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 obstacles, and the victory will be ours. We are deeply grateful to you for your support and help. Thank you very much for your prayers. Thank you for not leaving us at this difficult time. Thank you so much for your helping hand. We are grateful you are there for us and can feel your support. May God bless you a hundredfold!” Pastor Olexsandr, House of God Church, Lviv
This is a terrible time for Ukraine, but amidst the suffering and despair, an army of Christian volunteers is meeting the needs of people impacted by this war. We receive many reports, pictures, and videos from our partner churches throughout Ukraine. Over the next while, our goal is to share some of these with you. We hope it will give you a sense of the extraordinary work accomplished by the churches, pastors, and ministries you support through HART.
Together we ARE changing hearts, restoring hope, and saving lives during this crisis in Ukraine.
Love in action – how the church is serving
Pastor Andriy and his church have responded in a myriad of ways to minister to refugees and those impacted by the war. The attached video is from a HART partner church, Grace Baptist, in Rivne, Ukraine. This video was put together in the first months of the war but is still timely as Grace Baptist continues all its ministries to serve refugees and those in dangerous conflict regions.
Watch the video here… or view it from Instagram below. (Please ‘follow’ us on Instagram for more updates and be sure to share with your friends).
If you’d like to support this church and its ministries, please reference their name – Grace Baptist, or their code – 35050. (see instructions below)
HOW TO GIVE
E-Transfer: finance@hart.ca
Check: HART, 106-90 Freeport Blvd, NE, Calgary, AB, T3J 5J9
Telephone: 403.230.8263
Website: Donate page (see example below) https://donate.hart.ca/
Summer Camp in a former war zone
Starting in mid-March 2022, the Russian military pummelled residents of Chernihiv with bombing raids and missile fire, blowing up roads and bridges out of the city, turning this Ukrainian city into an urban death trap. People were killed daily, struck down while in a food line, or huddled in their apartments. “This was not a war against an army but aimed at the destruction of an entire population,” a local survivor said.
Fast forward five months, the Russians have retreated, and people are trying to rebuild their lives. Into this mix, one of our partner churches from Lviv traveled to Chernihiv (see map) to bless the children from this community with day camps. It was a special time for kids to be kids again, enjoy games and activities, laugh and play again, and get their minds off the horrors many experienced just a few months ago.
The church coordinating these camps is the Lviv Central Baptist Church.
Since the start of the war, they have been doing amazing work with refugees, food distribution, and now summer camps.
Watch the video here… or view it from Instagram below. (Please ‘follow’ us on Instagram for more updates and be sure to share with your friends).
If you’d like to support this church, please reference their name – Lviv Central Baptist Church, or their code – 35005.
HOW TO GIVE
E-Transfer: finance@hart.ca
Check: HART, 106-90 Freeport Blvd, NE, Calgary, AB, T3J 5J9
Telephone: 403.230.8263
Website: Donate page (see example below) https://donate.hart.ca/
PRAYER POINTS
Here are specific prayer points that can help guide our prayers for the situation in Ukraine:
- Pray for and ask to see God’s glory amid this great struggle. God often uses dire situations to draw people to himself. Pray that He would be glorified through the people of Ukraine who are following him.
- Pray for God’s peace to be a source of strength for the thousands of Ukrainian workers/volunteers who will have opportunities to share with others about God’s love.
- Pray for God’s protection over Christian volunteers. Ask God for their physical and spiritual protection — ask Him to help people seek the truth during the conflict.
- Ask God for comfort. Many families lost fathers and sons during Russia’s first invasion in 2014, and now to have to go through this tragic new war is overwhelming for most families.
- Ask God to intervene. Pray for wisdom for world leaders. Pray that God would move in their hearts and guide their steps and plans.
- Pray for President Zelensky and the leaders of Ukraine to know God’s truth and peace and be transformed by his Holy Spirit so that they would seek to lead their country in the way of peace.
- Ask that this conflict would open doors of opportunities for the gospel. Pray that He would make his name known across Ukraine, Russia, and all the European countries that refugees are fleeing to due to this conflict.
