Unfortunately, the war in Ukraine continues, and therefore, our ministry to Ukrainian soldiers continues. Over the past three months, mission staff and volunteers have prepared and made three trips to the frontlines to help the Ukrainian defenders, provide moral support, and preach the gospel to them. Despite difficult weather conditions, threats of shelling, and the moral devastation of the soldiers, these meetings became important events not only for the defenders but also for our volunteers, who are gaining invaluable experience in serving people in wartime.

November Trip: Support and Heavy Losses

The trip in November began with great difficulties. Due to the illness of team members, the trip had to be put off, and of course, the fixed dates of meetings with the soldiers had to be changed. So, instead of the planned in-person communication with the soldier Oleksiy, they met only with the body of the soldier who died the day before and accompanied him to the burial in his native village in the Khmelnytsky region. Such is the heartbreaking reality of war.

During this trip, our small team delivered 1,740 chemical heating pads, energy bars, trench candles, letters from children, and many other important and useful things to the soldiers at the front. Our ministers met many soldiers who serve in the hottest Bakhmut, Lyman, and Torets directions of the front, morally and physically exhausted, as well as the always optimistic and indomitable Vlad from the 3rd assault brigade. In the combat zone villages, people mostly refused to evacuate, having resigned to fate. Despite the dangers on the roads, which are already controlled by enemy drones in some places, the volunteers arrived unharmed and delivered everything they needed to our defenders.

 

Christmas Journey: Gifts and the Message of Hope

In December, the team visited nine military units with Christmas gifts and a message of God’s peace. Thanks to the help of Ukrainians and friends from Poland, Italy, England, and the USA, we managed to collect cold medicine, some food, and things useful for the winter season for the soldiers at the frontline, as well as postcards and sweets.

Meetings with soldiers who were able to experience the joy of the holiday for the first time in a long time were special. When our volunteers showed off gift boxes in festive packaging, one lieutenant had the idea to deliver some of them directly to the trenches using drones to drop the gifts and congratulate even those soldiers who are in the most difficult conditions and cannot leave their positions to celebrate Christmas in their living quarters.

January: Difficulties and Faith

he trip in January began with mechanical issues with the car, which were quickly resolved before leaving for the Donetsk region, thanks to our brothers in Christ who helped. The transverse spring on the volunteer bus cracked due to the heavy loads.

When Vyacheslav Arterchuk and Arkady Slyoza reached Kramatorsk, soldiers from the 24th and 93rd brigades expressed sincere gratitude for the delivered cold medicine and for all the support they had felt during the three years of war.

They met with chaplain Oleksandr Reshetnik, who continued to instill optimism and hope in the hearts of the soldiers, and the brothers also got to know new soldiers. With the help of an evangelistic cube, brother Arkady briefly and clearly shared the Good News with them..

Significant destruction was noticeable in Pokrovsk; the once thriving city is gradually being turned into a zone of continuous ruins. Our brothers have become even more convinced that no one on the home front has the right to sit back and wait till the war is over as if it were some kind of adverse weather phenomenon. No, the victory of good over evil requires the active participation of every person and the possible struggle of each in their place with the darkness that is approaching. Therefore, despite fatigue and difficulties, let us continue to serve the military, take care of their urgent needs, and deliver letters of support, children’s drawings, and words of hope.

These three trips have become a testament to the power of faith, sacrifice, and the ability of people to unite for good, even in the most difficult times. Our employees are grateful to everyone who joined this mission, and they encourage us to continue praying and supporting our defenders.