed.
Being in Norway, on the other hand, brought us back to worship, back to where we belong in God’s service.
They are now ministering to other refugees at the Saturday Meeting in Molde, Norway. They are wonderful evangelists and would like to investigate living in Trondheim (a much bigger city), to evangelize there. They’ve got no car or any support yet. So, we’ll need to arrange some support for them.
One of them said that in one of the chat groups, they heard that a lot of people from Ukraine, currently residing in Germany, are making their way to Norway because they cannot find accommodation or get support from the German government.
Saturday night’s meeting in Molde included 50 people plus about 20 children from Melitopol. They have realized that God had them moved out to spread the Gospel further than Ukraine.
We’ve sent three young House of Hope girls from Düsseldorf to Riga, Latvia, for special treatment – one with her eyesight failing, another with internal problems, and another with her body’s inability to retain iron, resulting in her being chronically exhausted. The German medical profession is becoming hard to deal with – they won’t treat refugees properly or want to charge huge specialist fees, and they get angry with anyone who can’t speak German. This is yet another reason to move the House of Hope children to Norway which has a very caring culture by comparison.
House of Hope Children to Norway
Sasha, our manager, has spent weeks in Western Germany looking for housing for the House of Hope children, all to no avail. The authorities don’t want to help anymore, even with temporary accommodation until June to allow them to finish the school year. So, we’ll have to move them to Norway this month. Please stand with us in prayer and support to make this move smooth and easy for them.
