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Dear Friends,
This past week has been one of the most challenging for quite some time. Even when talking in our meeting on video on Wednesday, drones were being shot down in the background.
Russian troops entered Sumy region as reported on the news, making Lebedyn more accessible to attack. The air space above Lebedyn is used to send missiles to the larger cities on the east side of Ukraine, which also keeps things noisy. Tuesday was the noisiest all day and night. Bohdan sent me the map below showing in grey where villages and towns are being shelled and attacked. It is worse nearer the border. Where it says "CyMH" this is Sumy city, and the blue dot represents where Lebedyn is.
Samotoivka is southeast of Sumy city, and this week Bohdan has been talking and praying with Pastor Andrew, assessing if it would be best for them to leave as a family in these worsening conditions. Please can we pray for Andrew and his family.
He has 2 sons fighting and one of them is missing in action. Andrew is not well, and is losing lots of weight, is very thin, and looks very ill. We spoke of ways we can help, as before they had planned for Andrew to use a scheme provided by the USA to help those living on the borders to have “respite” care in the Carpathian mountains for a month. This funding has now been pulled. He wants to stay, as so many of the elderly people in his church depend upon them. Bohdan found some aid, some bread and hygiene items for him to take back to help people.
I am always amazed that despite the difficult conditions in which they still carry on with their work and ministry with passion and purpose. There has been a cry for help from the soldiers and families nearby, as food is now becoming short and they are complaining of being hungry. They took bedding for the families and for those that need treatment in hospital for their wounds, and baked bread, pastries and pies all sealed to last longer. They were so grateful - see pictures at the top of the page and below.
As you are aware, we currently have 26 children as part of the puppet theatre. Over the years, the standard has always been high and pre-war awards were won by them. This past week, the National Puppet Theatre competition still took place, albeit online, with over 30 theatre companies, and they could enter up to 2 entries. They are judged on the quality of the content, its originality, and of course the puppetry. Musical Sergey entered 2 shows, performed by 2 separate teams. Excitingly, they came away with 2nd and 3rd prizes. This just shows the quality of their work. Both teams had refugee children as part of them, and much change within the team had happened because of the war. Both shows, Musical Sergey had written as adaptations of Bible stories set with music. They were the only Christian puppet theatre involved. Musical Sergey is now finishing off a new show for Easter which will have to be learnt and performed in about 6 weeks’ time by the children. The rest of the team are preparing for the Spring Camp now.
Pastor Sergey was transferred to Kyiv hospital last Friday, and upon arriving had an emergency operation to fit stents into the heart arteries. He is still in Kyiv resting with his son, but already found a church to preach in!! He is doing remarkably well all things considered.
Bohdan met with Larisa to get the food and medical supplies she needs for the children today. She is grateful for the help that can be given. Over the weekend, all the clubs and activities as usual are planned to go ahead, although as I write this Bohdan has said today (Thursday) everything has had to close as military activity is so great. They also plan to do a special gathering for just for the girls tomorrow, Saturday.
Aid is on its way and we are hopeful it might arrive this next week. We wait expectantly. Bohdan has been asked by a local charity organisation for help with the refugees in the town as they really do not have anything. Families are arriving with nothing apart from the clothes they are standing in and just need help, but there is none anywhere to be had. The aid cannot come soon enough.
Bohdan’s quest to get his official papers is still ongoing. He went on Wednesday for his medical, and although the 2nd appointment of the day, he was delayed due to the doctor being very drunk!! He had to go back but on Thursday he couldn’t due to everything being closed.
Each week there are little gems and nuggets of information coming through that inspire hope. Dasha is a young lady who, as previously reported, has lost both her father and grandfather in this war. She helps to look after her grandmother and comes to the church, and loves her homegroup. She became a Christian at one of the camps. She has been bringing her grandmother along to everything, and she has been helping within the kitchen and bakery. Dasha wants to be baptised and her grandmother, Svetlana, wants to become a Christian and be baptised with her also. Bohdan asked us to pray as this family have gone through so much hurt in the past year or so, and now they have hope for the future, and a happiness and joy they did not have before.
We remain grateful for all your prayers and financial support through these very difficult times. The so-called peace talks seem to have only heightened the war efforts between the two countries. We need peace as soon as possible, so we continue to pray!
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,
You might have seen in the news this week that Sumy region has been hit most days with missiles and drones, making life very challenging for everyone. Lebedyn itself has had more of this activity than at any other time in the war. It makes their work so much harder in these conditions.
Firstly, I want to share an urgent need for prayer. Pastor Sergey, who started this church and mission work in Lebedyn, has been taken ill. Sadly, he had a heart attack at the Centre and was first taken to Lebedyn hospital where they said to take him to Sumy hospital. He remains there with them confirming he has significant heart issues which need an urgent operation. However, they too cannot do this operation as they are too full of war casualties being so close to Kursk. We suspect he will be transferred to a hospital in Kyiv, but again there are no ambulances to take him there and it means that one of his sons will drive him by private car the 6 hour+ journey on difficult roads. The next day or so is critical as if he doesn’t haven’t have the necessary operation he will not survive and the journey for someone in his condition is also highly dangerous. So please can we pray for him and his family at this time.
In other challenging news, Larisa called Bohdan and was in tears on the phone as government money for funding orphanages is running dry. She has no funds to pay the gas bill or even buy necessary food. We have sent money through to Bohdan to help purchase food and medical supplies for her and the children in the new building. It is their residential centre that is struggling more than the day care centre in Sumy. I reported a few weeks back about a lady in the church that was adopting 2 young girls abandoned in the war. Their mother was arrested for crimes and she had turned to alcohol. The judge has stopped the adoption order as there is a new law set by the government that bars children from being adopted whilst there is a war going on and the parents are alive or only Missing in Action. This has been tough for the girls to handle and they are back with Larisa.
As a result of the war there are many more reports and legal things for the Centre to do. It is not just an annual audit, but there are audits that are needed for aid that is given out to prove that it is being given out to the right people. This is sapping a lot of the time, but Bohdan’s wife, Alla, has been wonderfully looking after this.
Progress is being made with Bohdan’s papers for exemption which will last until May. On Thursday morning they arrived as an online version (whilst we were speaking), subject to his medical this coming week. He is going to go the military commission tomorrow morning to see if he can get a paper version so he can travel around and help with all the other ministries.
People still come for help and especially for bread. Hundreds of loaves of bread have been given away this week with families and people of all ages desperate for help. Soldiers and families near the Kursk region wish for the team to bake more goods for them as they too struggle in this war.
I recently had the privilege of going to see and meet the trustees and CEO of Ukraine Relief, a charity in Bournemouth who are now helping us to send aid to Lebedyn. Their warehouse is huge and the size of the very large mega supermarket building. They were marking the anniversary of the war with a special event which I was invited to. The truck is now in Poland waiting to get into Ukraine and to Lviv, where the UN will drive and escort the truck to Lebedyn. We do not know the exact timescale of everything, but please pray this is not delayed. Ukraine Relief want to help us get more aid to the team in Lebedyn in the future.
The homegroups still keep growing with more and more young people. Dasha’s grandma is loving coming along to church and all the activities, and has helped bake bread for people this last 2 weeks. She is now a fully-fledged baker on the team and wants to help more and more. This gives a sense of all helping to do something in this war.
Sadly, Lyuba's grandmother died last week, so please do pray for her and their family as her grandmother also looked after the children of her aunt who sadly died before Christmas.
Thank you to everyone who came and travelled to see us on Saturday at the service we held. We really appreciated your support, as did Bohdan. It was good for him to see so many gathered to pray for them. If you wish to have a link to the service for you to stream please do let me know.
We really appreciate your continued 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,
On Thursday morning I received a text to say that overnight, drones had attacked Lebedyn. Sirens sounded for much of the night giving little sleep with the noise of explosions. Bohdan has ascertained that whilst damage to buildings has been done, thankfully there are no known fatalities.
The Centre and homes of team remain untouched, which is quite remarkable given the explosion happened just 100 metres from Farmer Sergey’s house. Sergey told me in a call that morning that the house “jumped around” and things fell to the floor, but there was no damage. Nearer buildings absorbed much of the blast. Despite what we are reading in the press, this war is far from over, and the Ukrainian people will have a distrust in this peace process, the comments made, and whether peace is sustainable. There has been so much loss of life which has hardened hearts and brought in hatred. There will much work to do for many years to come even if there could be some sort of peace soon.
Meanwhile, the team continue with all their work. The youth meetings and homegroups keep growing in numbers and both meetings at the weekend saw over 55 young people attend. (See picture above).
They also did a fun thing where the homegroups were all told to bring some food beginning with the first letter of their name, and they would then create a meal as a result. It was about learning how to care and share. Bohdan’s group found lots of things to create a small buffet, Valentine's groups had enough to use the kitchen, baking pizzas and a lovely meal! They were super organised! The young people loved it.
Bread was baked and given out at the mid-week service, where 140 people came this week. They delivered the rest of the bread to the elderly and known refugee families that are struggling at this time. Computer classes were held this week for the senior members, and musical Sergey said that many are asking some deep questions about faith and life as they struggle with this war.
The local college approached Bohdan for help, of which he has been able to give some, but there has been one other good development from this. The college has catering courses, but they struggle to get resources and now work placement. Bohdan agreed to take on 2 students to help in our kitchens for 3 months. They will help bake bread and to do the catering for the children at the Easter/spring camp that is now being planned. They started this week, and are already immersing themselves into church life and really enjoying everything.
Dasha is a young girl we have prayed for having lost several members of her family to the war, including her much loved grandfather. She helps to look after her grandmother and brings her to church, who now wants to help and being an experienced cook she too is joining the catering team. It is great to have this team strengthened as some have left after fleeing to safer areas.
Bohdan has asked that we continue to pray for Natasha’s mother Camilla. Natasha is in the youth group, came to faith, and was baptised in the summer. Her mother has serious and significant gynaecological issues which need medical intervention. She has been in hospital, but there is no room or the right medical care for her so they have sent her home. Many of the local doctors have now been seconded to the field hospitals or the special military hospitals to help get soldiers back on their feet again. Natasha is now getting very worried and has asked us to pray for a solution as her mother worsens.
Bohdan is still having problems with his exemption papers. They now want more medical tests done and these cannot be done for another 2 weeks, which as mentioned before is risky for Bohdan. He was due to meet the military commission today to explain, as they expect him to have these done in 48 hours but with all the military activity going on after last’s night attack on the town, it is not possible to do this. The delay is caused because at the Lebedyn hospital there is only 1 surgeon doctor left and he must do all operations, hold regular clinics and the medical testing. He apparently works about 15 hours a day, 7 days a week.
When Bohdan held his one to one meeting with Egor and Sasha this week they were talking about the sharing and caring theme of the youth meeting. Bohdan had explained that through Hope Lebedyn people had shared their love by giving their gifts and praying for them. Egor went home and researched our website and found his picture in a recent update. He came to see Bohdan and shared with tears in his eyes. “I see what you mean now! I saw myself and that people were praying for me. In Ukraine I am a nobody, but elsewhere people are praying and loving me this way”. Your prayers make such a difference to the team and the people we reach out to. Thank you all for your continued support in every way.
Before next week’s update we will of course mark the 3rd anniversary of the war. We hope to see as many of you as possible today, Saturday 22nd Feb, 4:00pm at Victoria Baptist Church, Eastbourne for a prayer service to mark this sad milestone. Please let me know if you would like a link to be there online. We will be streaming live. We will also have it recorded for those not able to do either. Please let me know if you would like this link at any time.
Thank you all again for your unwavering support for all that is going on in these tough times for the people in 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,
As we fast approach the 3rd anniversary of this full scale invasion into Ukraine, sadly we note this week that military activity has risen a further notch raising concerns and tensions.
Tuesday evening I received a text from Bohdan to say Zoryana was not sleeping and was scared due to the noise of planes as more than ten explosions were heard, shaking their house. When on our weekly video chat on Wednesday another loud explosion happened; the first I have witnessed, and then during the afternoon another text came in. A plane had just shot down a Russian missile above their house, and Bohdan’s children saw it. Lubomyr was so scared he started to choke, and Zoryana took ages to calm down. This is all becoming very close now to the team.
Whilst this is going on Bohdan has been having issues with his papers. Every three months his exemption papers have to be renewed as I explained last week. On Monday after four hours of queuing he had to leave as it was too dangerous to stay standing there with sirens and activity. Tuesday he arrived at 9.00am only to find a huge queue. He had to wait in this queue for 7 hours standing outside in temperatures of -8C. When eventually he saw someone, they insisted he went to have a medical so yesterday he had that and now his papers can be processed. The medicals are meaningless as people will be passed now unless for exceptional conditions, as the need for more soldiers is an ever pressing issue. Around the towns and cities, young men are being taken to fight, often in devastating circumstances. Exemptions are getting harder to apply, and now you cannot be a conscientious objector due to your faith. One person known to the team is now serving a six year prison sentence for refusing to fight under these conditions.
I am amazed that despite all this the team carry on. Yesterday, after we spoke Bohdan visited the local hospital and other medical places in the town (see picture below) as Pastor Andrew in Samotoivka had been donated hundreds of bottles of specialist nutrient drinks often given to patients like cancer sufferers. He gave many of these to Bohdan to distribute. This means they got valuable liquid food. They were so grateful.
All the services, children’s and youth clubs, computer classes, puppet show training homegroups, Bible studies, seed distribution and bread supplies continue. This is a lifeline for so many. In fact so many are turning up we have had to purchase 50 more chairs for the Centre!
Bohdan and I spoke about many of the people we have prayed for over the past months:
Bohdan told me that in Lebedyn the town has erected a gallery of all people that have been killed during this war. Already, this is over 100 people and growing every day it would seem. People gather there to pay their respects. It is a constant reminder of the tragedy the people of Ukraine face on a daily basis.
This week, we ask for special prayers for our team member Lyuba. Last year, we shared that her aunt who she was very close to died. She had three children, all young teens, and her uncle helps to pastor a church in Russian occupied territory in the south, and the Authorities there will not let them leave the area. By all accounts, it is very challenging living in the town. Her uncle had moved in with her grandmother to help with childcare, but sadly the grandmother has been taken ill and lies in a coma unable to access good medical care. She is not expected to live much longer. Lyuba cannot help as she cannot enter Russian occupied territory, and the family cannot leave either. She feels so helpless. Bohdan has asked that we please pray for Lyuba and her family, as naturally she is very upset by the situation.
Please continue to pray for the aid as we have heard the lorry should be loading next week ready to drive to Lebedyn. The team are so excited about receiving this, but as you can see from the above it will not be a straightforward journey getting to Lebedyn.
Below is a picture of Bohdan’s daughter Zoryana. Due to the difficulties this week, she has begun to show evidence of trauma, being more afraid and unable to get off to sleep well. Bohdan text me a lovely message last evening saying that Zoryana prayed for the first time. She said, “I love Jesus, Amen!” Later in the evening she started reading a book about Jesus to her doll. He added “ Maybe this is how she wants to forget the horrors of this day”. Please continue to pray for the children affected by this war, and that by having a relationship with Jesus they may find comfort.
Thank you all again for your continued prayers, messages of encouragement and your ongoing support at this time. We are looking forward to our prayer service next Saturday, 22nd February, at 4:00pm and hope many of you will be able to join us whether in person or online (let us know in advance if you wish to use this facility).
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 week, after I sent out the update and had mentioned how quiet it had been, I received a message that a heavy attack on the region was happening causing much devastation. Bohdan stepped outside, whilst on video, to go to a prayer meeting showing the night sky all lit up with drones and missiles. They take much of this in their stride now, but always fearing what could happen. Following this attack, Sumy city has been badly hit leaving many dead.
On Monday, Bohdan went over to Sumy to take Valentina, a lady from Lebedyn, to the hospital. Valentina has cancer, has no husband, and both her son and son-in-law are fighting on the front line. She reached out for the first time to the church for help, as Sumy is the only hospital that gives cancer treatment. The last time Bohdan was at the hospital he was a patient and treated on the 4th and 5th floors, but now those floors lay empty. Bohdan text me to say “everything is done in the basement – there is no room. People are fighting cancer in the corridors!” He left Valentina there for her 3 days of treatment and shared his frustrations that the destruction of Sumy does not reach the news – even in Ukraine!.
He also had a call from the pastor of the large Baptist church there requesting help, so had loaded up the car with what aid he could muster, and met with the Pastor to see who they could help. I love the photo at the top of the page showing the help given to this family. Their apartment was destroyed leaving so many homeless and without all their treasured possessions. This girl and her mother have been fortunate to be found temporary accommodation, but they have so little. Please do pray for the families that are now being affected due this war.
On his return to collect Valentina on Wednesday, he delivered bedding to the hospital which had been made at the Centre. All patients must take in their own bedding, which for many is impossible as they have nothing, so the Centre is helping to provide these much needed supplies. He said it was so tiring, as the roads are getting bad and nearly impassable in some areas.
Our storehouse for aid is now completely empty, except for the ingredients for the bakery. The good news is that we have a large lorry leaving in 2 weeks’ time with around 40 tons of aid. When it gets to the border and to a base in Ukraine it then must be taken by a UN lorry to the Sumy region, as things are so difficult there. Bohdan is already liaising with the local government coordinator for refugees in Lebedyn area. They know the specific needs for those in the town and outlying villages. Bohdan will also work with other schools and places we have before to bless those most in need. Please do pray for the safety of this aid, the planning, and the trip.
There have been many services through the week and activities to help people. Seeds have been distributed, all the kids and youth clubs have gone ahead, with the latter getting more than ever. There is a growing hunger for people to meet and pray. The bakery team are giving out bread they've baked – it is received like manna from heaven! The team are also starting to prepare the Spring/Easter camp. Schools out in Ukraine are currently planning their holidays around the end of March, but as we have experienced before, this can change within a weeks’ notice.
Stefan is a local architect and member of the church. He designed the new building within the ground. He has been called up, but rather than be on the front line, now makes technical equipment to help the war effort. Bohdan also has an old friend who he was at school and college with. Together they attended some of the summer camps done in the early days of the ministry. Bohdan heard this week that whilst fighting on the front line he has been captured and taken prisoner. This is hard for his mother to take in since when his friend was called up, the shock gave the father a heart attack and he died. Bohdan is now trying to talk with the military to see if his friend can get on a prisoner swap system. Every week new stories invade a community already suffering with hardship, homelessness, destruction and death. It is difficult for the team to reach out to these hardened people some weeks.
The most important thing this week is for us to pray for Bohdan. The end of this week his papers must be renewed to give exemption from fighting on the front line. He must go to the nearest military commission and hand them over, and wait for up to 7 days to get these back. In the meantime if he gets caught without papers, even if they are going through due process, he can be sent immediately to the front line. Bohdan has asked for prayer as every time he will go out of the house will be a risk until they are returned. Please pray for his safety and protection this week.
Thank you once again for your continued support and prayers – it is so appreciated! It was great to be down in Freedom Church in Romsey this past weekend sharing a few stories. It is a real blessing to have supporting churches like this.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
P.S. 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 and, war permitting, we hope to hear from Bohdan. We hope that as many of you as possible will join us, but we also hope to have a live 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 facility.
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 past week has been quieter with fewer sirens, drones and missiles to have to deal with which has given the team much relief. Therefore, all the weekly activities have gone ahead, including the puppet theatre training, youth clubs, kid’s clubs, home groups as well the services and visiting care homes.
On Saturday, as the photo at the top shows, the youth club met together, with 45 young people attending. Bohdan said it was one of their best times and many that came were at the winter camp a few weeks previously. Pastor Andrew brought his teenage children over and stayed at the Centre overnight, and then spoke at the church service the next day. He said it was the best night’s sleep he had experienced for months, as there were no bombs or sirens that night. Andrew shared the importance of the work in the church in Samotoivka. Many people called him whilst at the Centre for the overnight stay and asked if he had left. They told him that if he left they too would leave, as they see Andrew as God’s blessing for them in that area!
The work within the youth has been amazing. Margarite is still coming along, despite parental pressure not to originally, and growing in her faith. As are Egor and Sasha, who both do weekly one-to-one sessions with Bohdan. Both want to be pastors, and Sasha being older is doing so well that Bohdan wants to use him to speak at some of the camps later in the year. Valentyn still meets with Dasha who now brings her grandmother along to the services. We prayed for her last year as her grandfather and father had been killed in the war. All want to grow in their faith and serve within the work in Lebedyn.
Over nearly 3 years of this war, thousands of people have come through the Centre for help, to attend services or the weekly community activities that go on. Many have found their Christian faith for the first time but have had to subsequently leave the region, as they have been refugees from other areas or trying to escape the dreaded “call-up” to fight on the front line. Ira and Sergey were one such family. They lived in the south where war has been ravaging the land for many years, meaning they lost everything. They sent their children, all young adults, off to Germany whilst they packed what they could, and they eventually arrived in Lebedyn. They were given some temporary housing, and came to the Centre for help. The team not only gave food and physical help, but offered spiritual help and both became Christians. After a short while, they were able to afford and get safe passage to Germany to be with their family who had then settled. Some 18 months later, Ira and Sergey are returning to Lebedyn. They feel God’s calling to come back, be baptised at the Centre, and to help with the work. Sergey is a noted gardener as this was his job before the war. With the land at the Centre being fertile, he wants to develop this to grow more food to help others. Please pray for them as they return and leave behind their children in Germany.
Another couple from the church had to flee. Their parents had to be left behind but had urged them to go, and they went into a care home for the elderly which is visited by the team. Sadly, the father died this past week, so Bohdan and Pastor Sergey arranged the funeral, clearing away things and dealing with everything for the family. (Funds were left with Bohdan in case this happened). It wasn’t a large funeral, and of course the family that left could not come back, but they wanted the Gospel to be shared - and it was! These pains are the things never mentioned in news, but are the reality of the cost of war.
Bohdan is now looking to find an additional helper to add to the team. After Svetlana left last year, Farmer Sergey took on the running of the children’s work, but this has meant he cannot help Bohdan in the same way as he did before. Please pray specifically for this need, as lots of the suitable people have of course been called up to fight or have fled the area as it is too dangerous.
This week I had the joy of meeting with Sergey Rakhuba, the president of Mission Eurasia (see below) on a windy winter's Eastbourne day. It was he who introduced me to Pastor Sergey and his vision of helping the poor and needy in the Sumy region, and being able to buy an old kindergarten school. The rest is history as they say! We spoke of ways where we can work together to help resource the respective ministries we serve. More details on this will follow.
Each new story we can share is because of your continued support and prayers for the team in Lebedyn. They and the UK team are so thankful for you 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,
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
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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
