Update from Ukraine

Global Missions Ministries Update From the Ukraine
In late October, Global Missions Ministries with the assistance of the Media Ministries of the International Offices began to make the church family aware of an urgent need in nation of Ukraine. There, over 700 church members and orphans had fled their homes to take refuge at our local church in Kiev.

The response from our church family was overwhelming, as over $100,000.00 was received for the effort.

Just this week, our National Overseer Bishop Vitalii Vozniuk writes of the ongoing relief efforts of the church, "We pray for you and thank you for helping Ukraine during these difficult days. Despite that military conflict in Ukraine receives a lot of attention, real life is much more violent than what is represented by the media. Hostilities in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions do not subside. Every day dozens of soldiers and civilians are killed, injured, or wounded. People live in fear. No one knows when it will be over. This leads to humanitarian disaster.

Because of the ongoing hostilities all businesses there don't function, pensioners don't receive pensions, and students don't study. Food prices have increased manifold. This inevitably leads to dramatic increase in crime rates.

Today in the area of the ATO food delivery capability is very limited as there are only seven corridors through which humanitarian supplies may be delivered.

So many people are in need of food. Therefore we organized mobile kitchen tents where people can get a hot meal. We have three such tents in Donetsk, two in Lugansk, and per one in Makiyevka, Krasnodon, Rubizhne, and Yenakievo.

Every day 2,000 people receive food. This is a great blessing for us. All these people hear the testimony of Jesus Christ. Also they are offered to repeat a prayer of repentance. As evidenced by the pastors no one refused to repent.

For 3 months we fed 150,000 people, all of them repeated the prayer of repentance. Food per person per day costs 12 HRN (70 cents). We also send clothes and toiletries, but there is still a great need for pharmaceuticals.

In the same time we are working with refugees. Since the beginning of hostilities we have helped 10,000 people from the area of ATO. At Christmas, each family received a heavy pack with food and sweets for children as a Christmas present.

We are so grateful to everyone for helping make that possible. Your gifts help to save souls today. May God reward you manifold."

Global Missions Ministries Coordinator, Cathy Payne said, "I have been joyfully overwhelmed by the loving prayer support and generosity of our church family world-wide in response to the need in Ukraine. We have heard from many local fellowships concerning their sacrifice in prayer and giving to assist our local church in Kiev."

While most responses have been from our network in North America and more specifically the United States, we have received communication and support from other nations, and especially those within the region of Europe, CIS, and the Middle East.

Brother Vitaly, our national bishop in Ukraine and the Pastor of our local church in Kiev, has expressed his gratitude to everyone for their love and support during this time and especially toward the support need for the orphanage work. He affirmed this response as an answer from God to their prayers in time of compelling need. He expressed his thanks to all for lending your helping hand during these difficult times for Ukraine!

Global Missions Ministries and the General Presbyter's Office of Europe, CIS, and the Middle East, add their gratitude for the responses toward this time of need. Thank you for your expressions of love, and for many, your great sacrifice to minister to our fellowship in the nation of Ukraine.