March 2019 Newsletter

Photo: This is Olexiy. He is a 3-year-old orphan and lives with his grandmother in a village.

Here is the March 2019 UKRAINE MISSIONS Newsletter.

We continue to rejoice in the amazing good reports that continue to return to us on the work of the Lord’s Church throughout the world.

This March newsletter is tardy because of the mission trip to Ukraine in late March and early April. I am working on the April newsletter and hope to have it published soon.

The photo of Olexity and his story provide you with a reality-check on the impact our efforts are having. This is one of the reports I sent back during the stay in Ukraine.

Report #14—April 12, 2019

This photo is an orphan who lives in a village with his grandmother. The village is located in the Dnepropetrovsk Oblast in a small village called Novogregorifka. I have visited this village and have preached there. There are no paved streets. The population of the village shares the concerns that all do—how can we stretch our food supplies and why doesn’t the government help the villages, are paramount issues discussed on the village’s pathways. There is great concern as they hear that an old lady’s cow has stopped giving milk and the old lady is in great grief (when is the last time YOUR greatest concern was that your cow had stopped giving milk?). Adding to the concerns of everyday village life are the large numbers of those who have been moved here because Russia’s invasion and occupation has destroyed their homes in the east. Some arrive newly widowed as their husbands were killed by Russian military. Others come as orphans because Russian bombs had blown up their homes and killed their parents.

These IDPs are relocated looking dazed and disoriented. They clutch whatever possessions they could grab as they fled. The children present the worst images.

When we place a Family Bucket in their hands with clothing, shoes and basic living essentials you see eyes filled with gratitude and tears of emotions run down their cheeks. I can try to describe these situations to you but whatever I write is woefully inadequate.

In a world of evil YOU have given a sliver of hope!

Here is a 3-year-old named is Olexiy. He is an orphan and lives with his grandmother in the village. Ivan had taken a load of clothing, buckets and toys from our container and distributed them in that village. Among the commodities in the container was a stuffed animal that now gives security to a three-year-old whose world of security was blown apart by evil.

When Ivan entered the house, Olexiy was politely sitting on the sofa. Ivan started showing the grandmother clothing that might fit the 3-year-old. Some was a little large as Olexiy tried it on, all items were gratefully accepted. Once Ivan handed the stuffed toy to Olexiy, he grasped it and exclaimed, “Thank you! I’ve dreamed about this!”

Thank you to all who help make the dreams of such 3-year-olds come true! https://www.kachelman.com/ukraine/blog/2019/04/13/report-14-april-12-2019/

To Read the MARCH 2019 UKRAINE MISSIONS NEWSLETTER Click here or download!