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Dear Friends,
Plans for next week’s autumn camp are nearly complete, and the team are eagerly anticipating welcoming the children, many of whom have suffered greatly due to the ongoing war. This camp will primarily serve orphaned children and those currently living as refugees. There is a sense of great promise and hope surrounding the camp, but beneath this optimism lies the recognition that many deep wounds still need to be healed and overcome.
We would be grateful for your prayers for the camp, especially as the past week has seen significant challenges with power and water supplies. On Monday, the power was off for the entire day. It appears that the town has been divided into three or four sections, with each section experiencing a full day without electricity on a rotating basis. We are uncertain how long this situation will continue, but there are concerns it could persist throughout the winter, making daily life much more difficult for everyone involved.
Thankfully, the generators have functioned well during the outages, allowing most activities to proceed uninterrupted, with the exception of bakery operations. However, the power cuts have caused damage to the boilers in both the old and new Centres. Victor and Bohdan have devised a technical solution to address this problem. Funds have just been sent to purchase two stand-by batteries, which will provide electrical power to the boilers for up to twelve hours at a time.
All weekly activities have continued as usual, and the growth in our work with the youth has been especially encouraging. Over the summer, many families with young people fled to safer areas in an attempt to escape the conflict and start anew. Despite this, many young people continue to stay in touch and express how much they miss what they had before. The fact that we now have similar numbers of young people attending activities is a fantastic development. Many families currently in Lebedyn are refugees from areas close to the Russian border, and whether participating in study homegroups or fun events, the sense of joy in being together is evident.
This week, bread was baked for refugees and those in need. As is customary, a service was held, and the local government coordinator remains proactive in encouraging people to attend. She also participates herself, connecting with everyone at these gatherings.
We are delighted to share the exciting news that Pastor Andrew will be joining the team full-time from 1st November. We are still in the process of finding a home for him, Veronica, and their family. Their journey has been significant, and we all believe that this is the right step forward. This change will allow Pastor Sergey to take a well-earned rest.
As the founding pastor, Sergey will remain involved but will no longer have daily responsibilities, which Andrew will now assume under Bohdan’s overall leadership. We ask for your continued prayers for a smooth transition in leadership, for the successful search for a new home for Pastor Andrew’s family, and for ongoing growth in the community. Both Bohdan and Sergey are very pleased with this transition, as it means Bohdan will have more daily support and Sergey can step back with confidence. Andrew will still continue to give oversight to the church in Samotoivka with the few people left in the village.
We are still waiting for the desperately needed aid to arrive. The delivery has been delayed, waiting on a UN lorry for the past two weeks. We hope it will reach us before the autumn camp begins next week.
Please also pray for Sasha, who remains unwell and has been unable to recover from a persistent flu virus. The situation is exacerbated by the government’s decision not to switch on the heating in his apartment block, despite the cold weather outside.
There will be no update next week, as the team will be fully engaged with the autumn camp. We will provide a report on everything that has taken place during the first week of November. Shortly after, we also hope to share our plans for Christmas, with the intention of spreading the Christmas message and distributing gifts to as many people as possible.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. It really does help and is appreciated.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
