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Dear Friends,
This week the camp for teenagers took place and the team were very busy so there is a shorter update than usual.
The camp has gone well and, as expected, more teenagers turned up with 85 teens regularly attending. For the first time, there has been some opposition to the work the team are doing at the centre with workers from the local electricity company questioning what they are doing and why they can be so happy all the time! They are not seeing the good that is going on.
While they have been at the Centre, Sergey took a team to Larisa’s orphanage to encourage them. They currently only have 16 children living there, but that is because some families have taken children into their homes which is good news given the news below. This is what Pastor Andrew has done in his house in Samotoivka, taking in 3 extra children.
There are sad stories to contend with each day of how this war impacts the lives of the children and youth. One local boy attending who is known to the team, has his father fighting in the war in the south, and on Wednesday he found out that his father has gone missing in action. He is obviously finding this tough. This is just one family affected by the war, and when you multiply it across the land you realise what damage this war is creating.
In the region there has been a noticeable increase once again in military activity. Villages and town within 10 kms of the Russian border throughout Sumy have been told to evacuate as bombs, missiles and drones are sent over from Russia. It is believed that there are over 100,000 Russian soldiers encamped along the border once again, like in February 2022, and ready to attack. It is thought that they want to plan another offensive to take Kharkiv.
This morning Bohdan told me that a large rocket hit a children’s camp site in Sumy itself. Thankfully, there were no children on site, but one of the workers was sleeping in the accommodation and was killed. In our conversation he told me that although the sirens would regularly sound 10 months ago they were only for short periods. Now they seem to last forever, and many more rockets, and drones especially, are being sent over.
Bohdan has asked that we could pray for the camps as it is very difficult to run something like this in a war situation with sirens sounding. Secondly, for the children, as some have parents that have died, some who are wounded, some who are away fighting, and others who are missing. It is so difficult for them to comprehend the love of God when they live with so much suffering.
Thank you all so much for your ongoing support and for the many gifts that have come through. It has been amazing.
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
