When the warning sirens begin to blast out over Odesa and the coastline, the people and children in the House of Hope run into the “bomb-proof basements” and begin to worship God and praise Him for His protection. It’s like the church bells of old – when they began to ring out across the countryside, people began to head to church to worship God. During these times of worship, our leaders tell us that the looks of fear and anxiety turn to smiles of hope and joy as they sense the presence of God around them.

This happened again a few nights ago when Sasha, our European manager, was on the satellite phone to them. He heard the shouts of warning from the leaders and cries from the children as they rushed downstairs wrapping blankets around themselves. Then the singing started and turned to shouts of praise, encouragement and assurance, and then tears of relief even as the bombs were exploding around the area.

This is the fifth year that this sinister war has raged (longer than World War 1, which was 4 years – 1914–1918). The Ukrainian people are weary and sad, living under this sinister pressure. They are fearful and anxious for their husbands, fathers, and brothers in the Ukrainian military (many haven’t heard from them for weeks), wondering if they are wounded or dead. Maybe they’ve died in an explosion and haven’t yet been identified. We can only imagine the anxiety of these poor mothers and children, and the pressure on our teams to give them words of hope and encouragement, and then it worsens when the area comes under severe attack, like it did last night.

Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement, and your financial support. Food, medicines, firewood, and fuel for the vans is in very short supply. Our leaders are having to drive to the border (three hours to the west) to buy fuel, vital supplies and basic medicines and then return while drones are firing missiles. We have provided medicines for the border guards (they have families too, and no budgets for their families). Many of them remember Sasha and me when we were doing seminars for the military during 2014-2017 when the Russian rebel army was tearing apart Eastern Ukraine. They have urged me to stay away until the war is over. We rely so much on our local leaders and teams.

1 Corinthians 15:58 implores us to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Wherever we are, whatever we do, we have that goal and assurance with us, and it is that that propels us forward in the work we are doing.
You are such marvellous friends and partners in the Gospel. We could never have managed and done all that we have over the last 34 years without you, first in Latvia, then Serbia, then Ukraine. Please pray for these precious people and continue to support us with these growing and urgent needs.

The names of those that we help have been changed for security & privacy of those concerned.

Pray for Ukraine

Sasha, our manager in Europe, has been sending reports on what has been happening in Ukraine:

The Life and Ministry of Andrey and Avigail

For the people of Odesa, electricity arrives unexpectedly and leaves without warning, mostly at two or three in the morning, so life must happen at night. When power returns, washing machines can run with the hope that the washing cycle will finish in time; the water heaters turn on but barely enough to make the water warm, dishes are washed, hair is washed, and food is prepared for the next day.

Andrey and Avigail do the same. They chose to stay, not only for themselves but for many others on the outskirts of Odesa. They open the House of Hope and give of their resources, their strength. They help elderly people, they pray with mothers, and they listen to those who have lost everything.

Winter has become another enemy. Snow covers the streets, but few are left to clear them, so going to work or even buying food becomes hazardous. Hospitals fill with those injured from slipping on the icy pavements.

All of this happens under the sound of sirens. The shelling never truly stops. Rumours of peace are followed by explosions. Small businesses are destroyed. Markets burn. Shops close without warning. People abandon shopping carts to run to shelters. Communication disappears with the electricity. No internet, no phones, no navigation. Sometimes the alarms do not sound, and only the roar in the sky warns that something is coming.

What is perhaps even more difficult to understand is the terrifying normality. When explosions happen, people pause for a moment. They look, check their phones, and then they continue. Ukrainians have learnt to speak about tragedy with calm voices. There is a strange numbness and, at the same time, a deep and sober awareness of reality. One friend had a strike. Another has lost someone. Something happened here. Something happened there.

Because life does not stop.

Parents carry unbearable pressure. While protecting the men in their families so they are not taken to the army, they must somehow earn money. They must find food, heat their homes, and care for children simultaneously.

Right now, one of the greatest struggles is with the children. Many became sick during this severe cold. Children are not able to study. Schools move online again, but electricity disappears. When the sirens begin, even online classes stop.
This is Andrey's and Avigail’s daily reality. They minister in the middle of exhaustion. The hardest part is not even the danger. It is the sense of helplessness. And yet, every day, they choose to continue.

They choose to love when love is costly.
They choose to serve when serving is painful.
They choose to stay when leaving would be easier.

Their lives shine with a quiet, unbreakable light, because while darkness surrounds them, they carry hope to those who have none. Because while the world shakes, they remain steady. And when death speaks, they answer with life.

Gina and Her Daughters

Imagine a quiet, remote village that does not appear on maps, has no market, and has no paved roads. In winter, the mud and ice make the road almost impossible. In summer, the dust and heat isolate the people even more. This is where Gina lives with her two daughters.

When Andrey and Avigail first heard about them, Gina and both girls were very sick with tuberculosis. People kept their distance, and even social workers were afraid to come regularly.

But Andrey and Avigail were constant visitors. At first, they did not even enter the house. They spoke with them outside, week after week, protecting both the family and others. But they kept coming.

They came bringing food, medicines, and everything the family needed to survive. Through cold and heat, they prayed with them, listened, and encouraged. When Gina felt weak and overwhelmed, they reminded her that she was not forgotten. When the girls were afraid, they brought hope into that lonely place.
It was a long road. Tuberculosis is not only a physical battle. It also carries isolation, shame, and fear. But slowly, Gina and her daughters began to recover. Hope came back into their eyes.

Four or five months after their recovery, Gina began to share the story of her loss. Her first husband, the father of her older daughter, died. Later, she married again. The father of the younger girl was taken to the war. For eight months now, there has been no news. He is listed as missing. Her own father was also called up and is missing as well.

She carries all of this alone. She raises the children, finds food, gathers wood, cares for their health, and faces the future without certainty. In a village where even basic services do not exist, every small task requires strength. Every day is a test of endurance.

And yet, when Andrey and Avigail visit, there is warmth and gratitude. There is quiet faith. Gina does not speak much about her pain. She simply wakes up every morning and chooses to live for her daughters.

Pray for Gina. Pray for her daughters. Pray for the men who are missing. And pray that families like this will never be forgotten. Because in forgotten villages, in broken places, God is still writing stories of endurance, healing, and faith.

Budget for this season

$

For the people in need in the Ukraine
Fuel 5,000
Firewood 5,000
Medicines 3,500
Food parcels 5,750
Repairs of Vans to transport refugees to safety 2,500

Refugees in Norway & Germany
Food and gifts for poor children & families 2,500
Firewood for Refugees who don’t receive gov’t funding 2,000
Repairs of Van transport refugees to refugee agencies 2,500
TOTAL MONTHLY BUDGET 28,750

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