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Dear Friends,
This week has been quieter with camps finishing and with the general military activity in the region. We give thanks for this.
Bohdan was still enthusing on Wednesday as to how well the camp went last week, so thank you for your prayers around this. As there was a smaller number in attendance, it was easier to speak to and get to know them in a closer way. The young people were very open to listening to the content of the talks and asked many searching questions about their life struggles through this war. A good proportion of attendees have been made homeless due to the war, and have come to live in Lebedyn as there is spare accommodation.
One young man was quite angry, and clearly had a grudge against everything and anything. He was negative and struggled to understand the kindness of the team. Bohdan got alongside him to hear him say that he can never remember being given a gift as his family were poor, and now they were refugees. When at the end of the camp Bohdan gave him his present tears welled up in his eyes and he was so grateful. No matter how small the gift might be, something given in love like this can change a life and that is why we do so many camps weeks and so much work over the Christmas period.
The puppet theatre was a hit with them all, especially as they made it a little more like a drama theatre for this group. So many of them want to join the puppet ministry now, so Musical Sergey is going hold special workshops for them.
A number have now also joined either Bohdan’s or Valentine's homegroup Bible study, and they have also been along to the youth club on Friday nights. It is great to see so many young people in their “happy place”!
This coming Saturday, Bohdan and the team, along with the puppet theatre are going to visit a local school. They are opening especially on the Saturday for the last of the Christmas showing! Many children will not only receive a gift, but will hear the true meaning of Christmas.
Last week, I reported that the team planned a large service with over 400 attending. This went ahead and there were not enough seats for people to sit on (see pictures above and below). The visiting team brought along some aid which was much appreciated. Many asked for prayer, and stayed on to speak with people. There was so much sadness shared. The impact this war is having goes deep.
On Wednesday, Bohdan went to see Larisa’s new orphanage again in Synivka with a lady from the church called Oksana. She is in the middle of the picture below with Bohdan and Alla. This was taken last summer camp in the Carpathian mountains where we were able to go and meet them.
Oksana is a trained medic, but has a love for children. She only has one child, who is now a teenager very much involved within the church life in Lebedyn. There are two sisters in Larisa’s orphanage, Nastya age 11 and Katya age just 3 , who really need a home, especially after all they have gone through, so she has agreed to adopt them into her family. Please can we pray for her and all the orphaned children who are grieving the loss of parents through this war.
In our time together, Bohdan and I looked at what this year might bring, what work the team want to do, and the resources required. It is as ambitious as ever, and of course we never really know whether they can be achieved as it depends on the war situation within the region. We are now praying into this and wait to see what will happen.
We are pleased though to have confirmed that a truck of aid will leave here in a few weeks to go to Lebedyn, arriving early February. This is so needed and a great answer to prayer. Bohdan is excited about this, so we hope that all the plans and logistics around this are not delayed.
In closing, a reminder that I mentioned last week that we will be holding a service on Saturday 22nd February 2025 at Victoria Baptist church in Eastbourne to especially pray for Ukraine and the team in Lebedyn. This will be at 4.00pm.
This means that, war permitting, Bohdan will be speaking during the meeting. We hope that as many of you as possible will join us, but we also hope to have a live online link to the service for those not able to get to Eastbourne. We do need to know in advance if you are wanting to use this online facility.
Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers over these past few weeks. Your generosity has been amazing.
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 old Orthodox Christmas has come and gone in Ukraine, and at the same time the Winter Camp has been taking place. There was much concern as to whether we could deliver this camp, as over the New Year and preceding weekend, military activity in the region was, as Bohdan described it, the “biggest yet” over the past 3 years.
We planned for just 50 younger teens (10-14 yr olds) to attend, but as normal, more turned up and they ended up having 64 young people there. What has been amazing is at the time of writing this update, they have had no sirens again while the camp is happening. Bohdan said that the young people are brilliant, and want to have fun and enjoy everything. It has been one of the best weeks so far. Many children are refugees, coming from towns and villages near the Russian border to Lebedyn where it is a bit safer. All the children, like in other camps, tell stories of how the war is impacting their families, which are tough for the team to hear. There will be more news about this next week, but there are a few photos below of some of the activities they are all doing.
Aside from the camp, the team, as ever, have been busy. Last Friday, they visited another school to take presents and the puppet theatre to share the Christmas story. It was well received as you can from the photo at the top of the page.
After this they visited Larisa’s new temporary orphanage, and took them more bedding, fresh fruit and vegetables, and clothing – especially underwear!!. Larisa was so pleased for the help, and the children loved their presents and the puppet theatre. You can see from the images below, the new bedding is on the children’s bunk beds, and a weary Bohdan during the unloading of everything!
This past Sunday, Bohdan went over to Samotoivka to speak at their Sunday service. He then went up to the border (no images allowed) to meet with soldiers and to pray with them, as some had been at the Lebedyn church asking for prayer and support, and returned with three of Andrew’s children back to Lebedyn for the camp this week.
On Tuesday, they planned a special church service where another visiting speaker from a church which was destroyed in Mariupol would be coming to speak with a team along with Bohdan. Over 400 people turned up. Around 100 were associated to the church, but over 300 would have no Christian faith at all but were keen to hear what was going to be said. I think they were also hoping for some aid.
However, we are desperate for more aid to help within the community. We have several ongoing conversations happening, and I’m pleased to say that it looks like we will be having a large truck of aid going at the end of this month with all that we need on it. There are still a lot of logistics to sort out as its journey starts here in the UK, but there are a lot of customs and borders to cross to get it there on time.
As we start the journey through another year, we remain hopeful that peace will come to Ukraine in 2025. What that will look like is unknown, but we do know that the rebuilding, of not just buildings but lives, will take years to mend. February marks the 3rd year since the start of this phase of the war with Russia, and we will again be holding a special service to mark the occasion with Victoria Baptist Church in Eastbourne on Saturday February 22nd @ 4pm . We would love to see as many of our prayer partners as possible as we take time to reflect and pray into the future and share this time together.
Thank you for your support this Christmas. Financial gifts we received covered all the costs of the work the team were doing, which is amazing.
May you know God’s peace and blessing through this year.
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,
Happy new year! I trust you all had a great Christmas.
The run up to Christmas was busy with many children visited as planned. The puppet theatre was very active, and children loved the new shows that were performed depicting the Christmas story. At the Centre many children and youth came along, and were given gifts as you can see from the photos below.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day were tough, as you might have seen the reports of heavy military activity within Ukraine, and especially Sumy. Power stations were targeted through the region, which meant that on Boxing Day there was no power for the whole day. Thankfully, at the Centre the bakery team had been able to bake lots of goodies and treats to take to the soldiers and their families on Christmas Day. They were so grateful for the support.
Nearer the border, Pastor Andrew in Samotoivka spent the two days in a bomb shelter. Water supplies were also erratic which made life more difficult. Power is back on now and for several of the last few days they have had power all day. Despite there not being a bank holiday day off for Christmas, their Christmas Day service was still held, and well over 200 people attended. Bohdan and all the team were so surprised - in a good way!
Despite the difficult conditions, they still managed to hold services and help people every day. Many soldiers are coming to church now to be prayed for before they must return to the front-line. Igor is one of those soldiers who came to church this past Sunday. He lost several of his fingers in the war, but the army insist on him going back to fight, so he came to church for the first time for prayer before he leaves.
Below is Leila. She is a military Medic who Bohdan said is constantly on the front line dealing with seriously injured people the whole time. What she has witnessed has caused much mental and spiritual trauma. She often has suicidal thoughts and came along for prayer before she leaves again. God moved in her life as she came to faith and asked that God would be her protector. Bohdan has asked that we pray for her.
I mentioned in previous reports before Christmas, that Bohdan and some of the team planned to visit different towns and villages with the puppet show and gifts to share the Christmas story. On Monday, they visited Mykolaivka. This town is just 30km’s from the Russian border, and it is very dangerous there. The school is still very large with over 500 children registered for school and online learning. The journeys were hard, and what normally takes 45-50 minutes to do took over 2 hours! There were many bomb craters to avoid and the checkpoints were tougher and harder than usual. Driving through one of them caused some paintwork damage to the minibus as it was so tight getting through.
The school were nervous about having them visit due to the dangers around and so they asked parents if they would like for this to happen. It was a unanimous yes, and they met in the bomb shelter. It was full up with around 80 children, plus their parents. Many of the children have parents fighting away, or are refugees from living right on the border where fighting is at its fiercest. The children were given presents along with a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible. See the pictures below and at the top.
Interestingly, 3 of the young people in the puppet show team above are refugee children who have come to Lebedyn, and to the Centre for activities along with their parents. When they arrived in town, they were sent to the Centre for supplies and help, and have continued to come along.
However, on the way back at one of the checkpoints they did not ask for Bohdan’s papers but Valentin’s. They served him registered “call-up” papers which means he must go now to the military commission to try and fight for exemption. Valentine is only 22 years old, with the minimum age for fighting being 25. We hope that he will be freed from this “call-up” and Bohdan has asked that we pray for this as nothing is certain.
Today, they planned to visit another village closer to Lebedyn to meet with children to give gifts, aid and bring seasonal cheer with the puppet show. Please again pray for their safety in their travel. Next week is the winter camp. This will be more for the young teens and 50 are expected to attend, but as usual we are sure more will just turn up. These weeks are so impactful, so we pray that this will be able to be held, that there will be power, and there will be no sirens once again.
Bohdan shared with me on Tuesday that potentially there are new laws coming into effect that will protect Church Pastors and workers from having to go and fight. There of course will be caveats to how this will work, but it would be great to see this happen. I think the government is seeing how much the churches are doing to help communities. We again hope and pray that this might come into effect soon.
Reflecting on this past year, I think we all hoped and prayed that peace would happen and the killing would stop. The team in Lebedyn have been outstanding in their commitment to helping both physically and spiritually the needs of people in the Sumy region. They are living in extreme conditions, and as the year unfolded things have got worse. It would be easy to try and run and hide from all the problems around them. Instead, they remain committed to reaching out to those that are often abandoned, have lost everything, and have little hope for the future. Thank you all who have supported, prayed and donated through this past year. It has been humbling but encouraging to have your support, knowing that we are not alone in this journey. There is still much to do as we need to find more aid and supplies, find those that are living without any hope or contact with anyone else and to share the good news of Jesus through the pain and suffering. I’m sure 2025 will bring more new challenges, but we continue to pray most of all for peace and for this unnecessary war to end.
On behalf of the trustees of Hope Lebedyn - THANK YOU! And a happy and peaceful New Year!
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,
As Christmas draws ever closer, the team have been busy getting ready for all the planned events and have started their visitation programme. Below you can see some of the sweets all laid out ready to be packed. Aid taken over last week to Samotoivka was distributed to locals who are facing much need at this time.
The situation remains much the same within Lebedyn. Constant power outages, air raid sirens and missiles and drones flying over. Last Sunday night and last night were exceptionally bad, as drones circled over Lebedyn most of the night with children frightened as to what might happen with the noise of them being shot down.
School holidays have been pushed back until the 30th December so this has meant shifting the Christmas camp, which will now coincide with the old orthodox Christmas. Government changes have also meant that all holiday for workers over Christmas has been stopped - even on Christmas Day. This means that the church's traditional Christmas service will be held in the evening rather than the day.
The call for help is always there, and more institutions and organisations are asking Bohdan to take the Christmas celebrations to them. Last week, I mentioned that the team had been asked to visit a school for children with disability and learning difficulties, along with what is known as their local cultural centre. This is where children are taught in after school clubs; dance and music classes, and other activities take place. On Wednesday, Bohdan took the puppet theatre to both of these. As sirens still rang out, the shows and parties were held in bomb shelters. Bohdan said it was very sad to be in these places, but the children coped well and they loved all what happened. See the pictures at the top of the page and below.
Bohdan also met with the local director within local government responsible for refugees within the town. They have reached out and asked for help, including doing some special Christmas events at the Centre for refugee families. They are working out some dates and times. Aid is still being sought. Hopefully, we will hear about some further help in early New Year.
Vladamir continues to make good progress and is starting to feel much better. Oleg who suffered major trauma injuries as previously mentioned, is also making good progress and hopes to return home after Christmas.
On behalf of the trustees and the team in Lebedyn we would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
The video below was made by the team, and features the carol Silent Night. It shows pictures taken through the year and some of the devastation within the town and surrounding area.
There is no planned update next week unless there is something urgent to share. Normal service will resume in the New Year!
Please stand with the team with your prayers and support as you have done throughout this year. The level of support from all over the world has been staggering. Bohdan and the team are extremely grateful and humbled by this support.
Merry Christmas and a happy, blessed and peaceful New Year to you all.
Thank you!
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,
Thankfully, last week was much quieter which has been helpful with all the work going on.
They had an amazing time with the youth last weekend, they were at the Centre for much of the day, enjoying a safe space to be together. They participated in activities, ate together and explored the Bible. Bohdan said that it is a place they can forget about the war and be normal young people, as you can see in the pictures below. The children’s club continues weekly as well.
Last Monday, Bohdan and Farmer Sergey joined us for our Hope Lebedyn trustees meeting. It was humbling once again to hear the stories of need, how people are having to cope with very little and how the war is impacting them and their families. Inflation is rampant, taxes are increasing, aid is short and supply chains are challenging. Soldiers still seem willing to fight until the end, even with the growing death toll. However, Bohdan shared that many of the people are tired of the war. There are so many broken families, and everyday there is a military funeral in the town, everyone has had someone close to them who has died, housing is hard to come by, there is little work, and people are just trying to survive. The longer the war goes on, and the colder winter gets, the bigger these issues will be so they want to respond in the best way they can.
We asked what their greatest concerns and worries were. Having to leave Lebedyn was something Bohdan was worried about, along with the pain peace would cost Ukraine in the way of lost territories. Outside of protecting his family, Bohdan said that he would not want to have to leave the town. This is where God has called him to work and it would hurt to have to leave. He was concentrating on the good things he has seen in recent weeks, the way that children come together as normal through the activities within the Centre. Due to school’s not operating properly since the start of the war, children are forgetting how to engage with each other. This is why the camps are so helpful, as by the end they have all made friends as children should do. He also shared that it is amazing how God had kept them safe and the services they held have been full. People come to faith, and they have seen God at work in the hearts and lives of people.
As a trust we are committing ourselves to supporting in the best possible way navigating through difficult challenges for them. It was special to have time to pray together at the end just allowing them enough time to get back before curfew!
During the day on Monday, Bohdan had been to visit Pastor Andrew in Samotoivka where the situation continues to worsen. He loaded his car up with aid and help for those Andrew looks after. They also took a trip to visit people living close to the Russian border to see what help they needed. No photos were allowed in this area.
While he was with Andrew the team were visiting families that have children with special needs. They were glad to get some help and aid and an invite to come to the Centre to get some bread!
This week continues to be busy. The church held its normal Tuesday service for those that normally do not come to the church. Over 100 people turned up again and the bread proved popular. Whilst the parents were busy this young man in the photo clearly could not wait to sample the warm loaf, devouring most of it whilst his parents were busy talking. I’m not sure how popular he was when they found out!! Bohdan did not say.
Last Wednesday, they invited a further 65 refugee families to the church and Centre, where they were given aid and I imagine any bread left over. Last Thursday, the bakery team were busy baking “Ukrainian pies” to take to the soldiers guarding the town.
Gifts have been purchased for the children ready for the Christmas camp and activities. This week, they will visit a centre for children with learning disabilities and also another school on the outskirts of town that meets in a bomb shelter. Please pray for safety as they drive around.
Thank you all for your kind notes, gifts and encouragement through this past week. It has been amazing and we are truly thankful for those that are standing with the team in Lebedyn, not just financially but, more importantly, through regular prayer which has been so impactful. As Christmas gets ever closer, there will be a few festive things to cheer us all along in the weeks to come.
Thank you!
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,
I start the update this week with a special moment to celebrate. 25 years ago I was invited with my father-in-law to Moscow for conference with 650 pastors of churches who had led churches through much time of persecution in the former Soviet Union. It was there I was introduced to Pastor Sergey, and the rest is history! Today, we commemorated this moment with a special certificate recognising this milestone. Bohdan did the presentation, as you can see above, with me on video. It was an amazing time catching up and hearing more about the work, some of which formulates the information below.
Pastor Sergey shared that he is not enjoying this time and is ready to leave this earth. He is tired of the war. His contacts within the community are as great as ever and he shared that this year’s harvest was the worst one that they can remember. Poor weather, plus effects of the war in the region which left fields unharvested, mean that this will have a huge impact on food supply and prices. Salaries are decreasing and yet food prices continue to soar. One egg now costs the equivalent of 25 cents. Before the war it would have been only 3 cents. Bread prices similarly have increased, which makes the work done in our bakery even more important.
Sergey is concerned for his children and grandchildren. He has 9 children, soon to be 22 grandchildren, and a great grandchild on the way. He fears of what life will be in the days ahead. His granddaughter is training to be a doctor, but it is likely that once qualified she will have to go to the front-line. He told me that as Bohdan runs much of what goes on, he spends time walking the streets of Lebedyn to see which people need help.
This past week has seen increased power cuts, but less sirens which is better news. This has meant that the Lebedyn school has opened its door once again to rotating numbers, with the youngest being there more often. The maximum time is generally 3 hours, but they will only take around 40 children as this is all the bomb shelter can take. I asked Bohdan if numbers at the school had decreased with many families fleeing the area. Surprisingly, he said that if anything they had grown as more refugees come into the town, and village schools have been closed. Schools that are open are educating through the online learning system, even those who have fled to another country as officially they are still part of the school.
This week the bakery team had a week off as they are tired and they know that the coming Christmas period will be extremely busy. It is a well-deserved break.
Last week I reported that Egor’s stepfather, Oleg, would almost certainly lose his leg from the injury sustained when all his colleagues were killed. The good news is that a new doctor arrived at the hospital and tried a new treatment which has resulted in his leg being saved. What an answer to prayer!
Bohdan also did his trip to Mykolaivka to the small conference where children’s and youth workers met. It was around a 160km round trip which was tough at times with the state of the roads, but they had a good time. Previously, you would expect nearly 200 people attending, but sadly only 12 people were there this time. This shows how few are doing the work we are with young people in the whole of the county. They are coming to Lebedyn to meet next time, and every one of the leaders have asked for the puppet theatre to go and visit schools and institutions over Christmas. Bohdan is working out how this might be possible.
The other good news is that some aid has been delivered thanks to our friends within Mission Eurasia. 300 hygiene buckets and blankets arrived, which will be so useful especially for families and refugees arriving. The hygiene buckets have everything from toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soaps, sanitary wear etc. for a family. See pictures below.
I have also mentioned that Larisa and the orphanage have struggled in their new building. I can update that new windows have been purchased by another church in the region, and she has been able to find all the insulation required which is great news, but it needed to be fitted. Bohdan and the church motivated a team of 12 people to install it all at zero cost over 3 days. Bohdan has purchased food for the children which will supply enough fresh food for the next 2 months. They also delivered the bedding to the orphanage and will be making extra sets as more children are being given to her week by week.
This next week Bohdan will be taking aid over to Pastor Andrew in Samotoivka. This is now a dangerous journey, but we trust and pray for safe travel.
Below is a picture of Igor and his wife. They have an 8 month old baby. Igor was originally called up to fight with the army in the first part of the war back in 2014. He regularly attended the Centre until he was posted away. Recently he returned due to having a contusion to the brain because of a missile attack. He was deemed unfit to fight so was released from the army and sent home. Sadly, in 2022 when everything escalated, a bomb in Lebedyn destroyed their lovely home. The government have given them a tiny bungalow with barely a bedroom and little heating, and it is in poor repair. Bohdan said it is not good. The government are not paying him anything for his injuries and have stopped all pay. They are finding life very tough at the moment, so Bohdan has got alongside them and is helping them with aid, nappies etc. The new shipment of aid came in just after they had visited, so Bohdan has told them to come in to collect some of the new aid available. Here they are below.
Sadly, Igor's story is one of many more like this. Thankfully, the team help where they can and try to make a difference, which is why getting aid is so important right now. We are still working on getting further supplies.
Still one of the greatest opportunities we have to help is through Christmas. The team are busy planning and preparing for this busy season with camp weeks, children’s parties, puppet shows and visitation within the town.
Thanks to your help and financial support we can do so much, and if you would like to donate to help with the presents, the camp, and now the visits to other schools and villages in the region, please do check for the details on how to give on our support page by clicking here.
Thank you for your support and prayers
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,
Over the past few days I have been receiving texts from Bohdan which are not that encouraging with the situation in the Sumy region. Firstly came the message “Good evening! This week has been very difficult, there are constant explosions near us, the house is shaking.”
Every day and night drones and missiles fly over and we have seen on the news that record numbers are being launched. Bohdan also shared that the children have been getting increasingly anxious with this situation. Zoryana is not sleeping well, and even when a door slams there is fear of what it might be. Bohdan said that so many people are leaving the town, yet still more arrive from the big cities. Inevitably, all of this affects the power in the region, and on Tuesday power was off all day at Bohdan’s house. They have been told that power will now be rationed throughout the winter.
The texts carried on saying ……”Thank you for your prayers and organizing prayer support for us. For us, this is a matter of life and death. Constant rocket attacks make life here unbearable. In our city, almost every day there are funerals for soldiers. And almost always we know these guys because they are my age. It is hard for me, and for us in general.” Yet the team continue with all the challenges to meet the needs of those they are engaging with.
Bohdan’s next text stated …………”But, we held services… and still did our ministry and work. Also, thank you for the prayers, Volodymyr Pavlovich (Vladimir) was in church. He is still weak but it is good for him to be with us.”
You can see him in the picture below. He is so thin and the doctors will not perform surgery until he is stronger.
Last Sunday evening, the youth still met, had a pizza supper, played games, but also held their youth service.
Bohdan received his papers back from the military commission which gives exemption until early February, when he will have to go through all this again. Constantly changing laws are making it difficult for men to escape fighting, and we need to keep the team in our prayers about this.
The team have been able to deliver food to the soldiers’ families. They were so appreciative, as it would appear that the families are living in very poor conditions with little help and support. They also delivered “pies” from the bakery that the team had been busy baking! The sewing team have had the new linen supplied, and are currently making lots of bed sheets for Larisa’s orphanage and other institutions they have come across needing help in the region. It is becoming a full time operation!
Plans for the Christmas campaign are going well. There are plans to visit several places in the region where children are based with the puppet theatre and giving gifts. There are special places for those with disabilities, who have long term health needs such as cancer, hospitals, and another orphanage that would like for the puppet theatre to visit and to give gifts. Bohdan is going to try and make this happen. For security reasons we will not be able to say where and when these are taking place, but will be able to report afterwards. Thank you to those that have given generously, money has been transferred so they can get things ready for Christmas as this is a complex thing nowadays. Culturally, Christmas is not as big for them as Easter, and this year the government is stating that there is no time off for Christmas or New Year, and that everyone continues to work.
The Centre roof will be fixed by the end of the week, which is great news, after the last worker who was well known to the Centre was taken suddenly to fight on the front line. We have also been put in touch with a supplier of aid, and hopefully we will be able to get some down to the Centre.
For those that stand regularly in prayer with us please can we pray for:
Thanks again for continued support and prayers for all that is happening. I still find it incredible the amount they can do in times of adversity. Truly amazing.
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 saw the 1,000th day of this war pass. The devastation, cruelty, grief, and needless suffering that has happened through this time is immeasurable. Hundreds of thousands have been killed and many more seriously injured. Over 70% of all families have been displaced from their original homes. Men are living in fear knowing that a call-up to fight is like receiving a death sentence. The mental impact to families and especially the children, is horrendous and will have an impact for many years.
At the weekend Sumy region was hit by more bombs and missiles than at any other time. You may see some of the videos on the BBC app if they are still there. Bohdan knew of several friends who had houses and property damaged. The pastor of the large church in Sumy had his car damaged by a bomb blast. The city itself is like a ghost town, with once bustling streets empty with only rubble and damaged property to look at. Lebedyn still remains relatively untouched. The town is in a valley which makes it hard for missiles to reach, but drones are a constant threat. The biggest fear is for men in the town as road check points and soldiers walking the streets try to forcefully get people to go and fight, often ignoring exemption papers. This has meant that the work and ministry of the team has had to remain local.
Despite all the above, the team have, with ingenuity, been able to maximise this opportunity to help others. They asked people to come to the Centre, and more people came than expected. Power outages have been constant, but quite miraculously the bakery on Tuesday was able to operate and bake 350 loaves. People came to collect these and very soon they ran out.
While the heavy bombing was happening in Sumy city, the youth group still met at the Centre and spent time praying for their friends. The photos at the top and below show the during their time together. It was such a powerful image to see them doing this.
Home groups continue, as well as children’s & youth clubs, computer classes, Sewing ministry, puppet show practices ready for Christmas, as well as all the church meetings. We are thankful for the generators that enabled all of this to happen as they were used quite often!
People are still turning to the team and Centre for help and aid, although stocks are all but gone. However, the community rally together and a few remnants are found to give help (See photo below). Whilst we spoke together this week on our regular weekly video call, Bohdan’s phone went several times with people needing help. One of the neediest areas are the military families. After many months of searching I was connected whilst writing this update, to someone in Kyiv who believes they can help us access aid and get it all delivered into Lebedyn. This is a genuine offer, so we will now explore this further. We are not sure of the costs and details yet, but I feel genuinely encouraged after to speaking with them.
Another of the growing concerns is around the movement of funds into Ukraine banks. Bohdan had his bank account frozen a few weeks ago, and although quickly sorted, it highlighted a whole list of new regulations enforced. Now every account has a capped limit on what you can transfer internationally, with personal accounts being hit the hardest. As many people deal only in cash there is also a limit as to what you can draw out. This could cause some issues, so we are looking into this to plan for the future needs. However, all the funds are safe and it does not affect Hope Lebedyn’s UK or USA bank accounts. Please pray that we can sort this out as we think there are some good solutions available.
We also spent the past few days planning for the Christmas season. The plan is to hold a winter camp for slightly older children, and then have special day events for the younger ones where the puppet theatre will present a new show and a party for the little children. This is safest way to do this for this year. We hope to reach out to 100 children through the camp, and 400 children through the special events where they will all get a Christmas gift. As last year we expect this to cost between $11-12,000 as each gift will cost around $10. Already some funds have been received, and are being transferred to help with some of the cost, so we pray that these will all be able to go ahead.
Thank you all as well for the gifts that have come in since the last email with the needs shared. Everything has been covered which is amazing.
Lastly, in recent updates we have prayed for a young man called Egor. He is being mentored by Bohdan as he desperately wants to become a pastor of a church like Bohdan as soon as he is able! Wednesday he received news that his stepfather was quite seriously injured whilst fighting on the front line. All his comrades alongside him did not survive. Egor and Bohdan have asked that we pray for his stepfather to recover quickly. His name is Oleg.
Thank you all for your continued help, support and prayers. I know the team really appreciate it. We hope and pray that peace will come soon to Ukraine.
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 has been another difficult week, but the team remain resilient. Some of you will have read that, with the help of the North Korean army, the Russians are trying to win back Kursk and in doing so are targeting Sumy region much harder. This week the level of drones and missiles flying over has significantly increased.
This had an impact on the bakery, as when the bread was baking a drone must have hit or affected the local power station, cutting off supply to the Centre. Whilst the generators kicked in for the buildings, they are not man enough to power the bakery itself, so baking had to be abandoned halfway through. Below you can see that still over 150 loaves were given out, and the rest of the dough was bagged up and given to those that could bake at home. Nothing is wasted!
The power issue has become quite a problem, as this last attack caused a massive power surge into the new building, and sadly the protection they used was not sufficient, and therefore it blew the fuseboard and the PA sound desk irreparably. The whole damage will cost around £1,250 to get right again. Bohdan is very concerned about the buildings as the new activity centre he says is the best looking building in the county so he fears that this will become a target. He has asked for specific prayer for their safety at this time.
Following last week’s scare with Bohdan, the authorities have asked for him to submit his papers once again to gain exemption. He has had to send them because of the danger of driving there, as there have been some more slight changes in rules, and if papers are not right and he was stopped when travelling he could be commandeered into the army immediately. It is now becoming unsafe for people to get about locally due to the roadblocks and instant taking of people to go and fight. Alexander is one such person. He is studying to gain his master’s degree and has just turned 25. He attended summer camps and the youth work regularly so text Bohdan to see if he could help. He was driving around town and although he had exemption papers he was taken, and within 40 minutes taken away for training. His young wife and toddler are distraught.
Bohdan was due to visit the Kursk border with a friend to help with visiting the wounded and taking some Bibles, aid and encouragement. This has not been able to happen. Instead, the team are busy with all other things they can do. Musical Sergey has been not only doing the computer workshops, but, as you can see in the photo at the top of the page, has also been helping the elderly in training them with mobile smart phones as well as computers, as this is how communication will happen with sirens and alerts.
They are still doing Bible distribution into the villages by posting them to people that have requested copies, and continue to give them away at the Centre.
Larisa and her orphanage have been very quiet of late. She had hoped to repair the bomb-damaged building, but now Sumy is under such heavy attack the government have given her a building in another village in Sumy Oblast, but some way away from Sumy city. We cannot report the location, but sadly the building where they are was an old government care home and in not good repair. There is no heating, no insulation, with paper thin external walls. In addition, funding has been cut so even buying food is a challenge. Larisa has been able to purchase insulation for the walls, but needs to find a builder and the funds to be able finish this work. Most trained able-bodied men are away fighting. Bohdan cannot get a team of volunteers together for the same reason, and also it is not safe to drive that far away. All her bedding and things were destroyed in the previous building when the bombs hit, so we have committed to look at buying food for the next 2 months and get the sewing team on the bedding. As there are 45 children in her care in Ukraine (plus the others in Austria) this cost will be around £2,000.
The team remains in good spirits. They are not down beat in any way, but are doing whatever they can to help those in need and to share the love of Jesus in every way they can. Thank you for your continued support and prayers. It is greatly appreciated.
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,
We start with the good news that the Autumn Camp finished well. Bohdan said it was one of the best yet. Throughout the week they expected sirens and even bombs, but once again there were none through all the time they were together. At night, there would be activity, but thankfully this did not put off parents sending their children.
A short video showing you some of the fun and activities of the children can be found by clicking on this link which takes you directly to our Hope Lebedyn YouTube channel - I'm crafted - Autumn Camp 2024 - Hope Lebedyn
This week the team have had a quieter week as many have gone down with seasonal colds. Away from Lebedyn, the Sumy region, and especially the village of Samotoivka, have been hit badly. There is constant noise of bombs exploding. The fighting along the border is getting quite fierce and dangerous. Bohdan has been asked to go towards the border, under escort, to visit soldiers that are fighting on the front line to pray and give encouragement. We cannot report as to when and where for obvious reasons, but please do continue to pray for Bohdan as he reaches out to help.
The new badges that have been made have arrived and been given out as you can see above (faces must be blotted out when showing pictures of soldiers in uniform).
The team have also been helping military families with aid which has been much appreciated.
Within Ukraine, and not just in Sumy, there has been a growing problem and concern as to how people are conscripted to join the army. There are disturbing stories we are hearing, where unofficial roadblocks by mercenary bounty hunters will stop vehicles and take those men who are of the right age to train and fight, even if they have proper exemption papers. They will try to then extort ransom money for release, and they usually still end up handing them over to the army.
Another organisation who we link to have reported just this week of such an event happening. I will call them Sergey and Anna, to keep anonymity. They were heading to another city to teach, but they were stopped by one of these groups en-route. Sergey is a theologian/Pastor, and he and Anna are newlyweds. They were about to be inducted as a new pastor of a church near Kyiv this Sunday. Sergey had his papers with him proving his exemption, but they could/would not verify these so took him away to a secret holding place with no phone or anything to contact his wife. They then demanded money for his release. They have a lawyer and many other prominent people trying to help, but recent information is that he has been transferred to “repair tanks” and then possibly the front line.
Sadly, I report that Bohdan too has been caught up in this action this week. He had Monday as a day off and walked up the road to see a neighbour on the street where they live. A police car pulled alongside to ask for his papers. He had them at his house a few yards away, but they would not let him go back to get them. He was taken to Sumy City to the army headquarters/military commission to be processed to go and fight, but he knew some of the military people there as he had helped them and their families. Because the police said they caught him on the street he was charged with being out without his papers, and must go to the military court on Thursday. Svetlana, the lady I wrote about in the summer in a report, who owns the local bakery and is also a lawyer, offered her services to help Bohdan and their hope was that he would be able to walk free, or probably have a fine of around $400. However, just last night, I had an update to say that Svetlana knew all the procedures and the people who detained him. She wrote to them firmly to say that if they were to continue with a prosecution she would take them personally to court over this and she would win! Apparently her reputation goes before her!! They wrote back to her yesterday morning to say that they would forgive Bohdan not having his papers on his body as his papers were in his car for when he went out.
We have one relieved and thankful Mission Director, along with me!! So, normal service resumes but it shows how dangerous and unsafe it is to be out and about.
The roofer who has been contracted to fix some holes and water damage caused by bombs at the start of the war did not turn up for work after he started last week. It transpires he too has been whisked off, and Bohdan thinks he will be on the front-line in two weeks.
Generators have now all been installed so the Centre can be fully functional when power cuts out. There are two generators as below that work off gas or conventional fuel, and one solar powered generator that powers the office.
The work within the sewing team goes from strength to strength. Bedding has been taken to both Lebedyn and Sumy hospitals, and to a local orphanage which had very little bedding left.
Some better news to end this update with. For many months Lena (administrator volunteer within the Centre) has been struggling with her son having been killed in the war, and her husband struggling with cancer. Two months ago her husband was transferred to Sumy Hospital as he was told he had just days left to live. He had been bed bound for many weeks. Bohdan visited them over the weekend, and to his surprise, found he was up and about, so they went out for a walk together. He was weak but he is getting stronger day by day!
Gala was someone else I mentioned, as she too had been diagnosed with cancer and awaiting an operation. That has successfully happened, but she now must go through a chemotherapy course. She has three young children, the youngest being just 2 years old.
We have mentioned in recent updates about Vladmir who too is unwell, but able to get out now. Over the weekend he was driving to Okhtyrka, but his car broke down. Being weak, and it being quite a dangerous area, he did not know what to do. Some soldiers were nearby, but they are not supposed to help. He got out of the car to chat to them and the young soldier said to let him have a look as he knew about car engines. He managed to fix the car. Vladimir thanked him and the solder said, “No - thank you! I recognised you when I saw you get out of the car. You are Vladamir?” It transpired that this young soldier grew up in Lebedyn and came to one of the camp weeks held at the Centre, and Vladamir was helping and on team then. The camp must have been many years back, but a bond was forged and this soldier was able to help him in his time of need because the camp had a deep impact on his life.
We do not know the full effect the camp weeks have on the children. These are an oasis of fun, laughter and friendship as children of all ages gather together. They will also hear of a hope that is not found in guns or war. We now press on to plan for the Christmas programme!
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
