Kevin on behalf of Edik & Liana and Sasha – Ukraine:

Kyiv: I recently had the privilege of being introduced to Sasha. Sasha is a long-standing friend of David King and someone I have recently got to know. He pastors a church in Kyiv and oversees 50 other Pentecostal churches in the region. He shared with me recently about life under fire in Kyiv as well as a very specific need for money to be able to buy firewood for the winter.

Sasha’s recent Whattsap messages to me: Last night in Kyiv, 20 drones attacked Kyiv! One dead, a bunch wounded. Sumy is being attacked as well. People from our churches volunteer to bring aid to the front line. One guy – the son of one of our pastors – was tragically killed.

Last night we were hit with 13 missiles -1 huge one – and 23 Russian drones! Friends from April 28th our life with bombing is worse than it was in the winter! They bomb the hell out of us almost every single night! PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY.

Last night Russians bombed our main port in Odessa on the Black Sea where we export our products from. Their idea is to completely destroy any mention of Ukraine nation . As they say there is no such nation as independent Ukraine.

It has been so good to meet Sasha on zoom a couple of times and to get to know him and his situation. He has asked us for help with regard to buying firewood for the winter. The summer is the cheapest time to buy firewood for heating. In a few weeks time, the cost will go up. As a wider church community, they need 45 tons of wood-pellets at a cost of $9662 which will last them for 6 winter months. It is a privilege for us as a community to be able to provide this money.

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Uzhgorod: In a recent communication with Edik and Liana, I asked if they thought there could be additional ministry that they would like to initiate locally, if the money were available. In addition to what they already do to support refugees and the poor, Edik outlined four projects that they would like to undertake:

1. supporting children who are returning to school in Sept ’23;
2. providing a daily free meal for refugees for four months;
3. inviting 40 people to a Christmas lunch;
4. buying and distributing Christmas gifts to 100 refugees;

Edik writes:

1) On average in Ukraine, to deliver a student to school for the academic year, including school supplies and clothes for some people, you need from $50 to $80 USD. We want to minister to 60 children.
Project Cost: (60X70) = $4200

2) Earlier, at the beginning of the war, there were several canteens for refugees in Uzhgorod, run by Baptists. But now these eateries are closed. There is only one place and it is on the territory of the Baptist church and only for a small number of people, with the condition that they will attend their meetings. Since renting a canteen will be very expensive and it needs to be located closer to the central areas of the city, we have an idea to do this in a large hotel, in a restaurant where Liana works. Liana has already spoken to the owner of the hotel, and he agreed. We also spoke to the hotel’s chefs and they said they would be able to prepare a full three-course meal for 50 people daily from the menu we’ll put together. Liana persuaded them to make these dinners at low prices. On average, this will be $4.50 per person per day and we would like to provide a daily meal, 25 days a month (less Sundays). This would be a great blessing and through this we could reach even more people with the gospel, since we will be able to invite people by giving food stamps and at the same time testify about Christ and preach the gospel.
Project cost for 1 month: (4.5x50X25) = $5625. Cost for 4 months: (5625×4) = $22.500

3) We want to invite 40 people to a festive Christmas lunch (or dinner). We would like to do this at the restaurant we took you to, close to the river. This will take place on the second floor in the banquet hall. The holiday menu will cost about $40 per person, but it will be amazing for these people, and many of them could never afford it before, much less now under the circumstances. This will make a lasting impression on them.
Project cost (40×40) = $1600

4) We would like to distribute Christmas gifts to 100 people (including children and adults), and each gift can be worth $20.
Project cost (100×20) = $2000

I am very happy to share that our application to the Newfrontiers Ukraine Fund for $30.300 / £23.120, has been approved and so all four projects can be realised in Autumn 2023! We are very thankful to all our friends and partners in Newfrontiers, Relational Mission and beyond who support the work of the Lighthouse Community.

Thousands of refugees and those in need – people that most of us will never meet – are experiencing the blessing of life in the wider body of Christ. Our love, prayers, generosity and fellowship are making a difference. We are unlikely to ever personally see the full impact of our ministry together, but this doesn’t matter. What matters is that trusted friends and partners – Edik, Liana and Sasha – are supported in their calling and ministry; strangers are being welcomed and the gospel is being preached and the hungry are being fed and the thirsty are being quenched and the naked are being clothed. (Mt 25:36-38)

This matters…

Please click here if you would like to support us further, in our mission to Ukraine.