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Dear Friends,
It has been another week where there simply has not been enough time to help everyone in need. The bakery has been busy baking large quantities of bread, which has been distributed far and wide.
People came to the Centre for the midweek service, with nearly 100 people attending. Many of these were refugees in the town, desperately trying to find help and encouragement while carrying the heavy burden of grief after losing homes and family members. As you can see from the photo above, the fresh bread brings so much joy.
The team also visited the college where many refugees are being housed. It had previously been evacuated due to the threat of bombing, but it is now full once again. Aid and bread were distributed to all those we were able to help.
Under Andrew’s supervision, the team visited outlying villages, some very small and never visited before, close to the Russian border. Once again, the devastation and need were clear, with people desperate for help and support. Last Friday, the team also visited Byshkyn, another small village known to them, and they could hardly believe the damage and destruction they witnessed.
Some of you may remember that, near the start of the war, we helped a family purchase a home in Lebedyn after they had fled an outlying village, thanks to the generosity of one donor. Luda lives there with her son, Sergey, and daughter, Natasha. Natasha was left severely disabled following a car accident more than 15 years ago that broke her back. Luda also suffers from serious heart problems, with her heart functioning at only 50% capacity. She desperately needs an operation, but because of the war this is not possible, and she may even require a heart transplant in the future.
Sergey has been registered as the carer for both his mother and sister and, because of this, has so far not been required to fight. However, as I write this update, Sergey’s papers are with the military commission as the exemptions from military service have once again changed, and it now looks likely that he will be called up to the army. It is hard to know how Luda and Natasha will cope, but Bohdan and the team are trying to find a lawyer to help and to see what else can be done.
Nearly all exemptions that were previously in place now seem to have been removed, and even some members of the team may become vulnerable to being called up. Bohdan has asked specifically that we pray for this situation.
Sometimes there are special moments when encouragement comes your way. This week, after the children’s club, a mother came to the Centre and asked to speak with Bohdan. She was overwhelmed with gratitude for what the team are doing there. For her, the Centre has brought a sense of normality and has allowed her daughter to simply be a child again. She donated all of her daughter’s outgrown clothes to help others, even though she could probably have sold them. Generosity truly breeds generosity.
We must continue praying for a just and lasting peace that will endure for generations to come. Please also pray for the camp preparations as we hope to reach more than 500 children and make a real difference in their lives. In the current climate, this is a huge undertaking both physically and financially.
Thank you for your continued ongoing support both financially and prayerfully. It is very much appreciated.
Every blessing.
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
