Throughout the summer, employees of the Hope to People mission and volunteers from various evangelical churches repeatedly made humanitarian trips to the affected regions of Ukraine to support residents with material resources, provide physical help, and share the Word of hope and comfort with them.
The trips were made in two main directions: Kherson region, whose residents survived the Russian occupation for nine months, and then suffered a terrible disaster after the Russians blew up the dam of the Kakhovska HPP, and Dnipropetrovsk region, where there are two churches of our Association: House of Agape in the city of Kamianske and The Way of Salvation in the city of Nikopol.
“On every trip, we felt the special presence of God and the work of His grace,” say almost all team members.
Just one example. When they came to visit two families who live on the banks of the Dnieper and were badly affected by flooding, they managed to complete a weekly norm work in just two days. It was a miracle that God sent equipment (a tractor and two KamAZ trucks) to remove garbage and clear the area from dirt and mud. Even though there were hostilities nearby and there were explosions, the Lord was our shield and protection and we were not injured.
God opened people’s hearts to accept His Word both in casual conversations on the street, and during short breaks between work, at lunch, and in houses of prayer. Many thanked us for the support, and talked about their worries; we saw sprouts of faith in people’s hearts as they repented.”
Due to the destruction of the infrastructure, and the pollution of reservoirs and springs, a shortage of drinking water has occurred in a large area of the Kherson region. Here, our brothers from Kryvyi Rih joined the ministry. They bought a large tank and delivered drinking water to the villages of Fedorivka, Darivka, Sonyachne, and Chervone. A full tank of water was consumed in about one hour because the need was great. A lot of people came over, but it was dangerous because the occupying forces from the opposite bank of the Dnieper were targeting the gatherings of civilians. But even in this situation, the Lord protected!
The cities and villages of the Dnipropetrovsk region suffer without drinking water, in particular the city of Nikopol, the village of Chervonogrigorivka, and other surrounding villages located on the banks of the former Kakhovka reservoir, which was destroyed by the Russian occupiers. The state is trying to solve the water problem, by building pumping stations, but these settlements are under constant shelling from the occupied Energodar. Believers of the House of Agape church, with the support of the Hope to People mission, regularly bring drinking water there.
It is difficult to describe all the pain and suffering of these people, but we are all sure of one thing: God is miraculously preparing the soil of their hearts and planting the seeds of His Word in them. Today the churches in Kherson are 90-95% filled with people who joined them recently. People are attentive to listening to the Word and are willingly taking the Gospels and evangelistic pamphlets. It is clear that they need not only humanitarian aid but also God’s Daily Bread that came down from heaven!
During one of the trips, our team helped the Church of Christ the Savior ECB community in Kherson to hold a children’s day camp. We thank the Lord that even in this difficult time for our country, He continues to do His work and expands the borders of His Kingdom in the hearts of people living in the front-line zone.
