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, with tears streaming down their cheeks, forcing their wives and children onto the trains, knowing that getting them away from the war zones or out of Ukraine was their best chance of survival.

So much despair and hopelessness. They could only pray that God would send someone to help them. For hundreds of thousands of displaced people, that “someone” was a Christian from a local church, willing to open up their hearts and homes to those who had suffered unimaginable horrors.

One Christian worker said, “In times of death and suffering,” she said, “God is the only hope. We see all this evil around us, but we also see God in people—people who are neither rich nor powerful but still do everything they can to share the love of God with those that are hurting.”

War may be senseless, but the Christian response has been profound and powerful. Just in one of the eastern cities (Kharkiv), where we have been sending in food trucks, our church partners are telling us that up to 1,000 people each week are accepting Christ.

Here is an example of a typical response from YOUR partner churches: “We want to thank you for your financial support of our ministry. We would never have accomplished as much without you. We were able to fill up cars and vans, deliver food to refugees or help them get wherever they needed, and buy medicines for the needy. We serve with prayers and love for those whom the Lord sends us – like YOU.”

We’re honored to do this work and take you along with us.

Thanks to all of you in our HART community for your faithful support during this Ukraine crisis. There are five days left to support either or both of these programs. The “MATCH” ends midnight (MST) Sunday, July 10, 2022

Surreal summer camp story

This year’s Church camp programs are typically being held in safe zones of Central and Western Ukraine. However, one of our church partners recently had a five-day camp in a town close to the war zone in south-eastern Ukraine. Here is how the Pastor described the surreal nature of this camp and how it ended.

“Despite the very dif icult situation in the village, with very few people left, fear, the sounds of gunshots, and missiles from Crimea flying over their heads towards Ukraine, fifty-nine children were able to relax in this terrible time and play fun games, receive presents, eat tasty food, and hear the Word of God during five days. It was a blessed time for all the children and parents.

On the evening of the last day of the camp, a large number of Russian military equipment and soldiers came to our village. They took down all Ukrainian flags on the administrative buildings and announced to everyone that the Soviet Union was back and that there were new rules and a new government. There was even more fear as the movement of people was limited, which would make it impossible to hold camps in the future.

Dear brothers and sisters, I am deeply grateful to you for your prayers and support. In peacetime, your support is very important, valuable, and necessary, and even more so in wartime!

Thank you so much for your love and care—yours with love, Pastor Yevhen
(Eugene)

PRAYER POINTS

Here are specific prayer points that can help guide our prayers for the situation in Ukraine:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Ask God to intervene. Pray for wisdom for world leaders. Pray that God would move in their hearts and guide their steps and plans.
6. 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.
7. 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.