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Dear Friends,
Tensions mount again as Russian troops regroup and renew their efforts to invade through the Sumy County borders. Missiles and drones of all kinds are raining down with increased regularity, causing untold damage to buildings, and destroying infrastructure. The volume of missiles sent over seems to constantly increase. Villages near to the border have been subject to increased fighting, which has meant that more people are fleeing the areas for safety reasons. Lebedyn still remains on the edge of the main activity, and therefore has many coming to find refuge.
Food prices continue to increase and supply is getting harder as our previous partners have little, if any, left to give. Thankfully, Bohdan has found a wholesaler that has agreed to work with us if we buy in bulk. He wants to make up packs similar to the picture below with basics of pasta, rice, wheat, tins of fish and sauces and oil for just £10. This will provide a small family with a week’s main meals, together with bread from the bakery.
We are therefore making an appeal for help with this. Bohdan estimates we will have around 250 families coming into the area for help and we would love to access enough food to help each of them. If you can help and sponsor a food pack, please go to our support us page on our website by clicking on this link:
Please let us know your gift is for this purpose. Remember if you are a UK taxpayer, we can claim gift aid on your donation as well. Thank you!
Bohdan drove over to see Larisa, whose numbers at the orphanage still seem to keep growing. He took fresh food and general supplies along with more bedding to help with the increased need.
The youth homegroups still continue to be very well attended, but sadly Bohdan has said that they will be losing up to 7 young people through the coming weeks. The reason for this is that they are soon to become 17, and could be called up or sent away for training. Therefore, parents are sending their children away to other countries to live, although they themselves will have to stay in town. Many will go to extended family members already living outside Ukraine, even as far away as Canada. Bohdan has said that the pain for the parents in having to do this is very real and is incredibly hard for all concerned. I cannot imagine what it must be like to have to do this to keep your child safe. Please do pray for these families.
The team went out with some of the last remaining aid to Shtepivka to help refugees there. This village has much poverty and little help from anyone, so the team were invited to go and support. They also helped families with children’s clothes at the Centre in Lebedyn. Many of these families are known to the team, and will regularly come to the Centre for activities, church or for bread. These clothes put smiles on the faces of the young people receiving them.
In more positive news…..the team are busy planning for the mini conference for girls and the summer camp programme. Parents keep asking when registration will open as they are desperate to get their children along to attend. It seems this is the only bit of normality children might have during a war that has taken so much from them. Please do pray for the help the team need. Many of the previous helpers and volunteers working with the children and young people have left, or will have done so by the time the camps start. The team are constantly looking to train new helpers, but it is hard to find them.
I have been writing these updates for over 3 years, and in the early days we very much prayed for Bohdan, his wife Alla, and her pregnancy at the beginning. Zoryana was healthily born nearly 3 years ago. She has grown up to be a beautiful young child. It is a reminder for us to pray for Bohdan and his family and indeed for all the children who suffer and do not know the freedoms we enjoy generally.
We thank you for all your support and prayers as always. It is humbling to receive the encouragement, whether through financial support on a regular basis, making our story known wider, or through your prayers. All are important and greatly valued.
We keep praying for peace and an end to this unnecessary war.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
