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Russia’s War on Ukraine’s Civilians

Greetings! Russia’s war in Ukraine has shattered civilian life in much of the country, leaving millions unable to return to their homes and millions more forced to live with damaged infrastructure, without access to food, water, health care, and other essentials. How many Ukrainian refugees are there? Nearly 6 million Ukrainians are internally displaced, while […]

The dedicated pastors of war-torn Ukraine

Greetings! The people of Ukraine are exhausted from the ongoing conflict. A young pastor expressed his heartfelt reflections: “In my country at this time, we live from tragedy to tragedy, but we hope one day we’ll live from tragedy to victory. We’re begging God every day for this war to be over.” Where there is […]

Support the Children of Ukraine

Greetings! March 16 marked one year since Russia bombed a large theater in Mariupol where residents were seeking shelter in the basement, killing hundreds of people despite giant painted letters on the ground outside the building clearly indicating there were ‘children’ inside (you can see the Ukrainian word for ‘children’ in the picture above). HOW […]

TEARS FOR UKRAINE

Greetings! For most people in North America, their interest in the daily news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine seems to be waning. Let’s face it, we in the West have short attention spans. But for the citizens of Ukraine, this war is the destruction of their world, families, and futures. For people in HART’s community, […]

Ukraine at War – Update 03

One year later: How Russia failed in Ukraine Greetings! Feb. 24, 2022, was supposed to bring the existence of a 40-million European nation (Ukraine) to an end. Long before the dawn of light, Ukrainian cities were set alight in blazes of burning airfields and the scattering of artillery impacts. Endless armored convoys broke into highways, […]

Ukraine at War – Update 01

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS Greetings! It’s no exaggeration to say that 2022 has turned out to be a year unlike anything we have seen before or could have imagined. In November-December 2021, most of us were optimistically thinking that one crisis (Covid-19) was finally in our rear-view mirrors. But then we watched in […]

Ukraine at War Update 29

War forces Ukrainian families to spend Christmas apart Greetings! With Russia’s war still raging, countless Ukrainian families faced the pain of spending the Christmas season apart. This was the case for the millions of Ukrainians who fled their homeland this year and left behind loved ones. One young lady (a refugee now living in France) […]

Ukraine at War Update 26

The resiliency of the Ukrainian people Greetings! Shortly after the war began last February, it became clear that Ukrainians would fight to the end, go through all the hardships and do anything possible and impossible to be victorious over the Russian military aggression against their country. And thus far, in this conflict, their resiliency and […]

Ukraine at War Update 25

A brave fighter for Ukraine Bohdan grew up in a Christian family. He was surrounded by the love of his mother and grandparents, who raised him as best as they could, despite not having a father. His dad left the family before Bohdan was born. As this young man grew up, so did his inner […]

Ukraine at War Update 24

Greetings! Millions of children in Ukraine have suffered from more than eight months of relentless bombing and shelling, spending much time in basements or bomb shelters amid air raid alerts. They have endured lack of food and the destruction of their schools, been uprooted from their homes, separated from caregivers, and directly exposed to war. […]

Ukraine at War Update 23

Greetings! Following the Crimean Bridge bombing on the weekend, Vladimir Putin is now unleashing his revenge upon civilian populations in a variety of Ukrainian cities – and adding more war crimes to his resume. The targets included residential neighborhoods but also civilian infrastructure sites that provide heat, electricity, and waterworks. With winter ahead, it is no […]

Ukraine at War Update 22

“The refugees need us… but we need them too.” Greetings! In contrast to the horror and destruction of the war in Ukraine, it is remarkable and refreshing to hear Ukrainian Pastors say, “our church body has been rejuvenated because of this war. God completely changed us. We woke up from our comfortable life. Now we […]

Ukraine at War Update 21

Greetings! It was the first day of school in Ukraine on September 1, but children weren’t sharing memories of fun vacations with their families. Their stories were of surviving war. For many, their last day of school was the day before the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of their country. At least 379 children have been […]

Ukraine at War Update 20

Greetings! The most difficult moment of Pastor Sergey’s life unfolded in a packed Kyiv train station not long after Russia invaded Ukraine. The pastor had to send his wife, two sons, and several members of his local church to the safety of a European country. A few weeks earlier, Sergey’s wife insisted on staying with […]

Ukraine at War Update 19

Greetings! Pastor Olexsandr in Lviv has this message for you and everyone in HART’s community. “We are all exhausted, the war has brought much grief and changed many things in our lives, but the Lord gives us strength. We hope and pray that the war will end soon. We believe that we will overcome all […]

Ukraine at War Update 18

Greetings! courageous pastors and volunteers in our network of partner churches throughout Ukraine are serving as unsung heroes of this war. Tens of thousands of lives have been touched by their concern and love for fellow Ukrainians whose lives have been upended by this horrific war. Families who have been cut off from water, food, […]

Ukraine at War Update 17

Greetings! HART, along with our network of partner churches throughout Ukraine, have been working tirelessly over the past five months of this terrible conflict – providing emergency food, clothing, water, shelter, medical care, and evacuating thousands of families suffering in the conflict zones. Our sincere THANKS for being with us every step of the way […]

Ukraine at War Update 16

Greetings! Every refugee has a story to tell. And although every story is unique, there are many common themes: The terrifying air-raid sirens, living in bomb shelters for days or weeks, enduring hunger and a water shortage. Many would go on to experience harrowing escapes through Russian-occupied areas. The heartbreaking scenes of husbands and fathers, […]

Ukraine at War Update 15

Greetings! Ukraine became a warzone just four months ago. Thousands of apartment buildings have been destroyed by Russian shelling. Streets are littered with burned cars and trees. Windows are shattered. Homes are nothing but piles of rubble. The lives of Ukrainians have been turned upside down. Millions have fled the country, leaving family members and […]

Ukraine at War Update 14

Love in Action Greetings! Our sincere thanks to you and all of our HART community who participated in the MATCHING FUND offers during the past 4 months. Your generous support helped us exceed each of these matching fund campaigns! Because of you, 10s of thousands of refugees (like Volodya and Yulia’s family above) have seen […]

Ukraine at War Update 13

100 DAYS Greetings! When Russia started its invasion on February 24, it was impossible to imagine this tragic war going on for 100 days with still no end in sight. ‘100 days’ may sound vague, but each day represents thousands of tragedies: lives lost, homes destroyed, and families forever changed. If we were to attempt […]

Ukraine at War Update 12

Civilians are being targeted Greetings! like you, for the last three months, we have watched Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unfold with shock, disbelief, anger, and heartache for those that are suffering. Shortly after their first attack on Ukraine at the end of February, it quickly became apparent that Russia wasn’t afraid to target innocent people […]

Ukraine at War Update 11

Current greatest need – FOOD Greetings! thanks to you and everyone in our HART Community in Canada and the USA for your care and concern for the Ukrainian people. You are saving lives every day by assisting HART to provide relief aid like food, clothing, shelter, clean water, and medical aid to men, women, and […]

Ukraine at War Update 10

UKRAINE CRISIS: Overview of HART’S Response Greetings! As bombs continue to rain down over cities across Ukraine, HART and our church partners remain committed to meeting the tremendous physical and spiritual needs of families in crisis. Christians in Ukraine have stepped up like never before to serve people whose lives have been totally upended by […]

Olya’s story

POVERTY AND DESPAIR FORCED OLYA TO JOIN THE ARMY At the end of an exhausting cold winter day, Olya has returned to her tent. She lights a small oil heater which radiates precious little heat, but it felt so good to get out of the biting cold wind and away from potential sniper fire of […]

The Wrong Door

Some doors may not be in God’s will for you to enter, so He may choose to close them for your protection. God’s guiding hand was never more evident than in the case of Vitaly, a young addict with a criminal past. YOU WILL BECOME WHO YOU WALK WITH Vitaly was born in central Ukraine […]

Perseverance Rewarded

“When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a veterinarian. My heart always melted when I saw stray dogs and cats. They seemed so vulnerable and unprotected. They needed somebody to shelter, feed, and take care of them. And I thought that I would be the one to do this. However, when I […]