From left to right: Sasha, Valentyn, Lyuba, Svitlana, Bohdan, Farmer Sergey
(missing are Pastor Sergey, Musical Sergey, Victor & Paulo)
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Dear Friends,
The situation this week remains largely the same. Missiles fly overhead at night, and sometimes through the day, but thankfully the area around the Centre remains untouched!
Bohdan said to me on Wednesday that he thought it a miracle. In Samotoivka it is a difficult situation. Andrew does not want to leave, but bombs land daily very close to where Pastor Andrew lives, so he has to think about safety of his family and the work of the church. They do so much to support the local people who are largely unable to flee and live in poverty. We are talking about whether he could base himself in the Centre in Lebedyn, and then he could have the help of the wider team. There is much to think and pray through with this.
Another reason for asking Pastor Andrew to come over is that the church has lost another of their leaders, Nicolai. Before the war Nicolai’s daughter married a Russian man and subsequently went over to live in Russia. The tensions they have been living under have been immense as something like this can destroy families. However, news came through that Nicolai’s granddaughter is seriously ill, and the parents need help in looking after their other children while the granddaughter is in hospital and might need to undergo a very serious operation. She currently is paralysed and needs specialist care. Therefore, Nicolai and his wife have packed their belongings and will journey to where his daughter lives in Russia. It is a very dangerous journey, and many might think he is becoming a traitor or deserter, but they are going to help loved family members. Their journey is complex, and for obvious reasons cannot be shared publicly but they need our prayers for a safe journey.
Last week, I shared for prayer that “Farmer Sergey” had been served his papers and along with Victor, who was undertaking a medical, they were expecting to have to go and fight. The good news is that neither of them, so far, have seen this happen. The rules are that if you are under 27 you are not allowed to go and fight on the frontline. Sergey is 24, and will be 25 in March. However, they can still call you up to train and to do other military work. The oldest age you can go and fight has been raised to 60 years, but again, it is more likely you will be given a driving job or similar rather than fighting on the frontline. Sergey was told to go away and report back in April with no further action and then they will assess his case again. Such good news for now! Victor passed his medical, but has not heard anything about what is happening, so remains working at the Centre. We keep praying for favour. Here they are again below.
This week has been bitterly cold, with the coldest being around -23C to -25C!! And we think it has been cold in the UK! Despite this, the children and youth still come out to the various groups. Here are the youth that were out in these temperatures with it snowing as well. They just love being together. They also meet in homes for their Bible home groups and eagerly come to study. Bohdan has said his house is full on these nights as is Svitlana’s.
On a Saturday morning, the Centre is filled with classes. Although the schools might not be open, the two Sasha's lead different groups, one for English classes, and the other computer classes. Then, in the afternoon there are the children’s clubs.
We have good news in that Paulo will be joining the team as from the spring, war permitting. Paulo has a medical disability with his knees which so far has prevented him having to be called up to fight. He is 27 years old, so now eligible so it depends on whether the rules around disability change or not.
The shortage of aid is something we are still trying to address. We still expect aid from Germany to arrive this month, and Paulo is in contact with them to try and hurry this along. Many people do not like travelling to the Sumy region now as they deem it unsafe, but hopefully more supplies can come through. We sent some more funds out to help buy some aid in the meantime to help those in need.
There have been several families that have arrived from areas badly affected by the war. One lady from the Donetsk region arrived at the Centre with her children on Tuesday asking for help. They have been given somewhere to stay in a village called Budilka on the outskirts of Lebedyn, but they have no beds or bedding, clothes or food. The Centre now has a store of bedding which those that go to the sewing groups make for times such as this. We still need to find mattresses , pillows etc. Others have reasonable accommodation but just no money or food. Bohdan said that they lived in terrible conditions. We can take bread as each week still hundreds of loaves are being baked. And we have managed to source other foods so as to help. Bohdan or one of the team is also going to Kyiv or Poltava to see if we can obtain some food items there in bulk. Nappies for 10kg+ children and adult incontinence pads are now desperately needed.
Bohdan sent me some pictures of some of the team in front of the centre building. You can see one at the top of this page, and one here.
Thank you for your ongoing prayer and support. It is so appreciated.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
P.S. please remember that we plan to hold a service of prayer on Saturday February 17th at 4.00pm at Victoria Baptist Church, Eastbourne . Bohdan will be speaking to share some of his thoughts through this service. His attendance is of course war permitting. Because the support base for Hope Lebedyn has widened to even be international, we are looking into having this gathering live streamed. If this is possible the stream will be by invitation only. If you would like to be part of the stream then please do let us know so we can register you. It would be great to see as many of you as possible in person if you are local or are prepared to travel to be with us. We also hope that this will start a week of prayer for all that is going on in Ukraine which will take us up to the anniversary date of 24th February. More details will follow.
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,
What a week this has been, with many highs and lows. The amount of work the team were able to do throughout the festive season and beyond was exceptional, and this week they have enjoyed a few days break. Paulo and Inna have returned to their respective towns, but are praying through whether to join the teams on more full-time basis. This would give extra support.
The camp held from the 2nd – 6th January went well, despite the many interruptions due to missiles and air raid sirens. Bohdan said it is not much fun to come to a special meeting and sit for 4 hours in a bomb shelter! The first and last days were the worst for this, as on the 5th in the night over 100 missiles were fired from Russia to intended targets in Ukraine. The noise was quite frightening by all accounts and the children very scared.
A video was made of all the fun and action of the camp, and you can see this if you click on the image below, which will take you to our You Tube page. Also, a report will come through in the next few weeks telling the stories of what happened and I will share this in due course.
As you can see from the photo at the top of the page, some of the team gathered with friends to celebrate Bohdan’s birthday this week. There was lots of fun and laughter despite all that was going on outside and plenty of Pizza by the looks of things!!
The new minibus has arrived and already it has been taken out to get some aid. However, it is very cold and roads are treacherous with hardened ice. (see picture below). Many days are -20c or more, and the warmest has been -6c with very cold winds. This has not helped getting out and about. Bohdan was able to source locally (through funds sent) around 0.6 tons of food. We have given most of this to Pastor Andrew in Samotoivka where the situation is becoming evermore dangerous and desperate. Another college nearby Samotoivka was bombed this week – thankfully with no children or staff in the building at the time. We have a another ½ ton of pasta due in next week we hope, which will be given for free. Bohdan is trying to source food and aid wherever it is possible and with Bohdan’s car being fixed on Thursday this will help with transportation.
As I write, I have heard that “Farmer Sergey” has been served his papers, and is at the Military Commission having medicals with the view to being called up. Bohdan told me that there is a loophole in this system which he is hoping Sergey will be able to use. The law has not been changed on the minimum age that people can be called up to fight. That age is 27. Farmer Sergey in only 25. We are praying that this rule will be upheld, as he has been such a help especially to Bohdan at this time. Here is a picture with me and Sergey back in August when we visited in Ukraine.
As things keep deteriorating our prime concern of course is the wellbeing of the team. We are doing all we can here in the UK to support and encourage them at this time with special plans in place in case of emergency.
Next month, the war in Ukraine marks a its 2nd year milestone. Like last year, along with Victoria Baptist Church in Eastbourne, we plan to hold a service of prayer on Saturday February 17th at 4.00pm. We will send out more details nearer the time but once again we hope that Bohdan will be able to speak and share some of his thoughts through this service. His attendance is, of course, war permitting. Because the support base for Hope Lebedyn has widened to even be international we are looking into having this gathering live streamed. If this is possible it will be by invitation only. If you would like to be part of this, then please do let us know so we can register you. It would be great to see as many of you as possible in person if you are local, or are prepared to travel to be with us. We also hope that this will start a week of prayer for all that is going on in Ukraine which will take us up to the anniversary date of 24th February. More details will follow.
Thank you for you continued support and prayers. This past Christmas season has been hugely successful, and the team have done some amazing work whilst serving under enormous pressure. To those that again have sent messages of encouragement, we are so grateful. Let’s keep praying for peace as it really does need a miracle right now.
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,
Many of you will have heard that over the Christmas/New Year season Russia escalated its war activities in Ukraine, and sadly this was felt in the Lebedyn/Sumy region. On Tuesday I received a text from Bohdan to say that over 100 missiles had been launched in attack, but thankfully most had been bought down by air defence systems. However, the explosions were heard all around and many were encamped in basement bomb shelters for safety.
Since I last wrote before Christmas much has happened, with the team working tirelessly to help others. Firstly, I must thank you so much for your ongoing prayers for the team and the work going on out in the Lebedyn area. They were much busier than I thought they would be. Christmas Day was cancelled by the government, and therefore, there were no days off for families to enjoy what we probably take for granted. Although the intention was to have some time off, the team decided that they too needed to keep supporting those around. Here are some of the highlights:
Here are some more of the photos from last week.
Yesterday, as the team started the camp week off, Pastor Andrew and his family came over to visit Bohdan so his children could also attend the camp. The stories he told of the war in Samotoivka were, by all accounts, deeply distressing. This included how the local school was bombed just days ago, and it was 5 minutes after his daughter walked out of the building!
Schools, hospitals and churches are being bombed with regularity it would seem. Bohdan was able to get 600kg of humanitarian aid for him to take back and help people in the village. Ruslan, Pastor Andrew’s son is now presumed dead but it still difficult to prove this. Normally DNA tests are used, but because Ruslan was adopted at a young age this method cannot be used. Alla found the news disturbing as families are being torn apart
When I met with Bohdan yesterday afternoon, Farmer Sergey and Inna (who is back helping the team) shared more stories of how the war is affecting the team and region.
Victor, our site manager, received his call up papers at the age of 56! Pastor Sergey’s son Andrew also got called up, as did our previous site administrator, Sasha, who broke his back in an injury quite a few years ago. Bohdan was surprised that they would call him up, but they are desperate for more soldiers.
I promised Bohdan that those of us that pray will continue to do so, and especially for their safety as there is no doubt things are escalating again quite rapidly.
Aid has effectively run out and we are waiting for a delivery from a German charity this month that have promised to help. We hope that they will be able to get through to the Centre.
Thank you all for your kind wishes, donations and support over this Christmas period. The team are aware of them and thank you deeply for all your love and care. Bohdan said he was humbled by all your care and attention.
Let’s hope and pray that in 2024 peace will return to Ukraine once more.
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,
What a year this has been! Today’s update will be the last of the year, as next week the team are busy with the Christmas programme and preparing for the Christmas camp the following week. Today, this will be an update of two halves. The first being an up-to-date report on what needs prayer and support, and the second half a review, which puts into context the amazing work and ministry the team have achieved through the year, plus a message from Bohdan!
We struggled to video this week as power outages are more common than not. Today was 20 minutes on, and 20 minutes off! We got there in the end!! There is sad news in that Lena, who used to head up the cooking and now helps on a voluntary basis in the office for Bohdan, was informed that her son had been killed in the war. Her grief is strong due to the fact that her daughter died quite some time ago, and now she has lost her son, Sasha. They cannot hold the funeral yet as the body has not been repatriated back to Lebedyn. In fact, Sasha’s body still lies in a battlefield somewhere along the frontline, and the Russians will not let the dead bodies be collected.
The view of Bohdan is that many people are suffering and getting angry about the war. People are leaving the area, including people within the church, to try and find a safer place to live. Rumours of further invasion are rife. The government has also cancelled any days off over Christmas, so there is no time off to celebrate this season. The church and Centre will be celebrating Christmas on the 25th December instead of the old orthodox Christmas on 7th January. On Christmas Eve they have a special service in the morning, and then in the evening until curfew they are holding a massive meal for all the church family, team, and families and friends to celebrate together. On Christmas Day they all celebrate at home with their families. On Boxing Day the team start their 4-day visitation to orphanages, hospitals and special daily events for families. Then, after New Year the camp starts from 2nd-6th January – war permitting. We ask that you continue pray for the team over this period, for their safety and effectiveness in all they will be doing.
Still the team are visiting and helping those they can with aid, including freshly baked bread. Youth groups and children’s clubs continue. There’s no stopping for Christmas. See pictures below…
The list below is not exhaustive, but an indication of what has been achieved by the team in Ukraine in partnership with Hope Lebedyn in the UK. Nothing done in Ukraine happens without the people hearing about God’s love, whether in a service or through Bibles and literature given out.
When ask about how many people had come to faith, Bohdan thought and said, “more than I can count!”
This is the reason for our existence. The only hope for those people who are living in this conflict is the hope found in Jesus Christ.
We have also seen many praying for this work. Our prayer update is shared around the world, not just in the UK. In Eastbourne, Victoria Baptist Church continue to hold a special prayer meeting for Lebedyn and Ukraine every week.
The financial generosity has been exceptional, and whenever a need has been there, a donation has been received. These have come from churches, from sponsored activities, individual’s, companies, rotary clubs and charitable trusts, both home and overseas. We are conscious that God has provided for all the above and much more besides. THANK YOU!!!
Our trip into Ukraine in the summer was something we will never forget. The joy of being together with Bohdan and Alla, their family and Sergey, albeit in a country at war, will forever remain in our hearts. To be able to hear the stories of how the war is impacting the Sumy region was both heartbreaking but inspirational. To find out the level of commitment of this team was just incredible, and the times of prayer, powerful.
Thank you for your help, support, and encouragement through this year. The team in Lebedyn and Trustees here in the UK send our Christmas greetings.
At the top of this page is a Christmas card from the team in Ukraine, but if you click on the image it will take you to a YouTube video with a Christmas greeting from Bohdan!
May you enjoy a Merry Christmas, and we look forward to journeying with you through the 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,
This week has been another busy week within the Centre.
Many of you might have seen that in Tuesday’s news the main Kyiv Star mobile communications network was bombed, causing the network to go down throughout the whole country. This is the biggest mobile communications network in Ukraine, so the impact has been immense. Ukraine uses this network as their main communication for air raid warning systems. This caused panic on Tuesday and into Wednesday, as many people thought Russia was invading again in the Sumy region because it was down. Schools also use this network, so it has been difficult to communicate with local schools if sirens sound. It is also the mechanism they use for online teaching, so this has seriously hampered schools once again. Bohdan has asked for us to pray that communications will be up quickly and ready for use.
There has been reliable information given that over the Christmas period, Sumy and the entire eastern border with Russia, will come under renewed attack with the intent of crossing borders. This is now creating fear in local communities within the region.
Meanwhile the work goes on. There have been many people coming from a village called Horky about 10km away for help. There is very little in the shops there, but the Mayor knows of the work done in the Centre, and has suggested they come to try and get some help. The team have been able to help all that have arrived thus far. There has also been a plea for help from the elderly. They told stories of how their children have been killed or are missing in action in this conflict with Russia, and they depended on them for help. Bohdan has promised to see what can be done. The Mayor runs the town but lives next door to Bohdan, and has 3 daughters. They joke that he has 3 sons, so perhaps this is a good thing!! His daughters came to the camp this summer and enjoyed themselves, and now come on occasions to the Centre to mix with the other children and youth. This is why he felt he could ask Bohdan and the team for their help.
In previous updates, I have mentioned twins called Nikita and Roman. Their story is a heartbreaking and they live in significant poverty within Lebedyn. They have been intermittent in coming to the Centre or youth homegroup over recent months, but in the past few weeks they have been attending every week. Roman is very angry as he does not know where his father is. Both struggle with the emotions and trauma of the war. This week, they both arrived at the homegroup, keen to study and engage. They had an amazing time. However, Bohdan could not help but notice that Nikita had very old boots on which had holes in, and were clearly not his size. He believes that they had been previously owned by his grandfather. Bohdan asked him about this and he was embarrassed, but the family simply did not have enough money to buy new shoes. The next morning Bohdan went out and found out his shoe size, and bought a lovely pair of trainers. He was so excited, and has not stopped thanking Bohdan in his texts. Normally he would be angry and ranting, but today his heart is full of joy and love because someone dared to care. It shows that there is still much work to be done.
As mentioned last week, on Saturday the team went to Poltava for a youth conference. The travel on the roads has got much worse since Bohdan made the last trip to that region, but thankfully they left plenty of time to arrive on schedule. They met with around 100 other workers, and were able to share notes and ideas of what is good to do with the young people they meet with. It was a fruitful and good time.
This week, production of bread is still growing, and they have also added other things such as muffins and other sweet things as treats for Christmas. These are all given out at the end of services and activities held. Hundreds come along for help.
Below is a picture of Sasha. He is a young man in whom the team have invested heavily with in training and encouragement over recent years. Last Sunday he spoke and gave the sermon at the church for the first time, which went down well. These things encourage the team in what they are doing, seeing many progress in their faith journey and to be active within the church.
Next week’s update will be the last over Christmas, as I plan to take some time off with the family and the office here in the UK is closed. However, the update will be longer than normal as it will include a review, some photos, and some very special greetings! Bohdan has asked though that we please pray for the plans for all the Christmas activities as there are so many things they want to do. The main hospitals in the region will be visited where hopefully the puppet theatre will perform, and presents will be given out, there will be a week’s camp, special family days especially for the younger children, puppet and theatre shows for all, special services and lots of bread and aid given as well. Please pray for the preparations and plans, and that they are kept safe as they start some of the visits soon.
Thank you for all your support, prayers and encouragement. The level of donations received over recent weeks has been so encouraging for the team, and the ongoing work which they will do in hugely difficult circumstances with the people in the Sumy region.
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 situation in Lebedyn this past week remains largely unchanged. It has been biting cold, and school was cancelled every day due to sirens and military activity.
Bohdan took the team over as planned to visit in the village of Hryntsevo, and to the people at the church in Okhtyrka, taking food parcels with them. The roads were exceptionally bad on this journey, and there were many big holes created by the war which have iced over. The conditions make it treacherous to get out and about. Aid continues to be hard to obtain, and local food prices are still rising. Please see the photos below of some of the people they met.
Other supplies are now also running low. During the war they have received 2 shipments of 10,000 packs of nappies and now they have all gone! The average salary in Lebedyn area is around $250, with a bag of nappies the equivalent of $15 for around 10 days supply. So, these are very expensive. Incontinence pads for the disabled and elderly have now all been given away, so again we need to find a source for these to help those in need.
Activities at the Centre are going exceptionally well, with more attending each week. The children's club is growing, to the point they have to consider what is a safe number of children to host. The English classes have been a huge success, and parents are queuing up to send their children to these. The youngest group learning is 6-8 year olds. They hold this before the children's club so that afterwards they can go and enjoy the fun of the club.
The youth meet socially every Friday evening and they enjoy having fun. Also mid-week there are homegroups for the youth, and Bohdan holds one of these at his house now. The first one was this week and it was a huge success. Little Zoyana (Bohdan's youngest) loved having the attention of all the girls there. Bohdan shared that one of the girls that attends he remembered that after she was born he held her in his arms, and now she does the same to his daughter! They love eating together, so Alla cooks them a lovely meal, and I think a few loaves of bread go home as well to help fill the youngesters' appetites. Svitlana also hosts a homegroup for some of the younger teen girls in the new apartment along with Lyuba. They would meet everyday if they could!
This Saturday, Bohdan and four others go to Poltava for a day conference about youth work in the eastern regions of Ukraine. This is hosted and sponsored by Young Life International. They know of only two churches doing work in Sumy, which is why they feel their work is vital encouraging teenagers and preparing them for what they might have to come up against once turned 18. They will find out who is working in this area and it will help build relationships.
On team news, Luda is much better now that has the right insulin, and is back baking bread in the Kitchen. Miroslav is still struggling with his emotional health, and they plan to see a specialist doctor in the next week. The trouble is that they must travel to Sumy where it remains very dangerous.
Bohdan still helps Pastor Andrew over in Samotoivka who is really struggling and has asked for prayer. Pastor Andrew and his wife have spent a lifetime adopting and fostering children, as well has having their own children. They currently have three sisters living with them as they kept trying to escape local orphanage so they took them in. They have around six children living there currently. Ruslan is their oldest son who was adopted. He was called up to fight in the war early on and was fighting on the frontline. Ruslan has gone missing, and they have not heard from him for 6 months. They are desperate to find out what has happened to him. Their second son Dima has also been called up and has now done his training. Whilst not currently on the frontline, there is talk that he too will be posted on there ready to fight. Their 3rd son, Zachary, is due to finish his studies at university around springtime. He has already had a visit to say that he too must be called up to fight. Andrew and his wife are so concerned for their family and the dangers they are being exposed to. Please keep these people in your prayers, and especially for the safety of Ruslan.
On some good news, we have been searching for a new vehicle, a minibus, suitable for the work they do at the Centre. Bohdan’s friend has managed to source a very good minibus from Germany, which is just such an answer to prayer. It is more expensive than planned, but we are all thrilled to have found this. It will really help them on trips to hospitals, orphanages, to help transport the disabled to and from meetings, distribution of aid, as well as helping the puppet theatre to visit many more places. It will prove invaluable to them.
Life is never boring in Lebedyn. The team are always doing something, and preparation for all the Christmas activities are going well, with a full schedule during three weeks over the festive period.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support.
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,
Bad weather is hampering the work outside of the Mission Centre. They have had quite a bit of snow and lots of rain, which is then freezing the roads making for treacherous journeys.
At the Lebedyn school where Bohdan’s children attend (sirens permitting), they have had so much rain that the bomb shelter is flooded with over 30cm of water. The Director of the school has asked Bohdan and team for help, so they have put in a water pump to help drain water away. It will then freeze when pumped outside. It has been as cold as -12c, but Thursday was only -5c. It does mean that when sirens sound parents must collect children immediately as the bomb shelter is out of action. The school closed for two days this week alone!
Below is a picture of Zoryana that Bohdan shared, all wrapped up in the snow!
Bohdan explained that travelling in the region is getting dangerous for other reasons. Checkpoints are getting quite aggressive. In the past they would give a glance over papers and wave him through, but especially near Sumy city the past few times he has been quite forcefully interrogated, asking why is has not been called up – even though he has exemption papers. Many younger men, and even some of our team, are therefore fearful about going outside of the city limits for fear of instant “call-up”.
Despite this, Bohdan has been asked to take the team over and help in a school in the village of Hryntsevo (its where Inna taught part time when she was on team). This area has become very poor and there is much need for help, so they will visit with aid – sirens permitting. They visit today (Friday) or Monday. Also, on Tuesday, they are visiting people they know from the church in Okhtyrka taking food parcels with them. Aid continues to be hard to get hold of but thanks to the generosity of Hope Lebedyn supporters we hope to purchase some large quantities of basic food staples so this can be given out in January. It will take time to source the large quantities required.
This past week they have updated equipment for the bakery. The dough maker was not robust enough so a new one arrived yesterday so that many more loaves can be made for free distribution.
Christmas preparation is being made. The presents are being purchased and a plan of action is being created on how to best distribute them. The team will visit 2 hospitals, orphanages, and a school where possible and if deemed to dangerous due to the checkpoints, they have invited many children to the centre.
As yet, we still cannot find the correct minibus for use. The friend of Bohdan searching on our behalf has now been called up to fight, so we start again. This is getting frustrating for the team as there is nothing left in Lebedyn region of any quality to purchase.
Over these past few weeks there have been greater pastoral needs within the youth. Many of the youth that went away for a while have returned. Fear of conscription as they get older is growing. Broken families where children and youth are not able to live as one is taking its toll, emotionally, spiritually, and physically in many situations.
But, there are some really encouraging stories as well. Edward is a young man whose family has been broken by the war. He came along to the Centre to the Bible study and became a Christian. He now wants to study and work within the church, and Bohdan has a one-to-one session with him every Tuesday to encourage him. Edward is not the only one that is growing in his faith. However, too often there are stories the team are confronted with from the young people which are tragic and full of trauma. Life is so difficult for them as they struggle mentally with all they see and hear.
For your prayers Luda, who is the wife of “Musical Sergey” is quite ill in Sumy Hospital. She struggles with diabetes, and it appears that the insulin they are using is not of good enough quality. The hospital are trying to stabilise her sugars, but have found it hard to do so. Luda heads up the catering team at the Centre which means she is baking lots of bread and many meals when a camp is on. She is desperate to be fit and well to help with all the Christmas activities. You can see her hard at work in the picture above!
Please continue to pray for the team and all they are doing and our appeal fund is still open for those that want to still donate.
With a heavy winter, the sounds of war around them, and many sirens still sounding every day, it is tough for them all. We are so grateful to you for standing with us and for your ongoing support.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
If you would like to support us financially you can do so below. Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer, please confirm that you would like us to claim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Dear Friends,
Another week has bought its own challenges. Bohdan has been laid up with a throat infection, and the winter cold has suddenly arrived with temperatures at -12C and with snow on the ground. Bohdan has had to get winter/snow tyres fitted as you'll see above!
There has been no let up with what is happening in the region, and the sirens continue through the days and nights. Yet again yesterday, Bohdan had to rush and get his children from the bomb shelter at school. He said this is now becoming a problem as the school shelters are inadequately heated, and the children keep going down with colds and infection and giving them to him! Over in Samotoivka, where Pastor Andrew is based, the village itself has not been harmed any further, but all around they hear the sounds of war. Many people are taking extreme measures to try and escape and flee from the region, but with the cold weather here it makes it more of a challenge.
Because of the ongoing threat and situation in the region the new Bible College was unable to open on the 18th. Everything was set to go, but at the last minute the lecturers from Kyiv felt it too dangerous to go to Lebedyn. Bohdan is now thinking and praying through how to get this open, and up and running.
Preparation for the Christmas activities are going well, with contents for the presents arriving ready for wrapping. Bohdan was excited to share that for Christmas this year Inna, who ran the children’s work for many years before moving away to look after her sick mother, will be coming back to help. Sadly, her brother was seriously injured in the war fighting on the front line. He was near a bomb blast and it shattered his leg and broke his back. After two operations he is on the mend having had several operations, including two shattered discs removed. It will take him time to fully recover, but doctors have said these injuries should not have too much effect on future living. With the increased work planned around Christmas it will be good to have Inna on team.
Aid continually is a struggle to get hold of. The team this week have been buying and creating their own aid food boxes to add to things left over, and they have 200 now made - each one should feed a family of four for a week. Once these are given away, the aid stocks are very low or non-existent. We have heard of a delivery coming at the end of January which is great news, but there will be much need in between. A few weeks back, we launched our Christmas appeal which many people have generously donated to. We have stated that if there are any funds over and above what is planned to do, it will buy food for those in need. We also have just sent funds to buy three months supply of ingredients for the bread making. Production at the bakery is growing, and bread is given out after the main service on Tuesday. It is also distributed during the work done with families on a Thursday, with extra treats like muffins being baked for the children that come through kids and youth clubs over the weekend. We are also sending out $700 to fund a very large dough mixer so as to help with the increased production of bread.
Bohdan shared something of concern of what is happening all around and in Lebedyn. The army are keen to draft as many into the army to fight. There are now scouts going around in groups, and if they find men they are serving their papers there and then. They have the authority of the government to do so. This means that many men are now not coming out from their homes in fear that they will be targeted. Even those with disability are being targeted. As they approach another tough winter, Bohdan said that war has changed, and continues to change, daily living. It is getting harder to live in such circumstances and to see your family enduring this. We must continue to pray for peace.
I want to finish this update on a beautiful note. Below is a YouTube link to a video made out in Lebedyn.
Over the course of this war we have been blessed by many gifts, and support from individuals and trusts. The team wanted to say thank you to the trust that holds the copyright of the hymn “How Great Thou art” written out in Ukraine, and who have donated funds to Hope Lebedyn, and so they recorded this version.
It was filmed out in Lebedyn, partly in the newly refurbished bomb shelter, and in the town. All the music was arranged and performed by “Musical” Sergey, and features children who come to the Centre. It is in English, and the children learnt the English in just two days, so some of the words have an interesting pronunciation! This is sent to all to say thank you! Please do share this with your friends and family.
This video is also on our Facebook page, which you can find here.
Please continue to pray for the team and all they are doing and our appeal fund is still open for those that want to still donate.
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,
It was good to have a long discussion with Bohdan on Thursday where he spoke about conditions in the Lebedyn area. This past week has been a very difficult week. The intensity of sirens continues to increase, with Wednesday having very little break from the sound of them.
What is evident is the increased number of funerals. One of Bohdan’s close friends, Edward, was killed this week down near Avidiivka. This region has been in the news a lot as it appears to be the epicentre of the heaviest military activity. It is where we believe most of the soldiers that come from Lebedyn are fighting currently, thus the increased number of funerals. Bohdan text me when this happened as he was struggling to come to terms with the loss of his friend. They have been friends since school. He leaves behind two very young daughters, the youngest of which has never had her photo taken with her father.
As the cortège went from the main Orthodox church in the town centre through to the cemetery, people line the streets and kneel out of respect to those that have given their lives. Bohdan himself has seen friends, ex-classmates, and over 60% of his class from Bible college, killed since the start of the war. Please do pray for Edward’s family at this time, and for Bohdan as he mourns a close friend.
Bohdan added that the economic fall out from the war is now hitting hard, and is made worse as winter is looming fast. Inflation is rampant on everything. A loaf of bread is nearly 300% more than the start of the war. Bohdan also said that the size of loaves people buy have reduced from 1kg down to 400g, so in real terms inflation is much greater. They have been distributing 100 loaves every Thursday, but now they have added a free loaf every Tuesday in addition, and this week gave away 180. On Thursday, they baked 200 loaves and so production will be at 400 loaves per week, such is the need. They will also be 1kg in weight.
There are no jobs available at the moment as many businesses have closed due to the war. There is little help from authorities, and many do not want to take what there is as it means if they register they will be called up to fight. As Sumy is a rural area there are many families hiding away in villages as they live in fear of being called up to fight. The breakup of the family is rising fast due to the length of separation of those fighting, and families having fled the country. The toll this war is taking is immense. The team are doing all they can to help those in need.
Good news is that we have heard from the German charity that provided over 30 tons of aid early in the war. They have agreed to send another large lorry of aid to the centre. Sadly, this won’t get to the team until the end of January, but it will be good to have this when winter is at its worst.
The team continue to do all the other works within the Centre, and visit people in the surrounding areas. Over this next week, the team are planning the Christmas activities and have started to buy the presents to give to the children. Another centre run by Svitlana’s parents have an award winning theatre company, and they have agreed to come up to Lebedyn to do 2-3 days of shows for free for the people in Lebedyn around Christmas. The Christmas Story will be told in a unique and contemporary way. Thank you to those that have donated to the Christmas appeal to make this happen.
Lastly, below is a report from Svitlana, Lyuba and Bohdan which tells of the spiritual impact of the Autumn camp. If you have a moment to read it I know it will encourage.
My thanks again for your faithful support and prayers at this time. There is not much being reported about the war in our press, but in many ways there is more activity than ever. We keep pressing on to support the team out in Sumy where it is so tough to live!
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
We never cease to be amazed at God's grace and greatness, because despite the war, we again had the opportunity to serve the children of our city – to hold an Autumn camp which had the theme "Good and Evil". God gave us 74 children. There would be many more of them, but in our city, not all schools were on vacation at the same time. But God knows what He does, we had enough "soil" to sow God's seed. The war is gaining momentum; air raids are becoming more frequent and longer, so it was important for us to prepare a shelter for children. The shelter itself became a good place where children opened up and asked questions that were in their hearts, or questions that they heard during the conversations of their parents. A girl named Maria could not comprehend how God is the Creator, and we all belong to Him, He is our master, He is a good God, but we are at war, and so many people are dying. These are complex and difficult questions, not childish at all. On the one hand, it is difficult to give an answer, but on the other, it is an opportunity to continue to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the only hope.
About 20 children were in the camp for the first time. We gladly gave them Bibles. There were children from poor families. One girl asked our cook what was in the middle of these buns, to which the cook replied, "condensed milk". The child's follow-up question struck the heart of our cook, who has been preparing food for children in the camps for more than 15 years. The girl asked what condensed milk was, she had never eaten condensed milk. For some children, our camp was an opportunity to taste various sweets that they had never eaten.
A girl named Veronica, 10 years old, was in the camp for the first time. She and her parents moved from a big city during the war. She had never attended church, and she didn't know how to pray. At the end of the Bible lesson, she approached the leader of the group, and said "that she really wants to thank God for the wonderful camp and such good leaders, but she does not know how to pray", the leader (Tanya) very simply tried to explain that God does not need any memorized prayers, God hears everyone who comes to Him with faith and gratitude. Interestingly, the next day, Veronica said that the first thing she did when she went home was to teach her parents to pray. This is a wonderful testimony to how the word that is sown in children's hearts continues to be passed on. We pray and believe that one day we will see a great awakening among our people.
It is a big challenge for the team to tell the Gospel to the children of war, to the children who lost their homes, to the children who lost their parents, or their parents are in captivity and nothing is known about them. It's hard emotionally, it's a new reality for us that we can't and shouldn’t get used to.
Honey. This girl started attending our church through the camp. She goes to the puppet theatre, computer lab, kids club, and Sunday School, and sometimes sings at Sunday morning service. It's very cool that she spends her time in the church. It shows great potential that needs to be developed. Of course, she, as a child, has her own difficulties with character, she said it herself when I asked, "What would you like to ask God to fix in your life?" She said, "I want to have a better character." Sometimes I used to notice this "childish trick" in some situations, but now it is changing, and I believe it is God who is changing it. At the end of the camp, she asked Jesus to enter her heart and change her character. Please pray that this girl will stay in the church and glorify the Lord with us in the future.
Daniel. We have known this guy for a long time, because it is not his first time in the camp. We remembered him when he was very young, but now, Daniel has grown up a lot, began to understand a lot of things, and be an adult. Before the camp, by the way, our Valentyn noticed him in a clothing store, and he was sitting alone on the stairs and playing on the phone. It was raining outside and Valentyn asked, "why are you sitting here?". He replied "my parents said go for a walk, don't be at home". Of course, I was surprised, because at first he said that he was kicked out of the house, perhaps of course he was "exaggerating", but I don't know how it really is. Daniel liked the puppet shows, he became active in our ministries, he even agreed to learn the text and sing for our video. After the camp, he began to attend a puppet theatre. This is a good place to start to get to know Jesus in more detail.
Elvira. She is an Internally Displaced Person from the Donetsk region. Her mother and grandmother accepted Jesus as their Lord through our ministry, so she and her family attend our church. This girl has specific character traits, perhaps due to the trauma of war. Always during the camp, she sought attention. This can be seen in the fact that she always comes up to hug and stand next to us. But, at the same time, she has a very complex character. She can be offended very easily, even when she herself is wrong. She can provoke children herself and then cry. Therefore, our team has a special relationship with Elvira and a special approach. We tried to tell everything as clearly and gently as possible. This girl loves to pray. And to visit our camp, according to her, this is the only place where she is truly loved.
Thank you for your support.
Svitlana, Lyuba and Bohdan
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Dear Friends,
Greetings to you all! If its any consolation, Lebedyn is suffering heavy rains and winds just as we are experiencing here in the UK at present. However, they have an element of joy around this as wet and flooded fields stop the march of Russian soldiers.
The Autumn Camp finished well, with the children thoroughly enjoying themselves. The team felt the children were getting used to war, which is sad on one hand, but on the other there was laughter in the room as they enjoyed all the activities. As is usual, at our camp weeks we have compiled a very short video so you can see first had what has been going on.
During the camp, the sirens sounded only once while everything was going on. Children took shelter in the refurbished bomb shelter (see pictures below plus a team photo) Given all that has happened before and since the camp this was a real answer to prayer. Thank you!
Meanwhile, in the community this week the reality of the war hits home hard. Two young men from Lebedyn who had been called up for military service were sadly killed. Bohdan and the team knew both men. Their funerals were on the same day, and people lined the streets to create what Bohdan said was a “living corridor” to pay their respects and mourn as a community. There is no doubt the more instances like this that happen, the harder hearts get.
The team visit a local home for the elderly, many who have physical and medical needs. Incontinence pads are hard to get in the shops but at the Centre we still have supplies so we can take them to them.
At the Centre numbers grow, with people needing help, but supplies of aid are getting harder to obtain. The team did a service on Tuesday and hundreds of people turned up, and all went away with some food help. As usual the bakery was used, and again hundreds of loaves were given out.
Today, I was also able to spend some time with Valentine as Bohdan had to collect his children from school again due to the sirens. I asked how children and teenagers now view the war. He said that things have changed. In the beginning they were all afraid, but now that has changed. Small children only remember the war so it is normal for them. Teenagers have adapted, and if they do not have to go and fight they seem at ease, and want to be together more regularly. However, he said that for families of those serving in the military it is very different. Many are suffering with extreme anxiety, depression and fear. Some will just sit shaking when they meet and talk. The war for them has bought new levels of poverty and family separation, with a big fear of the unknown.
One thing to pray about is the changes in laws being made which means anyone can be conscripted. Already the exemption which was given by the local military commander for Bohdan to not have to be called up for duty is no longer valid. Nobody really knows what this means until they are fully law, but Bohdan has asked for us to pray about this and for all the team.
The team continue to faithfully serve the community, and thank you for all your support in making this happen.
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
