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Dear Friends,
This week has been a bit calmer in Lebedyn, and there has been no direct bombing into the town for which we are grateful.
The landscape and general situation is changing day by day, making life more of a challenge. However, missiles still fly overhead on their way to bring destruction elsewhere, and Bohdan has noted that these are getting louder and bigger. Sumy city has been hit very hard, with Russian troops getting ever closer. Road checkpoints are becoming more vigilant, making it harder to go into the city as Bohdan found out this week. The food wholesaler we use is based there, and they are now struggling with supplies as it is getting so hard to receive deliveries.
On Wednesday, the village of Vorozhba was heavily bombed. This is only 15km away from Lebedyn. An agriculture plant was hit and destroyed, along with other farm equipment, making life difficult for the farmers to grow food. Heavy fighting is surrounding Samotoivka making it impossible for Pastor Andrew and his family to return. Everywhere they look destruction is evident.
Healthcare for people is getting harder. Hospitals are full of the wounded; any fit doctors are sent to the front-line, leaving hospitals full with little staff. Lebedyn hospital only has 2 senior doctors, and to get seen by a doctor Bohdan has said you will have to see someone privately but these fees are increasing daily making this unaffordable.
Bohdan had the funeral on Monday of a lady he called his “adopted grandma”. She was always there for him and spoke much wisdom into his life both spiritually and practically. She was also Musical Sergey’s mother-in-law. This meant no bread was baked as they all supported each other in attending the funeral. Bohdan said that although she was old, her death could have been avoided. Drugs are not getting to the pharmacies now and many remain closed.
The team carry on with their usual work, and they were able to help the hospital with nappies for the children, sanitary wear and incontinence pants. All the children’s and youth clubs continue over the weekend. Baptismal classes are growing and now 12 people attend, with 2 more starting this week. These are refugees who came to the Centre and were so broken, they had lost everything but found Jesus at their time of need.
The church in Okhtyrka is really struggling. The town was heavily bombed in the early part of the war, which included the church building being destroyed. Many people have fled, although there are still around 20 church members there. Vladamir, who has overseen the church since the beginning in 1999, has been very unwell, and he and his wife are going to leave to live with his daughter in Germany, where he can get the right medical help. Bohdan and the team will help oversee the work of the church for now.
This week Bohdan has asked for prayer specifically for a few items. The main requests are for:
The camps need a special focus as there have been some legal changes that will impact them. Any large gathering has to now be registered with the Police, Fire service and Education service, and permission granted to enable these to proceed. It is especially needed if children are without parental supervision. Please pray that as the team complete the necessary paperwork and submission, this will go through smoothly and all permissions will be granted.
Pastor Sergey joined us for a little while yesterday. He looks well, although still frail and determined not to give in. He is concerned on how the war is impacting the region. He said to “ask people to pray harder!!” The villages around Lebedyn are now like deserts.
I want to thank people for their kindness for help with both the feeding of families and the summer camp programme for all ages. The food packages we are producing feed a family of 4 for a week and so far, around 15,000 meals can be given away. We will also produce a further 3,500 meals during the camps. Bohdan is talking with food wholesalers to get supplies and better prices.
Thank you everyone. It is not too late to sponsor a child through summer camp. Can you help us reach our goal of supporting 500 children? The cost is just £40 per child for the entire week, which is designed to raise their spirits and bring smiles to their faces.
Please click the link below to view a PDF containing instructions on how to donate:
Summer Camps - Connecting with children through the war PDF
Thank you again for standing with us. We keep praying for peace, and for the end to this needless war and killing.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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,
When you hear on our news about peace talks, it gives you hope that this war might come to an end. Very quickly you come back to the reality that things could not be further away from peace than ever before.
Sumy city continues to be hit hard, and when I was speaking with Bohdan on Wednesday, five missiles landed in Sumy during that conversation. Tuesday late evening, I received the dreaded text from Bohdan to say that Lebedyn was under attack, and the windows of his house were shaking. He counted 12 explosions. I’m pleased to say that everyone is safe and doing remarkably well, and are even more determined to do the work they feel called to do. Most of the bombs hit the outskirts of Lebedyn and the main high street, and all our buildings including all the teams’ homes remain untouched. The fuel plant on the outskirts of the town was targeted as you can see from the picture above.
Russia have gained some territory in Sumy county and are only 16km’s from Sumy city. So please continue to pray for all their safety at this time.
Meanwhile, the team continued to bake a large batch of bread on Tuesday, and distributed it at the Centre after several services. They also went out and took hundreds of loaves to help feed the refugees. In order to improve their distribution, they have made temporary racks to store the bread in the minibus. Once again, student dormitories in Lebedyn are crammed full of refugees coming from villages from near the border who have nothing but a bag of personal belongings. See pictures below.
Last week, we spoke about our plans to make up 250 food packs for refugees, and what a response there has been to this. Within a few days we have been able to send out enough funds for 300 food boxes! Thank you all so much as we have been overwhelmed by your generosity. God is good, his plans are always bigger than ours, and we will continue to support more boxes as funds arrive. We look forward to updating you with photos as these are made up and given out.
The team are still preparing for all the camps and the weekend event for teenage girls. Numbers to all of these are expected to be high.
On some good news, we saw on the UK news that around 1,000 soldiers were involved in a prisoner swap. Sadly, our friend Dima, who we have been praying for, was not one of them, but many soldiers from Lebedyn, and indeed from families in the church, have come home. This brought much joy at the services over the weekend which Bohdan took due to Pastor Sergey being unwell and unable to attend. This does put a lot of extra work to Bohdan, but it was to great effect as Margarita, a new attendee in Valentyn’s homegroup, became a Christian. Hope can always be found even in the darkest times.
Above is a picture of Lena. She has been at the church since the beginning in 1999. She has helped at the Centre by leading the catering team, and more recently in the office.
Her story through this war is tragic. She has 5 children and a husband. Her husband has cancer, and is also alcohol dependant, and we are not sure how long he has to live. Her eldest son, Sasha is listed as missing action, but was witnessed being killed in fighting with his body left in a field. His body has still not been returned. Roman her other son is fighting close to the border, and there are reports that he might have been captured (yet to be confirmed). Lena’s grandson from Roman died at only 13 years old after a bomb hit a building which collapsed on him whilst playing near it. One of her daughters died before the war began, another daughter’s husband has been fighting and has just returned home with significant injuries leaving a scar the length of his torso from shrapnel injuries. How much can one woman endure? Yet her faith in God remains strong.
She continues to be part of the church family reaching out to help others. She grieves and feels the pain of how this war has torn apart her family, yet her love for God continues to grow. Lena is not alone, as there are many people like her in Ukraine who share similar stories. These are the things we don’t see on the news, but the team in our region are reaching out to try and help as best they can. We continue to pray for Lena.
Thank you for your ongoing support, prayers and comments of encouragement sent through - it helps us all! Things are still getting tougher, but Bohdan said to me this week – “we will be here to the end to help our people”.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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,
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
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,
Last weekend saw the first mini conference held for the youth. Around 50 young people came along from Friday to the Sunday. The guest speaker came from Kyiv Theological seminary, and was really pleased how this event went. In fact, so pleased, he wants to come and visit again.
Amongst all the fun, games, food and worship they looked at healthy relationships and what this means during a time of war. In this week’s homegroups numbers swelled as young people wanted to continue to be together to study further.
The impact of the ongoing conflict is intensely felt across the region. Reports indicate that numerous casualties, including children, have been recorded in the Sumy region. Transportation infrastructure has also suffered significant disruptions, with the Sumy railway station closed for several days. Refugees continue to arrive in Lebedyn, urgently seeking assistance. Unfortunately, the recently received aid has been fully distributed, leaving us with limited resources to offer support. However, a phone call last Thursday confirmed the arrival of another truckload of aid this summer. This is very encouraging news, and we are committed to providing the most needed supplies.
We would appreciate it if our supporters could inform us of any connections they may have in the food, hygiene, or baby supply industries, such as nappies, sanitary products, and incontinence pads. We can arrange deliveries to a single UK address for onward distribution. Please contact us for further details if you have any relevant supply chain contacts.
The team have been holding services for the refugees which means they can give them bread freshly baked from the bakery along with support. The student dormitories in the nearby college are now bursting with as many as 4 people living in one small bedroom – people they have never met before.
Oleg was new to the area. He arrived a few weeks back from a village next door to Samotoivka, which had been completely destroyed by bombs. His whole life gone. His wife had died recently, and we are still not quite sure what happened but we suspect it was because of the war. Oleg had lived in this village nearly all his life and now he shares a room with other men as described above. Hope was non-existent. Oleg came to the Centre to see what help he could get, and the team were able to supply food and clothes. Over the past few weeks Oleg came along to everything he could and listened intently to what was going on in the services. Last week, Oleg amazingly became a Christian, and the change in him has been incredible. He walks in with a smile. His situation has not changed, but he has found hope in someone who is greater than this war.
There are now many from Lebedyn, and especially from the church, that have been drafted into the army to fight. One such man is Sasha pictured below. He is near the frontline, and so the church have sent a parcel to show they care and to help lift spirits. It was greatly appreciated.
News is already getting out that the camps are being planned for children in the coming months. As I mentioned last week, 6 further camps are being planned for children of all ages. Bohdan met with the director of the special centre for those that live with disability. There are now over 30 children there, so we are going to host a dedicated week for these children and for any others we know in the area of additional needs. As so many meals will be made through all these weeks, getting food supplies looks like it will be a challenge so please do pray for this.
The team are still helping Larisa at her orphanage. Things continue to be tough for her and the children, but fresh food is still being regularly supplied to them to help. The team also managed to visit some of the care homes in the town, and as usual, taking in food and supplies as available.
Since before Christmas, we have been reporting on a girl called Sophia who we were asked to help. After being diagnosed with cancer (far too late!) and her having her leg amputated, Bohdan was able to help source drugs to help prolong life. 6 weeks ago Sophia was transferred to Odessa for specialist treatment, but sadly a few days ago Sophia lost her battle with life. She passed away bravely and peacefully. Today, we remember her bravery and a life taken too early. Pictures of the lovely Sophia are below.
Sophia’s situation reminds us that sadly, the children are as much victims of this conflict as anyone else. A recent report by UNICEF states that as of the 3rd anniversary in February:
This all means that we need peace now more than ever. A peace that will be true, just and lasting. We continue to pray for this to happen.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers for this amazing work being done in Lebedyn. The team are always seeking to do more to help those in need, and often through self-sacrifice. It is great to know that they have your support along the way.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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,
Overall, there is a fragile calm over Lebedyn at present, although while speaking with Bohdan notification came through to say two missiles were coming in over Lebedyn town. Thankfully, they did not land on Lebedyn, but they will have landed somewhere causing potential death and destruction.
We have had extensive discussions with the team regarding the current situation. Generally, Ukrainians do not believe that peace is attainable in the near future, and there is considerable distrust surrounding current negotiations and discussions. Bohdan shared that in 2024, it is estimated that only 176,000 children were born in Ukraine (pending verification), compared to approximately 310,000 verified births in 2021, the last full year before the war. This represents a significant decline. Additionally, there has been an increase in infant mortality rates due to the lack of healthcare services during pregnancy and childbirth in rural areas. Furthermore, 500,000 people have died in 2024, indicating that the impact of this war on the population will be profound and long-lasting.
In the picture above, this family reached out to the team for help. Their baby is constantly hungry and ill as it has an allergy to most milk products available. Thanks to the aid sent in to us, this special milk with nutrients has been given to help. It is sad that this help isn't available within their region in Ukraine and we are so thankful that we have been able to obtain this for them.
This past week has been exceptionally busy, as the team have made the most of slightly quieter times. Last Friday, they visited the village of Shtepivka which Bohdan said had been badly affected by the war. The village has been heavily bombed, and those living there are suffering in extreme poverty. Aid was given out including food and blankets.
A small van of food has just arrived from Azat. As you might recall, Azat led the church plant in Okhtyrka, and was captured and beaten and is now living in Zaporizhzhia. It is from here he has been able to share some aid with us. They sent quite a bit of bread, which although we bake our own fresh bread is still much appreciated. Other foods were sent as well. The bakery has also been operating at full strength. Special services were held on Thursday and Friday last week, with over 300 attending, and again this Wednesday with similar numbers. It is amazing how many are attending these services and two people this past weekend became Christians as a result. Also, they have been working with some of the soldiers to bake extra goodies for them to enjoy and feel sustained. Yesterday, they took more aid and baked treats into the care homes. The “pies” shown below have cottage cheese and raisins in them!
Pastor Andrew and Veronica have been constantly commuting to Sumy and to Samotoivka, where over the weekend they helped many families and held a service there on the Sunday. Many people who had fled that area have now returned, ignoring government advice to stay away, mainly because there is no housing in other towns and villages.
In other good news, Bohdan managed to receive his quarterly exemption papers within one day of submitting the paperwork over last weekend. Last time it took six weeks of much anxious form filling, so we are grateful for this outcome. He and Alla are now submitting all the papers to the authorities for all the aid they have given out as this is a legal requirement, albeit very laborious. They estimate it will take two days to do this.
Last week, I mentioned about the ambitious plans to hold two mini conferences and five camp weeks. The first of these is taking place this weekend. This is for the youth, and the special guest speaker is Mike Gustafson, the Director of the Institute of Church Ministry within the youth and teen ministry at Kyiv Theological Seminary. He has been a great support to Valentine, who is one of his students there. Please do pray for this weekend as the young people look at healthy relationships during a time of war.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers. The team are achieving so much within the Sumy region, and it is thanks to your ongoing support this can happen. As things ramp up for the camp season, please continue to pray for the calm to persist, peace talks to be fruitful, as well as health, strength and God's blessing on the team as their carry out all the planned activities.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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 world remembers VE Day. A significant time in the world diary to mark the end of the most terrible of world wars, and yet we see countries at war again with further aggression building, none more so than in Ukraine right now. Do we ever learn? Before I share the news of this week I share Bohdan’s post on social media from Kyiv Theological Seminary. There is more news about them later in this update but these words below seem apt to start today.
May 8th — the day we remember that freedom was never an accident.
Today we see history repeating itself.
Imperial cruelty has returned in a new form, but with the same hatred for freedom, for dignity, for truth.
Ukraine is at war. Again.
For dignity, for freedom, for the right to be yourself.
And we know: not evil has the last word - the Lord has.
We stand because we believe: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God" (Mt. 5:9).
We pray because we know that victory comes not only by strength, but by righteousness.
We remember, because gratitude is a part of faith.
Thanks to those who resist with faith, with weapons, with prayer.
With hope we look ahead to the victory that will glorify God, not man.
Because the war will end. And the truth of Christ will remain!
This past week was busy with many services and opportunities to give out aid and help. Refugees are coming through the town with increasing regularity, and at the end of last week Pastor Andrew went to rescue families near to Samotoivka. He also managed to help some of their own family relocate to a safer region.
The fighting and threat seems to have shifted a little away from the region, but this seems to change all the time. I note from a recent article that so far this year (end of April), over 5,000 missiles or drones have been launched into Ukraine. Over 1,200 of these in the Sumy region. That is about 25% of all missiles so we give thanks that the team are safe at this time.
There is a small orphanage running in Vorozhba which the team have worked with for some time. They now only have children that have additional needs, both educationally and physically. The “Inclusive Centre” in Lebedyn, which specialises in all ages with additional needs, runs day courses for the children, and Bohdan was able to meet up with them and give them some much needed aid. Like Larisa the orphanage budgets have been cut, but the needs of the children remain the same or grow. See photo above.
Work continues among the soldiers within the region; they have been given bottles of energy/protein drinks to share out. Practical help and advice are given, and we are seeing more come through to the services we hold as a result.
It was hoped that the team could go and visit care homes this past week, but they are all under quarantine regulations. There is some kind of virus going around which the elderly need protection from. Many of the team have been taken ill over the past few weeks as well, but apart from Sasha all are back to good health!
Thursday and Friday there were special events for refugees, elderly and those in need at the Centre. They were given aid and bread as the bakery is back up and running again.
The hospital have been so grateful for the level of support given by the Centre and team, that this week they presented a certificate of thanks to Bohdan acknowledging all the love, care and support shown.
The work with young people and children continues to grow. The youth homegroups continue increase in number, weekend children’s and youth clubs also grow. Baptismal classes are being held for 8 people, 4 young people and 4 adults. It is so exciting to see that faith has become alive and important to those seeking fresh hope (see photo above).
Parents this week have been stopping Bohdan when he is out with the family to ask what the summer plans are for camps and activities. It has happened on numerous occasions. The good news is that the team plan an extensive programme between now and September. They are planning 2 mini conferences for youth. In May, this will reach out to all youth from 11-18 years of age, with the Kyiv Theological Seminary partnering with us to deliver discussion around the importance of relationships. There will be a worship band made up from local churches also led by Valentine. The second conference with be for girls only, looking at their identity, and who they are. Inna and a team from a large Church in Zhytomyr, will be helping with this. Both events are for all churches in the Sumy region to attend.
Then, the team are ambitiously hoping to host five camps this summer. This is the most ever done but the need is so great in the town they feel they need to do this. They are planning two camps for children under 11 years old, and then one for young teens, and one for older youth. They will also hold a special camp for those with additional needs. This is so exciting, and there is much to plan to achieve all of this, even to cost out what this will practically mean, but this will make such a huge difference within the Lebedyn area, touching the lives of over 500 children and youths. It will mean over 3,000 meals, teams of volunteers to find to help resource this work all so very close to the front line, so please do pray for their planning and preparation.
We cannot stop wars from happening, but we can pray and support those who suffer because of them. Thank you for your help in doing this and for standing with us.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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 has been more stable in Lebedyn, but nearer to the borders in Sumy City and Samotoivka there has been some heavy fighting and military action. People from Samotoivka, including the church family, have now fled due to the destruction of the town.
Both Andrew, and especially Veronica, are struggling, as the holiday they have taken to be in Lebedyn came to an end on Friday. Veronica is missing having their own home, where she can take care of the family, and although the Centre is currently safe, she craves a place of their own. Going back to Samotoivka is not an option - their house is between two major industrial units, and it is a miracle that has not been hit. Fundamentally, it is too dangerous to go back.
There is so much emotional baggage caught up in all of this. Leaving a house and a life made, leaving work, family, friends and their life with the church. Plus, they still have a missing son due to the war. What if they move and he comes home? What terrible thoughts to have to deal with. If you multiply this over the nation, the level of trauma individuals are facing is enormous. We still are looking for a trauma course and resources to help the team with this work.
Over recent weeks, Bohdan has been desperately looking for accommodation in Lebedyn for Andrew and his family, but there is no availability in the rental market. They are therefore looking at houses that may be available to purchase. Please do pray for them as a family, as their time in Lebedyn has been so fruitful as a haven of rest and relative calm in relation to Samotoivka. Their daughter, Victoria having become a Christian whilst staying in the Centre, loves attending everything and also wants to stay in Lebedyn.
Refugees are coming to the Centre daily for help. The recent aid has been such a blessing. Here are just a few pictures of those we have helped.
The focus of help this week has been given to families with young children. Many mothers are struggling as their partners are away fighting, with some fathers not being able to see their children at all since they were born. It is so tough for them. The team held meetings with Bohdan saying it was some of the most exciting work they have been able to do to help families. They were so thankful, and for many the aid was a timely lifeline. The little shoes on the tables pictured at the top of this page are a reminder that even the very young are affected by the war.
We also delivered baby food for the special unit at one of the hospitals. Bohdan found, much to his delight, that within the clothes sent were some children’s Liverpool FC pyjamas! Bohdan, as an avid Liverpool supporter, has been celebrating Liverpool winning the Premier League, so was thrilled to see these! They also received many candles, which are so useful in times of power cuts, but many of them had got broken in transit or were part used. With the help of some volunteers locally, they have been able to melt these down and create new candles fit for purpose. Nothing gets wasted.
Next week’s focus will be on continuing to help the refugees. Please do pray for the team as with this work there are so many tragic stories attached. Please continue to pray for the team. Luda, who oversees the kitchen, and the rest of the bakery team have succumbed to a cold and throat virus, so there was no baking of bread this week. All are recovering so normal service should be resumed next week. Lyuba is now back to full health after her operation.
Larisa and her ever increasing orphanage have asked for help to feed the children again, which we will give support to. We have committed to buy their fresh fruit and vegetables and meat until June to support them. By then the team will be harvesting some of the crops grown on the Centre land to be given away to help.
Needs continue to grow both practically and spiritually. Thanks to your support and prayers the team are still able to help in these ways. Locally, soldiers are reaching out to us more than ever, so please pray for the team on how best they can help and support them.
Our thanks again for your continued support.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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,
After the horrendous Palm Sunday weekend where churches were targeted with missiles in Sumy, this past week has been quieter within the region, although drones still fill sky through the day. It meant that Easter activities could continue without too much trouble. Along the borders it was quieter with the peace declared for Easter Sunday, although there was still some incidents occurring.
The team baked Easter cakes and gave them out over the weekend to the many that came to Easter services, as well as to a new refugee centre over the road from the Centre. This used to be student accommodation for a college but it now houses 83 refugees, mainly from the Samotoivka area which has been largely evacuated now. Pastor Andrew helped with this work. There were 2 services on Easter Sunday, and one on the following Monday morning.
There were also other meetings on Thursday last week where food and hygiene items were distributed too young and old alike. The need remains great. The spiritual impact of these services was amazing as 7 people came to faith as a result over the Easter period. One of them was Pastor Andrew’s daughter, Victoria who is loving having friends and staying in Lebedyn and going to the youth clubs and bible studies. These 7 want to be baptised as soon as possible as well.
Bohdan visited Larisa and the orphanage as they are trying to extend the property to receive more children from Sumy city. Larisa sent her Easter greetings and thanks everyone for their love and support. We have helped contribute to their food through this time, and Bohdan will visit again this next week.
This is a quieter week for the team, as it is the week everyone plants all their seeds. Bohdan took Monday off, and with Pastor Andrew’s help they planted many potato seeds as you can see in the picture below. Yesterday, the large area we have designated for growing fruit and veg at the centre was also planted. Next week the plan is to see as many refugees in the area as possible to assess the needs and to see what can be done to help. Refugees arrive daily with nothing and now there is no housing in the city. This too is creating a huge problem as Pastor Andrew would like to stay within Lebedyn but we cannot find suitable housing. Please do pray for this as Andrew and Veronica’s help has been so valued by Bohdan. With Pastor Sergey doing less , Andrew has been able to share some of the preaching at the church services.
On Palm Sunday, when helping to evacuate people a nearby drone exploded causing damage to side of the mini bus. It shows how close the team have been getting to helping those in need. They are now trying to find someone to help fix it. A lot of mechanics and body shop specialists have been conscripted into the war, so fixing it could prove to be difficult.
Also for prayer, you might recall a while back we helped 11 year old Sophia with her cancer drugs. She was moved to Kyiv, who did not have space to help, and then taken down to Odessa. With the cost of the required operation being prohibitive, and the time delay of all the vast travel, sadly, the cancer had spread and she has been given just 6 weeks to live. The grandmother who lives in Lebedyn has gone down to be with the family at this time. Please pray that Sophia and the family find peace and security in Jesus through this time.
Bohdan has sent the Easter greeetings below for us to send on to you.
"Thank you for your continued support, prayers and encouragement. Every day brings new challenges for the team, so we continue to pray for peace within the nation."
For your encouragement, the Spring Camp ended well with children having such a great time. There were air raid sirens on the last day, but it did not deter parents sending the children along. Here is a link to a 3-minute highlight video of the children at the camp.
Spring Camp Children's Meetings 2025
As you'll see, a great time was had by all!
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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,
A lot has happened since last week, some of which you might have seen on our BBC news.
The first image below is of Sumy city where it has been heavily overwhelmed with bombs. Children and hospitals have been targeted and impacted heavily. 23 children were injured and wounded in this attack alone. 26 buildings were damaged of which 3 were schools, a kindergarten, and the hospital.
Misha (our resident caretaker at the Centre) had his son in the hospital when this took place as he had broken his arm which needed an urgent operation. Thankfully, he was safe and sent home to recover. The other 3 images are from Samotoivka and the school opposite where Pastor Andrew lives.
At the weekend, the team had to help Pastor Andrew and his family evacuate Samotoivka to Lebedyn where they are now safe. Bombing continued, and sadly many others had to be rescued on Monday, so Lebedyn now has many people from the church in Samotoivka staying there. Bohdan reported that many of the villages close to the border no longer exist as they have been destroyed. Many are fleeing, coming through Lebedyn to find safer places to live. On Wednesday night Okhtyrka was hit hard - before the war we had a church plant there. Bohdan’s fear is that if Okhtyrka falls the next town on the road to Kyiv is Lebedyn. Much prayer is therefore needed for safety.
The good news is that our long awaited aid truck has arrived. We are so grateful to Ukraine Aid who have helped get this to us, as it has been fraught with complications along the way. Now the team can help others in the region with some much needed supplies, although not sure this aid will last long!
Meanwhile, preparations to hold the camp next week are taking place. Bookings are full and over subscribed, and parents are keen for their children to come along. This week we were able to help the children’s team with some training which went down well.
Sadly, Ludmilla could not be with us. She has been part of the team that delivers the clubs and Sunday School within the church. We were told that she has been taken seriously ill with heart problems, but hospitals cannot operate as many are out of action due to the bombing. She has been given medication to help, but it is insufficient to help her situation. Ludmilla is the mother of Natahsa, a young lady we have supported for many years, and some might recall that because of her disability we were able to buy a house for them both to live in within Lebedyn. Ludmilla is Natahsa’s main carer, so the team are working out with the family how to help.
Pastor Sergey is still not well and unable to do much. He struggles to even walk and is very frail and weak. We continue to pray for him.
Despite all the trials of living in these terrible times, the team were in such good spirits. Life at the Centre is even busier due to additional refuges staying there and bringing a new need for more beds. All are excited about having the aid to help others and for the camp week ahead.
Please continue to pray for safety, a quiet week next week where no bombs and drones will affect what is being done, and for renewed energy for the team.
Thank you again for the many gifts and donations that have been coming through. They have been so timely, as are your prayers and support.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
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,
The image below is taken from the Kyiv Independent newspaper showing the devastation of Sumy city on Tuesday night. This is Sumy Hospital ablaze, after being bombed along with another hospital in the region. The borders of the county are being heavily hit and several villages have been taken. Lebedyn is still OK, but every day is noisy with military activity. Sadly, on Wednesday night Samotoivka was hit by 5 missiles with one directly hitting the school which is opposite to where Pastor Andrew lives, and less than 100 meters away from their house. We are working closely with them to work out what is next for them, as it could be too dangerous for them to stay.
As I write this update, we still have complications trying to get the aid from Lviv to Lebedyn, and are desperately trying to find a viable solution, because the law states it must be delivered within 12 days of arriving in the country otherwise there could be serious ramifications for the recipient. Please do pray for this.
Calls for help are growing and where we can we are helping. The bakery keeps very busy with supplies of bread, and other food has been baked for the soldiers who seem to be getting increasingly hungry. There has been a really cold spell of weather with snow again, so blankets have also been provided. All the seeds donated early in February had been given out, but there were many who still requested some, so we have cleared out stocks from local suppliers, and distributed these to many of the workers like teachers living in some of the outlying villages. These will be the last seeds we can purchase for this season.
Camp registration went really well, with numbers being over subscribed in just a few hours. The team, as always, have held back some places for refugee children coming into the area and for those that have been orphaned in the war. There will be new puppet shows, new craft making activities along with all the games they love so much. We are thankful that a new supplier of food has been found, but this has meant that there are increased food costs.
In the kids and youth club this past weekend the team made homemade hamburgers for them all. This was a huge hit! In the last teen home group Bohdan started to talk about God the Father, and what a father should be. The majority had not seen their father since the start of the war, some were orphans and some had never known a father. Many of the children felt abandoned and hurt that they had no relationship with a father. Bohdan said it was a tough meeting hearing the hurt and need of these young people.
Oksana (second from left in the photo below) has now officially adopted the 2 children, Nastia & Katya into her family, which is wonderful news after been forced to give them back to the authorities early this year. The church have fully got behind this and are supporting her.
In other team news, Pastor Sergey remains weak and unwell. He overdid things post his operation, and whilst out and about he has contracted flu quite badly. Lyuba is going on a long journey to visit her parents and her sister Alla. It will be the first time they have met in 3 years, so please pray for safety for them.
Bohdan received a call this last week from another Sergey. He is a young man that left shortly after the war with his parents, and has ended up in the Netherlands. Sergey went to the Centre to the clubs and attended a few camps where he gave his life to Jesus, and Bohdan had the privilege of baptising him before he left. He is now running the youth work in his church in Holland, and has asked Bohdan to help train him and let him have some of his resources! The same thing has happened in Greece with Nastia, who again is helping to run the youth work in a church near Athens. Even when people leave the area the legacy of this work continues.
Please do keep praying for the safety of the team and all they are doing. There is no doubt that things are tough, but they are not downhearted and continue to press on in this season of war. As always we really appreciate your support and kind gifts that have been coming in. These make it possible to send out extra funds so they can cover all the additional activities.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
