In January 2026, our employee, coach of the Christian Football Club, Nadiya, Oleksandr Honchar, together with an American missionary in Ukraine, Tom Merchant, held a Christian sports camp for boys aged 8 to 10. The camp was held at our campsite near Rivne. Sharing about it, Oleksandr enthusiastically said, “I returned from a real Christmas fairy tale!”
We got snowed in; it was very cold, and we spent almost all our time outside: we tried to play soccer, had snowball fights, just jumped into the snow and wallowed, then went back into the house, warmed up by the fireplace, chatted, and played board games. In the morning and evening, we had Bible lessons, where we talked about Christmas and its meaning for each of us. For most children, Christmas is just a holiday, it’s a Christmas tree, and gifts. We emphasized that Christ was not born simply “for everyone,” but for each one in particular: “for me,” “for you,” and so on. We explained to the kids that He came in human flesh and lived here on earth to eventually take on “my” sins and die on the cross for “me.”
At the end of the camp, God’s miracle for us was that a grader unexpectedly arrived and cleared the snow off the road, which was so heavily covered by snow that we thought we would have to stay another day because we wouldn’t be able to leave. But in the end, we got home safely. None of the children got sick, which was also God’s mercy.
Praise the Lord for the priceless gift of His grace!
Oleksandr Honchar
