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Dear Friends,
On Wednesday 9th March, we received the devastating update that a big bomb had gone off within the centre of Lebedyn, destroying both the local police station and other buildings. Thankfully there were no major casualties, but our Mission Directors house shook with the blast. The impacts have mainly been felt on electrical, gas, lights and communication areas meaning that internet is now down.
Outlying areas have also been severely impacted, with fighting now beginning to intensity. We have also been informed that the nearby village of Vorozhba has been captured and badly damaged. Many have been killed beaten, where houses have been looted and the Russian troops are burning homes.
Shining light into the darkness of war
Our team in Lebedyn have been helping with the army and resistance to provide supplies, bedding, mattresses and pillows to enable them to have some quality rest.
Furthermore, our Mission Director received the opportunity to preach today as the church gathered together, both with familiar faces and new ones joining together! As we’ve mentioned before, people are seeking answers and hope and it gives the team an amazing opportunity to share the gospel amidst sheer darkness. In fact, our Mission Director had been informed that a previous team members son-in-law has recently come to faith. Furthermore, his daughter has recently given birth to a baby boy – the first war-time baby in their local hospital. Therefore, we celebrate in new life physically and spiritually!
God’s faithful provision
Finding food and drink has been a real struggle for the team and many have tried to scavenge for food as they are now very hungry. Thankfully, our Mission Director was able to access food, including bread and milk, to help feed lots of the community. We are not sure how and we truly believe it’s a miracle from God – much like how He provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness!
Supporting a local orphanage in Ukraine
You may have remembered the story we shared in a previous blog post on the 28th of February about a beautiful story of children in a local orphanage seeking refuge through God’s Word. When the bombing within the Sumy region became really intense, the director of the orphanage asked the children to take just one thing with them as they sought shelter in a bunker. After the children were all settled, she asked them what they all took in. One by one, around 50 children pulled out the same thing... a new Bible, we gave them over Christmas.
This same orphanage shared their news story as part of the BBC news feature yesterday evening on Wednesday 9th March.
Through this TV news feature, we’ve got to witness some incredible responses and connections arise to help support the local orphanage who are seeking safety, food and necessary supplies during this time.
As a ministry, we will continue to be working with them to support the children and leader. We’ve been able to send funds across from our appeal fund to help them purchase food, medicine, supplies and also pay for necessary transport to enable herself and all the children to get to safety. We will continue to monitor her evacuation and try and ensure they arrive at a safe destination.
Please continue to also keep this orphanage and leader in your prayers. Thank you again for all your support and through this appeal fund, we are able to help use it to continue the work we started in peacetime.
Please pray for the team
When I spoke with our Mission Director, he said he was tired. Not physically, but emotionally and mentally exhausted. Please pray for him, his wife (currently 5 months pregnant) his family and also the whole team. Please pray for God’s peace to be a source of strength for all the team.
Please also keep our translator’s family in your prayers. Her parents and grandmother are still in Lebedyn, and she fears greatly for their safety.
In the midst of the darkness, we thank God for his provision and for where light continues to shine amidst the darkness. In fact, our Mission Director has been able to rescue two young women who have escaped from a Russian occupied village, providing them with accommodation somewhere safe and with food.
Our Musical Director and his wife send their love and greetings, as do all the team out there. Thank you for keeping them in prayers and for all your generous support.
My thanks again for all your continued support and prayers,
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer, please confirm that you would like to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Urgent support required:
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 to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Dear Friends,
As we mentioned in our last update to you, Lebedyn was under siege and bombs had taken out both the electrical and water supply. We were able to find out through a friend that everyone was ok. However, through the night fuel stations and phone masts were knocked out with bombs.
Our translator who is located in Poland was able to miraculously make contact with her mother who was told that she was safe and that the bombs had gone to facilities rather than civilians. They have heard that one house situated next to one of these facilities has now been bombed as well but they were unsure of casualties.
Furthermore, this morning on the 5th of March, we woke up to the unfortunate news that planes have been bombing Lebedyn all night with over 60 big explosions. There was a small electric substation very near to the Centre that was targeted heavily and unfortunately is now destroyed.
The bombing from this has affected the Centre and whilst it has not specifically been bombed, the building itself has felt the full force of the explosions, blowing out of all the windows and doors and leaving a devastating impact inside. Currently the new building is fully intact which we are thankful for.
Some of the team that are able to come to the Centre are now assessing and clearing away all of the damage. They are also coming together to pray. Please also join us in prayer for the city of Lebedyn and wider Ukraine and for their safety. The situation in Lebedyn is now very desperate. Unfortunately, it is now no longer inexperienced soldiers but fully trained ruthless soldiers who are now fighting.
Below are two pictures from our Musical Director and his wife who are now taking refuge in a bomb shelter. These pictures tell the reality of this story.
Our Mission Director has said that the best thing we can do right now is pray. He also added that that they have never felt closer to God then right now. The team have given away everything they have to share with others.
Please also continue to keep our Mission Director and his family in your prayers. His wife is currently 5 months pregnant and needs constant food and water. Please pray for her health and protection also.
Please also keep praying for them in Lebedyn as there is still much fighting tonight and the lack of food and water is of great concern.
My thanks to you all for your continued prayers and support.
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer, please confirm that you would like to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Urgent support required:
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 to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Dear friends,
Firstly, thank you so much for all your continued support both through your generous donations and through standing alongside us in prayer.
We were able to host a prayer meeting yesterday with our local church, with many coming together united in prayer for Ukraine, the team and the ministry of Hope Lebedyn. However, whilst I was hoping to start this update with positive news, I sadly received a call around 6.45pm yesterday evening from our interpreter to inform us that Lebedyn had just been bombed.
This is devastating news and has meant that not only has all the electricity for the town been taken out and houses are now left without any water, but the bombings of the existing petrol stations now means that there is no way for people to leave the local area. Subsequently we have found out that telephone masts and fuel stations have also been destroyed through bombing.
This is terrible news. Many Russian troops are amassing for what they think will be a large-scale attack on the town. We have prayed and will continue to pray for their protection within the town. Please also join us in prayer for their safety and for communication with the team out in Lebedyn to be restored soon.
Amidst the devastation, the team are still continuing to shine God’s light in the darkness. Yesterday our Mission Director informed me that the team continue to be busy responding to the needs of the community around them. Hope Lebedyn’s mission to practically support and care for the community continues, with God’s love being poured out to each individual, family and orphaned child they come into contact with.
In fact, a local orphanage who the team had been supporting, were running low on food to feed over 50 children living within their orphanage. The team were able to help support them with supplies for the next few days.
Please also see below some pictures from our Mission Director helping to deliver food to the troops. This photo was not taken on the front line as that was not permitted. He also helped find a bakery to purchase food and then deliver these to the very needy. They have also been supplying medical supplies to the wounded.
We ask you to continue to pray for the team, their work and for their safety. For food and water to be found and that we do have a complete humanitarian disaster in the area.
Thank you so much for your continued support and please continue to visit our website for more news updates. To support the team and ministry at this time, please visit our support page on the website or our Stewardship page below.
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer, please confirm that you would like to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Urgent support required:
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 to reclaim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Update:
Dear friends,
Thank you all for your support and prayers for the team and ministry of Hope Lebedyn.
As Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn, I have been in regular contact with members of the team in Ukraine. Every day there are updates and news, but we continue to pray for their safety and for peace.
Despite this incredibly challenging time, the team continue to shine light amid the darkness. The team had been made aware that many Ukrainian troops, reservists and volunteers on the edge of Sumy did not have any food. The team took the initiative, joining together to assemble meals which they then delivered to the military unit which was under siege. They were so grateful, and the ministry team still continue to shine His light. As the Gospel of John boldly proclaims, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5)
As of the 27th of February, at 7.30am GMT (9.30am Ukraine time), we have been informed that the team are alive despite the heavy fighting and shooting that took place all night. In the morning, those who were able to gather together in the church, joined together in fervent prayer. Please also join us in praying for their safety.
However, the darkness continues to loom, and the team and families have been taking shelter in their homes trying to seek refuge in bomb shelters, continually unsure of what will unfold moment to moment. We were also informed that an unexploded bomb was in a friend’s garden less than 1km away from where our Mission Director lives.
Tonight, at our church prayer meeting within our local church, we were able to have a Zoom conversation with the Mission Director and his wife. It was an immensely precious time where we were able to hear so much more first-hand than we are receiving on the news. They were late logging on as gunfire was in the area and they needed to keep the lights off so that it would not bring attention to their house. They are at peace with everything and not panicking. Here were some of the key things the team shared:
Food shortage
Unfortunately, there is now no food in the shops, meaning the local community and neighbouring towns are now struggling to feed their families. The team have now managed to acquire a tanker of milk from a local farm to help feed families this morning!
Testimony – Children’s faith in the midst of darkness
At the end of the meeting, they shared a beautiful story. There was an orphanage nearby which was uncovered around 8 years ago where the adults had abandoned it leaving the children to fend for themselves. This was due to a change in rules relating to running orphanages post the Euro cup in 2012. The orphanage has since been transformed and our team have been working alongside the leader to provide food, run a Summer camp there and regularly perform our puppet theatre shows to young children there.
Unfortunately, the bombing around Sumy this week became really intense so the leader of the orphanage has said to all the children that they could all take just one thing with them to the bunker to take shelter. When all were settled, she asked them what they all took in. One by one 55 children all pulled out the same thing. It was a new Bible we gave them over Christmas. It is the Ukraine translation of the Jesus Story Book Bible. The children prayed for a long time. They remembered all that had been taught through the puppet ministry and it has stayed in their hearts. We all wept when we heard this.
The above could have only happened through the faithfulness of the supporters to Hope Lebedyn who raised $10,000 to purchase the 2,000 bibles. We pray that the others that have been given out will make the same difference.
If there are ways you are able to continue to support the team and ministry at this time, please visit our support page on the website or our Stewardship page below.
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
As we woke this morning (Thursday 24th Feb), alerts came in that Russia had started its invasion of Ukraine. We have been devastated to hear this news.
I have spoken to our team this morning and Lebedyn has not yet come under attack which is good news. However, there is clearly fear of what might happen in the coming days and weeks as everything is so uncertain at this time. Sumy, the nearest major city, has received some shelling but at this point the extent of the damage is unknown.
The most powerful weapon we have in our armoury is prayer. Therefore, we ask each one of you to stand in unity to pray for this situation.
Please pray for:
The consequence of war is that it affects the people in so many ways. Inflation, food shortages and break down in communications and systems are just a few of the devastating effects. There will also be the mental anguish and grief for loved ones who will end up being casualties.
We remain committed to supporting and helping them in as many practical ways possible. If you think you could help us by donating to us, we would be so grateful. Please go to our page to support the ministry work here.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
Peter Martin
Founding director – Hope Lebedyn
Hi everyone! On behalf of all the Hope Lebedyn team, we wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Within this month's news blog, we wanted to share a video from some of the Hope Lebedyn team thanking you for all your incredible support. If you scroll down, you'll also get to read the first ever release of our Annual Report, where you'll hear about all the exciting things we've been up to this year!
Thank you so much for joining us on this journey. We believe that the best is yet to come as there is much work to be done to help alleviate poverty and see live changed. We give thanks for God for all His provision for this past year.
Hope Lebedyn Annual Report: October 2020 to 2021
The world has seen so much change and impact through a global pandemic and we were concerned about how this might affect the work of the Mission Centre in Lebedyn. Well... we didn’t need to be!
As you read this report, we hope that you will see just how much favour we've experienced in our ministry during this past year. We were able to introduce an Autumn camp programme for the first-time, courtesy of Spring Harvest, and as part of the tithe we received through their online event offering.
What's more, our new Ministry Activity Centre has opened its doors and lots of evangelistic activities have already been taking place - with lots more camps, activities and events to come.
So, as we reflect over the last year, we hope you'll find encouragement and fresh hope as we rejoice in his faithful provision and continue to believe for God to continue working through Hope Lebedyn, as we care for the poor, needy and hopeless in Ukraine.
Read our Annual Report for October 2020-2021 below and download our digital version to read and share with friends and family too!
Thank you for all the support. Love from Bohdan and the team.
Can you believe it?
A dream that God birthed in our hearts two years ago has almost reached completion!
If you’ve been following along with us on throughout this entire project, you might remember our blog post back in December when this building was completely non-existent, and we were just getting started!
While the journey hasn’t always been an easy one, we’re so excited to show the incredible progress that has taken place over the last six months.
So, get ready!
The early beginnings:
These photos were taken back in early December when we were first preparing the ground for the new Ministry Activity Centre!
Battling the wintery weather:
Despite the snow and icy cold conditions, the building project continued!
The Ministry Activity Centre today:
It’s now early June and the new centre is almost ready for action. Here are some of the most recent photos of the building programme! The new Mission Activity Centre, set to be completed in August, will provide vital new space to carry out children, youth and family-related evangelistic projects.
The centre has been freshly painting in vibrant colours, in preparation to open its doors to lots of youth and children who will be attending our annual summer camps!
Next steps:
Of course, while we celebrate all the progress that’s already taken place, the building project isn't yet fully complete, with development inside the building now underway.
You’ll also see in this photo to the left that the loft space is open and now ready for insulating!
So, please do join with us as we pray for the new Ministry Activity Centre to be completed by August this year, enabling us to carry out three summer camps, a youth camp and youth days that will be held this summer.
We look forward to updating you with the building project over the next few weeks!
Thank you for all the support. Love from Bohdan and the team.
We love keeping you updated with all the amazing stories and testimonies that follow from all great work that the Hope Lebedyn team carries out locally and regionally!
While we often give you updates through blogs, we thought we would make his blog post a little different and share a few videos looking back on some of programmes and initiatives that have taken place over recent years.
Winter and Summer Camps - The Winter and Summer Camps are truly life-changing, where our team help to share the Good News and provide hope and joy to so many children who participate in these camp programmes! You can see some of this fun in action during our Summer Camp in 2019 below.
Inclusive Centre Winter Camps - Our work also focuses on supporting those with additional needs and therefore this camp, along with our visits throughout the year to this centre, will always hold a special place in our hearts.
We love seeing each child's face light up and although these children don’t always understand what we are talking about, they always see and feel our love and care!
Our visits and annual Winter Camps held at this centre also bring so much hope to the parents and grandparents of these children, who are then able to hear about the love of God!
You can watch our Winter Camp hosted in the Inclusion Centre in 2019 below, hopefully you’ll be able to get a glimpse into the joy and hope it brings to each child who joins us!
Thank you for all the support.
Love from Bohdan and the team.
We wanted to share a little update on our recent visits to some local schools and orphanages. By God’s mercy, we were able to visit different educational establishments and provide joy and hope through our puppet shows, gifts and seeds distribution!
Through our Seed ministry, we are able to give away seeds to very needy families in the area to enable them to bring in a harvest that they wouldn't normally have. You can read about some of these wonderful stories from our visits below.
Hryntsevo Village School – The children and the teachers made us feel so welcome during our visit. A lot of children at this school are from very poor families and therefore the seed distribution was a great help for them and their families!
Shtepivka Orphanage - All the children at this orphanage were so happy to see us! The last time we had the opportunity to visit them was 1 year ago. The children, the teens, the young people and the teachers watched the puppet show with lots of interest! After the show, they invited us to stay longer for the fellowship. It was a really great and special time.
Pedagogical Centre – On the 3rd of March, we visited the Pedagogical Centre, where we showed the programme to the teachers union. They gave us lots of positive feedback! The performance touched their hearts very much and it encouraged them to think about their lives and also eternity.
Larissa's Rehabilitation Centre for Children - Many children at this centre have suffered from lots of fear and hate. Our visit was so important in reminding them that their hope is in Jesus Christ. Every time we get to visit them, we really get to understand and witness how God works in the hearts of these children!
During this time, we also held two special events - one event aimed towards supporting people with additional needs and a second event where we held an English class specifically for mothers and their children.
It was so wonderful holding an event for those with additional needs, where we were able to provide special attention and care to those who really needed it was also able to bless them with seed sets at the end.
The English class was also very successful. We had such a lovely time, everyone openly received everything e offered them and the atmosphere was so friendly and warm! We got to talk about Anna as a true mother from the Bible. It's a very important topic for mothers and how to trust God. At the end we gave them little presents. Such meetings help us to "build the bridge" for fellowship and spreading Good News.
Thank you for all the support.
Love from Bohdan and the team.
During the Christmas holidays, we were able to visit some educational establishments with the Good News and provide them with presents!
Of course, the current coronavirus situation has caused some difficulties for us, however, by God's mercy we were able to serve God through supporting our children and adults. While many different sponsors refused to visit because of the pandemic, we ensured we made our visits, all the while operating in a safe manner. It was such a great opportunity to display God's love and not give up despite the situation. It helped show them Christ's love will never give up, no matter what!
Hryntsevo school – Since Autumn, the children have continued to ask about our puppet show visits. We have visited this particular school a few times before and every time we visit the children become more and more involved in what we try to share with them! They are continually wanting to learn more about God and happily answer all our questions! After all the performances, the children love sharing what they’ve learnt, and we are so happy with their knowledge!
Also, after the performance, one boy Artem whose mother has an alcohol addition, came up and asked for our telephone number. He wanted to keep in contact with us so he could call and ask any question or when he will need encouraging word.
Rehabilitation Centre for children (Суми) – This is always a place where we are warmly welcomed. It was very important to show to the children how Christmas is much more than just family holiday celebration and receiving presents. Unfortunately, many of these children don't have families who can be with them and give them presents and that's why the good news that Jesus was born for everybody no matter who you are was very encouraging for these children's little hearts!
Inclusive centre for disabled children - These children can't really understand what we are talking about, they can only feel our love and care, and they love presents! Our most important hope during our work here is that the parents and grandparents of these children can hear about God. The hope, which given by Jesus Christ, helps them to keep going and not give up in difficult situations!
Megyrych school - The children who attend this village school are always so excited for our visits! They were very active and attentive, and it was a wonderful way to share about the real meaning of Christmas, as well as love of our Saviour with both the children and teachers there!
Since our winter camp is only for teenagers, we prepared a big Christmas event for all the younger children and their parents on the 24th of December. Children and parents were able to participate in some fun competitions and games we prepared! The children who attend our clubs also got to perform songs and drama performances etc. It was also a great opportunity for parents to see the children had been learning during their time without through the year. The atmosphere of the event was so nice and it felt like one big family! Parents sang with their children, took part in different games and competitions and watched the Christmas story.
At the event of this wonderful event, all the children received some presents and helped remind them that God gave us the best present, his one and only Son!
Thank you for all the support.
Love from Bohdan and the team.
