Under this motto, the 25th mission conference was held in Rivne. This year, the event took place in a somewhat unusual format, because not all guests were able to come to the conference in person. During the week, November 29 through December 6, Christians from different churches and even from different countries had a beautiful opportunity to reflect on the main text of the conference as they tried to focus again on the Great Commission of the Lord.

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24).

We all had a good time together while listening to testimonies of the missionaries, having corporate worship, sitting under the preaching of God’s Word, and lifting up our prayers for the needs of others. As the conference drew to a close, we had a chance to refresh our pledges of faith for the next year by turning our cards in. Also, our children enjoyed participating in the quest organized by the ministers at our campground and could experience the atmosphere of a country closed to the Gospel. Our boys and girls tried to act out real missionaries who often face persecution and try to survive in very harsh conditions. We believe it was a great time for the children as they tried to witness, experience the hostile treatment toward believers, spend time with the underground church meeting in the woods, transport Bibles through the obstacle course, and even face the betrayal of a false Christian after which they were thrown into prison…

“A lot of changes came into our lives. However, the Lord and His Word remain immutable. And we all know that the Great Commission has not been canceled because of the pandemic. Living in tough circumstances, we always should look for opportunities to serve others and remain faithful to Christ and His calling. One of our tasks is to find the ways and means to shield the church from the threat of spiritual viruses, so we wouldn’t grow cold toward God and could persist diligently in our ministry. Despite the coronavirus, the doors for the preaching of the gospel remain open, and our missionaries remain at the forefront of this spiritual warfare. Furthermore, in these current circumstances, they all rely upon our solid support. And my hope is that this conference will be of a good use for every missionary in their difficult and dangerous work, as well as helpful for us all here, as we try to regain our strength and continue our journey with an unceasing payer, care, and support for the missionaries no matter what. I encourage you to pray that the Holy Spirit will fulfill His holy goals in the hearts of many.” – Comments by Pastor Taras Prystupa on this important event.