Day 21 From the Ukrainian Baptist Union

3.16.22

Kherson and Children Almost all Kherson region is under temporary occupation. It’s impossible to leave the region. Local churches continue to gather for services and joint prayer meetings, organize help to all whom they can. Huge initiative was taken by city churches. They feed people, distribute bread, find places to live for the casualties and receive the local residents in bomb shelters. Christians from a Kherson church, from the very first day of war have been taking care of orphans from the regional orphanage. For now there are 58 children aging from 4 months to four years. The church together with charity fund My Home fully provides living for this children’s establishment.

The long-suffering Donetsk region Such towns as Volnovaha, Donske and Mangush are temporary under Russian occupation. Mariupol is under a continual siege and severe missile strikes. The whole country is praying for the residents of this port martyr city. The ministers of Donetsk regional union use all possibilities for taking out the refugees, delivering humanitarian cargos helping the civilians. They make up product packages, feed the needy. Believers from Pokrovsk bake bread, that helps to save many from starvation. Christians from Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk, Sloviansk and Chasoviy Yar and working hard too.
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might…” (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

Prykarpattia is in ministry What differs the churches of Ivano-Frankivsk from others? After all, the ministry of hundreds of churches in Ukraine look the same and include evacuation, resettlement, bringing food, delivering humanitarian cargoes, providing spiritual care, prayer support and helping the soldiers. But in the range of all churches these ones cook authentic Ukrainian dishes! Have you ever heard of mochnka, paliushky, rosivnytsia, tsvikli, kyselytsia, tokan, hopka, bigus, guslianka and Galych borshch? Probably only “borshch” sounds familiar.

I’m a migrant from Lugansk region "I remember waking up early in the morning and I was told to wait until the shelling in our area would be over. Without any understanding the situation I grabbed a few things and left the house. Then a missile hit the parents’ house. Afterwards I spent a few days in a cellar, a small concrete box with a low ceiling. I had sleep on the chairs, half seated because of the lack of space. We made a few efforts to flee the town. But after the first failure panic filled us. Then I remember traveling in a train carriage with closed curtains, the doors didn’t open even at the stations. I saw thousands of terrified people on the platform and our train was passing by. Then I was searching for night lodging in Lviv, and didn’t understand where to go next. I chose Poland. I reached humanitarian headquarters, then bus and we were reached the destination. In Poland we found peace and comfort, people are very kind and willing to help. We even found friends here. But the main of all, I’ve got a constant feeling that God has been with me there and here. And my trust is in Him. He knows everything and keeps leading me".

Oleg from Zolotonosha Just as many others of our brothers, Oleg goes to Kharkiv regularly. He takes humanitarian aid forth and on his way back he takes people willing to flee the bombing. Once on his way to Kharkiv Oleg was stopped at the checkpoint. One of their supervisors didn’t want to let him go because of curfew. No pleas worked and Oleg was ordered to stay in the nearest village. Then a man came up to Oleg saying: “Peace be to you!” He told that he was a church pastor of the local church and was praying for a car to take 200 loaves of bread to Kharkiv the next day. So the next day he brought the bread to Kharkiv. God responds to the prayers miraculously!

Houses of Prayer never looked so variegated Over 1 thousand migrants find night lodging in the churches of Chercassy region every night. Some come, others leave and move further. 30 vans from Chercassy area are involved in people’s evacuation from bombing zones to the West.

Ministry in the occupied towns of Sumy region The churches of Sumy region, particularly in Trostianets, Putyvl, Buryn remain under occupation. Sisters and brothers from Ohtyrka had a hard time having been bombed recently. Konotop city remain under siege and suffers from lack of products. Lately, during silent regime we managed to evacuate a few hundred of Sumy, Trostianets and Lebedyn residents. Some people had to find a way to flee the area on their own. The churches of Sumy, Shostka, Lebedyn continue giving shelter at the time of air alarm. At quiet times they visit elderly and sick people, bringing food to them.

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Today it was the loudest day in the frontline Avdiivka The enemies were severely hitting the civil objects. Many missiles got into houses. Here, we’ve got volunteers that used to sing a lot, they are from the musical band “Kovcheg”. The most important is that they are taking bread where people desperately need it. They are delivering migrants from shelling, suggest them humanitarian aid. Also they help local churches to hold church services as it’s supposed to be. Brothers are saying: “The most frequently people are searching for God in the times of trouble”.

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Baby shower In Lviv region in district town Mykolaiv the local church held a baby shower fro future moms. Three of them are migrants. Tears of happiness, hospitality of the hosts, fervent prayers of blessing will become unforgettable moments after war. After all a Baby shower is a feast of hope and a testimony that life is going on.