If you would like to support us financially you can do so below. Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer, please confirm that you would like us to claim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Dear Friends,
This week the board of trustees met online with Bohdan, where he shared more of the current situation within Lebedyn and the surrounding areas. There is no doubt that difficult and challenging times are leading to more poverty and need within the area. Most days, air raid sirens are sounding 24 hours and the suburbs of the town are being hit, mainly by drones with the occasional shot down missile causing fires when they land.
Power stations are regularly hit, and it is the towns that have priority to ensure power is back on. The smaller villages can wait 5 days or more to be re-connected. There is no doubt that the coming winter will be hard for those living outside the towns, especially as they try to keep warm and have little supply of food. The team are planning to increase visits to the villages with bread, food and aid, but Bohdan said they are living in the most terrible of conditions.
Education also continues to be difficult, and it would appear that the government have handed over the management of education to local schools with no direction from central government. This means that many of the schools have chosen to remain closed. In Lebedyn itself, the school is still running but only the youngest go into learn, whilst the older children have online studies - if available.
Refugees continue to arrive into Lebedyn with alarming regularity. The nearby college is full and crammed with people in close living conditions, with very little to claim as their own. Lifetimes and their memories seemingly eradicated by the destruction around them. Most of the refugees come from the border towns and villages which have not only suffered significant damage, but also been abandoned by the military with no help given. However, due to the shortage of housing and the conditions in the college, some are now returning, they say it is better to die in their own house than crammed in a centre with nothing.
Valentina, is a lady with a prominent position in the council administration office, and is responsible for all refugees on behalf of the government within Lebedyn and surrounding districts, holding a lot of sway into what happens. She has been reaching out to Bohdan for help, and last week she attended one of the services we hold for the refugees where God’s love is shared, not just with words but also in practical support. She saw the bread being baked (and tried it!!), saw what was left of the aid being distributed, and she loved what she saw. From now on she is going to invite all the refugees to come to the Centre to these services, and she will also attend some of them so she can answer any questions. Bohdan has won over the favour of the local authorities to help and support, which can only be good for the future.
Bohdan also shared the news that the Kyiv Theological Seminary is closing access to some courses this September as many of the students that would have attended have now been called up to fight. This has particularly affected the children and youth departments, where they have cancelled the course for new students. We are thankful that Valentyn's studies have not been affected by this.
On the positive side, the children’s clubs and puppet theatres started all their groups this past week and the youth start this weekend. The puppet theatre and Bohdan will visit Larisa’s orphanage this weekend, taking in fresh food with them for the children. Musical Sergey has written are new Bible story musical shows, so all are excited to see how these work.
Last week, we gave an appeal for nappies and incontinence pads which was going to be sent out by Ukraine Relief in early October. However, at the weekend we heard that they had already loaded aid they had collected and set off on Sunday, a month earlier than expected. Bohdan is however, thrilled to get some aid early as the storehouse is completely empty and the need is growing. We are therefore looking to send an extra lorry for our appeal later in the year.
Azat is also helping with aid, and Bohdan went with Andrew to Zaporizhzhia to visit him on Wednesday to collect specialist aid and supplies. Azat is really trying to help the work and Centre in every way he can.
Within the church, two refugees arrived at the service on the Sunday and just didn’t want to leave. They had a truly memorable time as they met with God and gave their lives to be followers of Jesus.
Home group attendance keeps growing and the Centre has become a lighthouse within the community, giving both physical and spiritual hope. Bohdan was sharing that despite all that is going on around, it is a miracle Lebedyn stands untouched. He reiterated what we have said repeatedly, that he believes that the prayer of the many are keeping them safe to do the work God has called them to do. Thank you for your part in this!
In closing, Bohdan shared that when he went on his recent holiday to Odessa, he visited a large church there he knew well. When speaking with them, they were surprised by the amount of work that was being done through the Centre in Lebedyn. In Odessa, they had just completed their first summer camp of just 3 days, and this was their first since the full scale invasion started. When Bohdan told them that 5 week-long camps had been held each year in the summer along with autumn, Christmas and Easter they could not believe how much they were doing. We are blessed to have an amazing team who, despite all that is stacked against them, continue to flourish, remain enthusiastic and positive within the work. They now plan for the autumn camps and all the weekly activities with continued enthusiasm.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. It is truly making a difference.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
