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 it was last week, with many highs and lows! The intensity of the war continues affecting daily lives. Many are still preparing to flee the area and yet still more displaced people arrive into the town of Lebeydn. Sadly, death is becoming a greater part of life, with many friends and family having to experience this. Below, with face blotted out, is Andrii. He used to come to the camps and church, and in 2016 he was one of the first people Bohdan baptised as a young pastor of the church. The Sunday before last he was killed. Every week there is this reminder of the cost of lives being lost. It is just tragic.
Because the week before last was so bad in the region they had to cancel the children’s club on the Saturday. However, the youth still met and they had a great time as you can see in the picture at top of the page.
Instead of taking the day off, Bohdan knew of another small and struggling church up in Mezhirych who also hold a children’s club normally getting around 15 children attending. They loaded up the minibus and went to help, giving children presents and Bibles, and helping with their activities. Mezhirych, was once a thriving city with 3 large schools teaching around 2,000 children. Today there are only 100 children left within the one remaining school. Many of the 15 children at the club have been orphaned or live in poverty, doing mainly farming. Lots of the fields around have been mined, making this a dangerous vocation. The church is without a pastor currently so Bohdan and team plan to do what they can to help them and within their community. Mezhirych is only 18km away from Lebedyn, and last week I found out this is where Bohdan’s family comes from on his mother's side. In fact, his great grandfather was a preacher in the local church he is now helping. Last Thursday, Bohdan and team, including the puppet show, visited the 100 children in their school.
Whilst on school work, Bohdan had a good meeting with the Director of his childrens' school. They are planning for the team to go in when this is possible, and also for the school to use the Centre more, as they have a larger bomb shelter if required. Bohdan is keen to work with them more.
On the journey to Mezhirych, the team visited the largest care home for the elderly in the area with 53 residents. Many elderly people have been left here by families that have fled the region, so very few people visit. The team took in bread for day-to-day purposes, and some smaller pies and cakes for them to enjoy – all baked in the Bakery of course! Bohdan did manage to source extra flour this week which was donated to the work.
At the church service last Sunday, two people became Christians and Bohdan was, of course, really excited. One of these people was a lady who came into the church to see what they are all about as she runs the local bakery!! Instead of seeing it as competition, she loves the work they are doing and wants to support them. Interestingly, she was trained as a lawyer, and still does some practice as her husband runs the bakery on a day to day basis. She has also said she will help with any legal matters as well at the Centre.
Within the church Bohdan told me that they have 10 people wanting to be baptised and there’s possibly more. He is running classes for this currently.
In other news……. the German charity they have contact with is hoping to deliver aid into Ukraine to another city at the end of March. They will have to hire a lorry to go and get this, but it could be quite a dangerous journey.
The fear of call-up is still strong with young men. No man can leave the country, but those that do not want to fight tend to go to the very big cities so as to be not so obvious. For a region like Sumy this has a huge impact, as all younger and family men are leaving. Bohdan quoted a statistic saying that around 70% of the Ukrainian army is made up of people who live in villages or small towns as this is easier for recruiters to serve them papers. This is figure is unverified.
Svitlana’s family still live in the south, but with the changes going on down there, her home town is right on the edge of where the new fighting is happening. Apparently, they hear explosions all the time.
Last week, we mentioned about a young girl, Victoria, whose mother had died in hospital. Many have asked how she is doing. She is now living with her older sister in Kharkiv, and being cared for there.
They have found all the parts for Bohdan’s car to be fixed after the car sunk into an iced over bomb crater. This will be good for him to have this back soon. Bohdan’s week was made complete on Sunday evening when he celebrated his beloved Liverpool winning the Carabao cup final! He was one very happy young man!!
Thank you again for all your prayers and support. Last week was so encouraging to hear how people were praying for all their work in the Sumy region. Bohdan is immensely grateful to 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,
We were thrilled to be joined by Bohdan and Sergey on Saturday for our Trustees' board meeting, followed by a prayer service. It was such an amazing time to be able to hear directly from them about the situation in Lebedyn and Sumy, and to meet so many people who have been faithfully supporting the work. As you can see from the photo above, although there is sadness in what they see, they can still smile, and indeed have a laugh on several occasions. They were so pleased to see the many that turned out at various parts of the day and considered it “pure joy!”
This week has been our week of prayer leading up to what will be the second anniversary of this terrible war. The prayer points PDF can be downloaded from here if you would like to take part in the remaining days. We have been enormously encouraged by the many participating. Thank you!
Following the meetings on Saturday, I received a text in the night from Bohdan to say that loud missiles and bombs could be heard. The family were scared, and it was the loudest they had heard so far. It has started another increasingly difficult week with growing military activity and more shelling than ever before. Bohdan has said for the first time you see planes flying over whereas before it was just the missiles. Many people are getting scared again, and families are fleeing the area to head to safer ground. Many to another country.
The infrastructure within Ukraine is creaking with pressures on all medical services, especially the hospitals as they treat the injured impacted by the war and medical staff are on the front line, leaving services in hospitals very stretched. This was only too evident this past week. Victoria is a young lady aged 14 who has attended the camps we have held, and is part of the youth club. Her mother was taken ill and admitted to the hospital. Sadly, through a medical mistake, she died. Victoria does not know where her father is, so she is effectively orphaned by this situation. Her Grandmother lives in Lebedyn, and for now, Victoria is living there. Please pray for her.
At the same time the team continue to do what they can to help as people are arriving as people leave! Large batches of bread have been baked and handed out with what little aid there is.
There is a lot of sickness around, and all schools in the region are closed for quarantine purposes. It is a sickness bug which is acute and leaves people very drained. There has been speculation that it might be water borne as it is so virulent, but this is unfounded although many are affected by it. At present, we are allowed to hold the children’s and youth clubs at the weekend, but Bohdan is not sure how many will turn up.
On Wednesday, amidst heavy snow, air raid sirens and missiles flying over, the team were able to help some families that have been displaced from the south. Fighting is very heavy there, and many of the soldiers come from Sumy region. They have been telling people to flee the area and go to Lebedyn where there is a centre who will help them! Families are asking for nappies and hygiene products, so Bohdan is going to try and source some of these things locally. This is encouraging as it shows three things. Firstly, their resilience in times like this is amazing, Their reputation – even the soldiers on the battlefield are recommending their work, and their generosity – willing to share the gospel and God's goodness in so many ways.
Another church in the area also asked for help. They took bread with them but were asked for a Ukrainian Bible as people are refusing the Bible in the Russian language. They could not believe it when Bohdan left them 80 Ukrainian Bibles, which we obtained through the Bible Society, Children's Bibles and other literature. As Bohdan said to me – we thank God that we have this opportunity to share.
Yesterday, Bohdan met with some directors of schools to see what they can do to help, and met a person that has promised to give us flour so bread can be continued to be made. There are never ending things to do!
Bohdan also informed me that there has been one small victory and a great joy! Miroslav, his middle boy, had been entered into the county chess championships and he came 3rd! We have sent our congratulations.
Whether it be the bread to eat, or the bread of life to study, you all have made this happen is some way. Thank you for your continuing support and prayers. As we have found out this past week, they have been so appreciated.
Every blessing,
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
If you would like to support us financially you can do so below. Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer, please confirm that you would like us to claim Gift Aid on your donation. This will add 25p to every £1 you give.
Dear Friends,
This week has seen the date which most of our calendars will tell us is the day of “love”- Valentine’s Day! War challenges the root of love. Many are grieving lost ones, many suffering life changing injuries, some abandoned, many away fighting away from home, and others living alone and destitute, longing for the care and love of someone around them. 14th February is a difficult day for them. The team continue to reach out to all these people and show God’s love in hopefully a practical way. To feed, share encouragement and often giving someone a hug!
The situation remains much the same, with sirens sounding with usual regularity, and bombs falling within the region. Today was the first day that Bohdan’s children have been able to go to school. However, many schools are now closed under quarantine to contain a nasty virus that is going round. The team had plans to visit a nearby school which musical Sergey does work with, but it was cancelled for this reason.
Last week they did manage to visit one school and took the puppet show. They took gifts with them for the children and they all listened intently to the stories told from the Bible. The Principal wants them now to go every month. In the photos below you will see the state of the roads in getting there, the new minibus and at the school.
At the weekend, they came across a new care home for the elderly, and decided to visit these and others on the way. Firstly, they of course went to the bakery to bake some smaller goodies to take to every member. They also stopped in a few villages to give bread and love to those in need. They also visited a centre for those with disability to bring them some encouragement. Getting food and supplies is becoming a big problem for some of these institutions.
Families still come to the Centre for help, and although supplies are limited, we still have larger sized nappies to help. Also, this week the bakery increased their volume of bread baked by 50% so at least those that came to visit had some food as well.
There has been news from Pastor Andrew who we support in Samotoivka. Everyone within 5km of the Russian border has been now asked to leave and abandon everything for fear of Russians attacking and trying to come over the border. Some are refusing, and one consequence of that is the government are taking away foster children from their homes and putting them back into orphanages. Andrew knows of several families this is affecting, and as Andrew lives outside of this zone he has taken two more children into his house. In total, he has seven children at home under their care, plus one who has been conscripted into the army, and one missing in action - presumed dead. They have another two boys arriving in the summer. The impact the war is having on families such as Andrew's is enormous, and yet he remains faithful to the work and ministry of the church in the area.
We have also heard form Larisa, and she has brought a few of the younger children back with her to Sumy. The older children remain in Vienna as some of the older teens are now getting to the age they can be taken into the army. Whilst Larisa has been away, her large orphanage was split into two to create a second orphanage. One houses newborn babies as well as older children. Larisa has got funding for a bomb shelter there which will be huge and will be built 4.5 metres underground. Temporarily, many of the children will be moved to a place called Shostka which is around 200km away in the north of the region, but there is concern as the impact of the war is greater there than Sumy at present. This is the only building suitable in the Sumy region that the government could house them all in. Once the bomb shelter is built then Larisa takes on management of both orphanages, plus those in Vienna. She will then have nearly 200 children under her care. Before the war she had 55 children. Many of the additional children are there because parents are away fighting or have been killed in action. Again, a stark reminder of the cost of war. Bohdan and team will visit and take bread and nappies for the babies, and I expect the puppet show will go as well with Bibles and treats.
I hope to see many of you on Saturday at the prayer service at Victoria Baptist Church, Eastbourne at 4:00pm. You can just turn up to the meeting. Some of you have registered to ask for a live link for the meeting and that has been sent. If you have not received that, please do let me know, and I will forward one on by return. Bohdan and some of the other team members will be joining for the whole meeting and speaking – war permitting. He will be sharing some of the key issues and prayer points with us I’m sure.
Thank you all so much for your support , prayers and messages of encouragement. They are greatly appreciated.
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
From 17th - 24th February we are holding a week of prayer as we remember the 2nd anniversary of the war in Ukraine. To help you pray, we've created a PDF guide that contains some daily prayer points.
Click the image above to view and download it.
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,
Yesterday, we had a longer meeting than normal because, as you can see from the picture above, all the team joined together so they could share stories of all their work. It was great to see those that could make it!
There was much in common within what they were saying. All said it is getting so much harder to do their work due to the level of military activity in the area. Sirens are sounding for longer, and travelling around to villages is getting more dangerous, but that is where so much need is. They vowed to continue to do that work as long as they can. They also mentioned that many families are fleeing the area, and those left behind are struggling with the trauma of everything. Young people are hardening their hearts as they tire of the war. They long for peace and stability. They have become a tight team where they encourage each other despite all they are going through. Every member of the team can tell a story of people they know who has been killed or injured in the war. Bohdan shared that he found an old photo of the youth together from 2014. Nearly all the then teenagers are fighting in the war, and he reckoned that nearly 50% have been killed.
Sasha reported that he has a good number of young people attend his computer classes aged between 6-23 years old. They are given work and homework to do, so some drift off as they think it is only a way to play computer games. From here many of them will join the other groups held within the church and Centre.
Musical Sergey has 26 children in the puppet theatre now – the largest ever! These are split into three teams. They rehearse each week,and are frustrated that they cannot travel more to give their shows as the roads are too dangerous. They visit the hospitals, orphanages (such as they are) and some schools with their shows, sharing stories from the Bible in a contemporary way. Many children come to the Centre to see their shows. Sergey also oversees the work with the elderly. They meet each week, and he also does computer classes for them . Again there is much need. Many are alone and isolated; some have partners that are severely disabled and in need of help. Bread and food is often given. Sergey said that at the beginning, their tradition was to pray to icons within the orthodox church, but now they pray to God in a true way and they see great spiritual results.
Valentyn and Lyuba reported on the work with the teenagers. There is little stability in numbers attending due to sirens, and families arriving and leaving. There are a good core group now meeting in homegroups as well as the clubs. There is growth, but it is slower than they would like. The young people struggle with their identity, but through love and encouragement and Bible study, they are seeing that change more and more.
Svitlana’s work with the children has been amazing. The children trust her. Her studies in child psychology help her within this work, but she has been trying to teach the children to be thankful even in times of war as this will keep them positive and kind to others. Numbers again fluctuate for the same reasons as with the youth.
Aid is still hard to find, but thanks to your generosity there was some surplus within the Christmas appeal money, and all of that, with some extra specific gifts received, have now been sent out to purchase food, aid, and sanitary wear for the elderly. The planned aid from Germany has not materialised, so we are still searching for more supplies.
Many of you will remember a post I shared early in the war about a young lady called Natahsa. She has been known for many years to the work in Lebedyn as when a teenager, she was involved in an accident that has now left her bed-ridden and with no mobility. At the start of the war, this family were struggling as they lived in a village called Vorozhba nearby to Lebedyn. Access to facilities and food was almost impossible. The team were able to help, and through a kind donation, a house was bought in Lebedyn for her and her family to live in. It has been transformative for both Natasha and her mother, as her mother gets to go to the Centre for the services and the church help where they can. I mentioned above that the war is getting more intense within the region and on Monday/Tuesday there were sirens for three hours at a time on several occasions, and sounds of a big explosion. It transpired that Vorozhba was hit badly, people were killed, and most houses had significant damage. It landed very close to where Natasha’s family used to live, and they would have been injured, if not killed, if they had stayed there. We are so thankful for their safety, but it shows also how close the war is getting to Lebedyn once again. It also shows that it is not military areas that are being targeted, as this is just a sleepy village outside of Lebedyn.
The team are trying to visit this area and some other nearby villages this week, but Bohdan said the roads are terrible and it is a very risky journey. We continue to pray for their safety.
Please see the reminder note below about our prayer service coming up soon on February 17th. We will be sharing other stories at this time of how the war has impacted people and the impact of the work to the people both physically and spiritually.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers. It is so appreciated.
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,
The situation has not improved any in the last week, with constant missiles and threat overhead, and children at home rather than at school. There's even been high category sirens, which mean a bomb has exploded somewhere in the region nearby.
The past weekend has been busy. On Friday, I had the following text in with pictures from Bohdan. “Good day! Today we visited people who live below the poverty line or simply left alone in this life, and no one needs them, some cannot even walk. We bought food for them, distributed Christian literature and testified to the love of God”.
There is little aid left, and are trying to source supplies. We are still waiting for a big shipment from a German charity, so we are praying that this comes soon. In the meantime, the team buy what they can to help those in need. Families are really struggling, as more often than not, loved partners are away fighting or being a key worker, working long hours, and often away from their home town. This lady below with her baby, asked if we could help, and again some food was taken along with nappies. It is so tough for families right now.
The Bible College remains closed, as the college in Kyiv we partner with, will not send people to help because Lebedyn and Sumy is too dangerous to live in. Bohdan has asked for prayer for the team as they are a young team (him included!), and there is the constant threat of call-up for military service.
Bohdan has a sister (Oksana) who is married and Bohdan is quite close to her and her husband (Zhenya). Sadly, news came in yesterday that Zenya’s mother died very suddenly. She suffered a massive stroke. The family were close, so we want to uphold them in prayer at this time.
This weekend is going to be a very busy one. Today it is a bank holiday within the orthodox calendar. They celebrate the time Jesus was taken to the temple after his birth. It looks like the government have not stopped this celebration, so the church is holding a big service and will be up early baking hundreds of loaves of bread to distribute. They are expecting many people. Then, in the evening the youth will meet and Saturday will have children’s club, computer workshops and English classes. Sunday too will be full of the usual services, plus the youth gathering again as well.
Given the conditions the people in Lebedyn are living under, with the ongoing energy and faith they have, their work remains so encouraging and humbling at times. They continue to plan for all kinds of work that will help those within the community, plus special weeks with camps throughout the year.
Thank you again for your prayers and support at this time, and please see the reminder below for the service in Eastbourne in a few weeks time.
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,
The intensity of the war continues within the region, and sadly the children have not been able to attend school this week. Sirens still sound daily. Over in Samotoivka where Pastor Andrew is, you can hear and see the bombs land, but in Lebedyn they are normally flying over to another destination hopefully for them to be shot down before damage gets done. Bohdan said to me it is only a matter of time before one lands in Lebedyn. Let’s pray not!
The team had an SOS from the soldiers based in Lebedyn. They had been helping in another city and when they came back they reported finding six families who were desperate for help – all had very small children. Nappies, baby milk and other supplies were given to the soldiers (along with some Bibles!) to take to the families concerned. They were so grateful, and now come and speak most days about how good it is to be able to help others. Once again these moments give favour to the team in Lebedyn with the military as the soldiers love what is being done through the work at the Centre.
There is still no news of Lena’s son’s body being repatriated for burial after all this time. She is hanging in there, but it is tough. We have also found out that Sasha’s cousin was fighting on the front line and went missing in action. Today, we heard that he had been taken captive by the Russian army and is being held prisoner. Please pray for his safe release.
The bakery is becoming something of positive local gossip! Bohdan said that “their bread has fame now!” People have said it is the best tasting bread and cannot wait to sample it. The soldiers too are hearing about it, and have asked Bohdan what it is all about. As a result they are going to bake extra loaves, and invite the families of the soldiers in and bless them with some bread. He is even going to try and ask the area commander to come in! We wait and see what happens.
Lyuda oversees the work in the kitchen as she is head chef! She is also musical Sergey’s wife. Bohdan has said that she is suffering with ill health of quite a serious nature which means it now looks like that Lyuda will have to step down from the amazing work she does. Like here in the UK, to cook publicly there are health standards and certificates that need to be held to do this work. Those that help Lyuda do not, or cannot, do this so Bohdan is now looking at someone new to take on this voluntary role. Alla is a possibility as she is a qualified caterer, but with 4 young children and homeschooling we think it might be one step too many for her! We would value prayers for the replacement to be found as people are now relying on the bakery.
Last week, I reported that Nicolai, one of the church leaders had left to try and help his family in Russia. The route he took was very circuitous driving the whole breadth of Ukraine into Poland, then up to Belarus and into Russia. Thankfully, he has arrived safely. They do have a problem though, in that getting access to their finances is nearly impossible and any inter country banking permissions have ceased. He cannot use his card or even do internet banking within Russia. This means he will have to come back in the spring so please pray for them as a family, and that the operation his granddaughter hopes to have will be a success.
I also write with good news and thank you for your prayers as it looks like Victor will not have to go and fight. They have told him that for now, due to a past medical condition, he will not be called up. Bohdan said that he has also been informed that, for now, he will not be called up either, as he has four small children with one being an infant. He said it proves that Zoryana is a true blessing!
Every Friday, the amount of youth turning up is growing. The photos on this page show a recent evening. This is even though many families are still leaving the area. This Friday they think that nearly 50 young people will arrive if there is no sirens. They also have had to grow the bible study homegroups as many come out on the Tuesday evening to these as well. This weekend will still see all the activities happening as usual.
I mentioned before that the winter/Christmas camp was a huge success. Bohdan’s has written a spiritual report, which should encourage those of you that have supported at this time.
The presents that were given at the orphanages, hospitals and throughout the season at all the special events were so well received. The team are now planning for an Easter camp week!
Thank you once again for your ongoing support and prayers.
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.
From left to right: Sasha, Valentyn, Lyuba, Svitlana, Bohdan, Farmer Sergey
(missing are Pastor Sergey, Musical Sergey, Victor & Paulo)
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 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
