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Dear Friends,
This past week has been quieter with fewer sirens, drones and missiles to have to deal with which has given the team much relief. Therefore, all the weekly activities have gone ahead, including the puppet theatre training, youth clubs, kid’s clubs, home groups as well the services and visiting care homes.
On Saturday, as the photo at the top shows, the youth club met together, with 45 young people attending. Bohdan said it was one of their best times and many that came were at the winter camp a few weeks previously. Pastor Andrew brought his teenage children over and stayed at the Centre overnight, and then spoke at the church service the next day. He said it was the best night’s sleep he had experienced for months, as there were no bombs or sirens that night. Andrew shared the importance of the work in the church in Samotoivka. Many people called him whilst at the Centre for the overnight stay and asked if he had left. They told him that if he left they too would leave, as they see Andrew as God’s blessing for them in that area!
The work within the youth has been amazing. Margarite is still coming along, despite parental pressure not to originally, and growing in her faith. As are Egor and Sasha, who both do weekly one-to-one sessions with Bohdan. Both want to be pastors, and Sasha being older is doing so well that Bohdan wants to use him to speak at some of the camps later in the year. Valentyn still meets with Dasha who now brings her grandmother along to the services. We prayed for her last year as her grandfather and father had been killed in the war. All want to grow in their faith and serve within the work in Lebedyn.
Over nearly 3 years of this war, thousands of people have come through the Centre for help, to attend services or the weekly community activities that go on. Many have found their Christian faith for the first time but have had to subsequently leave the region, as they have been refugees from other areas or trying to escape the dreaded “call-up” to fight on the front line. Ira and Sergey were one such family. They lived in the south where war has been ravaging the land for many years, meaning they lost everything. They sent their children, all young adults, off to Germany whilst they packed what they could, and they eventually arrived in Lebedyn. They were given some temporary housing, and came to the Centre for help. The team not only gave food and physical help, but offered spiritual help and both became Christians. After a short while, they were able to afford and get safe passage to Germany to be with their family who had then settled. Some 18 months later, Ira and Sergey are returning to Lebedyn. They feel God’s calling to come back, be baptised at the Centre, and to help with the work. Sergey is a noted gardener as this was his job before the war. With the land at the Centre being fertile, he wants to develop this to grow more food to help others. Please pray for them as they return and leave behind their children in Germany.
Another couple from the church had to flee. Their parents had to be left behind but had urged them to go, and they went into a care home for the elderly which is visited by the team. Sadly, the father died this past week, so Bohdan and Pastor Sergey arranged the funeral, clearing away things and dealing with everything for the family. (Funds were left with Bohdan in case this happened). It wasn’t a large funeral, and of course the family that left could not come back, but they wanted the Gospel to be shared - and it was! These pains are the things never mentioned in news, but are the reality of the cost of war.
Bohdan is now looking to find an additional helper to add to the team. After Svetlana left last year, Farmer Sergey took on the running of the children’s work, but this has meant he cannot help Bohdan in the same way as he did before. Please pray specifically for this need, as lots of the suitable people have of course been called up to fight or have fled the area as it is too dangerous.
This week I had the joy of meeting with Sergey Rakhuba, the president of Mission Eurasia (see below) on a windy winter's Eastbourne day. It was he who introduced me to Pastor Sergey and his vision of helping the poor and needy in the Sumy region, and being able to buy an old kindergarten school. The rest is history as they say! We spoke of ways where we can work together to help resource the respective ministries we serve. More details on this will follow.
Each new story we can share is because of your continued support and prayers for the team in Lebedyn. They and the UK team are so thankful for you all.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
