Daily Update – 5/7/22

This is a brief update on our actions involving the relief shipments going into Ukraine.

We continue to receive encouraging communication from congregations and brethren. Here is just a sampling:

Charlotte Rudolph: “This is just a small token of help for the people who are in need. Men, women and children fleeing their land because of a war they were not responsible for. Praying that God will continue touching hearts of His People like you until there is enough relief sent. Also, thank you for allowing me to help in such a small way.”

Victor Eskew (OceanSide church of Christ, Atlantic Beach, FL): We have been conducting a program this year to support mission works.  All monies contributed over out budgeted amount go to a specific mission work that month.  This month, we would like to support Ukraine. We saw that the church there is involved in Ukraine. Too, you have been highly recommended by other sister congregations. We will send a check at the end of the month when we know how much money has been contributed to the effort.

Larry Brady (Salem Church of Christ in Honoraville, Alabama): “Brother John, we just cannot imagine the horrors that are striking Ukraine and the feeling you must have after so many years of working there. We are praying for you and want to send money to help pay shipping for at least one container of benevolent items.”

Mesa Church of Christ (Mesa, AZ): “The Elders at Mesa announced a ministry that you are spearheading in collecting supplies and funds for Ukraine. Our members who couldn’t shop, donated the enclosed funds to help.”

Church of Christ at Grudy Street (Tullahoma, TN): Dear brother John, As per our conversation, we are sending this check to be used as you see fit in the relief of our Ukrainian brethren and others as deemed necessary. We appreciate the work you Are doing, and are thankful for your help in this work. We would appreciate a brief statement that can be shared with our congregation.”

We have developed an incredible network of partners, resources and assets in logistics. This network’s scope is international and each element is very eager to assist in seizing our objective. This is not to say that everything always goes smoothly. We have just completed the initial part of a significant action that is multifaceted. A good team was involved overseas and has now returned, but ripples of their work are still touching many locations throughout Ukraine. When we have reached a certain point, we can give you amazing news on this project.

Charita continues in a frantic mode trying to book, schedule, and track the loadings of relief items. We continue discussions with a number of significant contacts to assure the integrity of our operations. At this point we have scheduled booking & loading, completed loadings, for SIXTY-ONE shipments! At this point we have FIFTY containers on the water steaming toward destinations. The total numbers remain fluid and each day they change as more are added. Each day we receive offers from donors eager to send commodities into Ukraine.

In this update I want to highlight several significant updates in the reports that give you information on our work together in Ukraine.

Construction of the Church Building

We are frantically working to finish construction on the first level so IDPs (Internally Displaced People) will be able to have shelter. At this point there are many IDPs sleeping in cars or temporary shelters constructed on the church grounds. When the inside is completed we should be able to house 70 people. Ivan’s report below gives more information on this task:

Hi Brother John, thank you for the letter.

We have everything in order, we continue to work on the construction site. And we help people. Bought materials for grouting putty, a machine that will speed up work. Also, materials for work. And two showers. We will put them in women’s and men’s toilets on the ground floor. Also, a tank for heating water of 200 liters. The filter for water because in water it is a lot of iron it needs to be cleared that system did not spoil. And various small details for installation of all hinged. At the end of the month I will make a financial report. We all keep checks/receipts of expenses.

Ivan Skoleba

Ivan’s Report

Greetings, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The time we are living through now has proven even more the importance of a strong Christian family that radiates the love of our Heavenly Father. But with all said, Satan is still striving to plant despondency in the hearts of believers. We thank God realizing that all glory belongs to Him and if we are with Him, we share in His glory. Big thanks to you for your prayers, which are a great source of power needed by all Ukrainians to stop the evil that has broken loose and is acting in a horrible inhumane manner. It’s hard to believe that such insanity exists in the 21^st century and people have not gotten rid of it. I ask God to help people wake up so that all of us will become His image and likening.

Despite all the evil attacking us, we persevere in faith living to glorify the Lord and His Church. We continue assembling on a regular basis and a lot of Russian speaking people have moved here. While some people from here have temporarily moved to Poland and Germany. I try to go to Poland once a month to meet with our brethren there. It is a blessing to have Churches of Christ in Poland and Germany where our Christians worship together with the local ones.

Now the tension is very high and the prices are terrible. To rent an apartment you need at least $500. Everything went up in price from sugar and cereals to buttons. Gasoline up to $9.00/gal as it is measured in States.

War is a terrible time in which it is difficult to survive. Maybe soon the war will end. Now all the leaders are working on it. May God protect you and your family.

In Ukraine, brother Volodymyr Paziy and I take turns preaching, since the majority of the congregation has come from the East and speaks Russian now. They do their best to learn Ukrainian to blend in with the community in the West.”

The Church in Ivano-Frankivsk at Work

Besides, the men from the church help hospitals, displaced, and military people.  The Church of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk is very active in the community and takes part in different events. We also help doctors. All this makes the Church very efficient. We show our love and sympathy to the needy in deed. We help them with food, clothes, and shoes. We invite them to Church assemblies and always talk about salvation, baptism, and forgiveness of sins.

We are working hard to get the rooms on the first floor ready for internally displaced people from the East. We would like to move to the new church building on May 20 where we could assemble and worship God. We hope that our members will be willing to help the displaced that will live in our church building. We have done a lot. We are tiling the floor now; have finished one children’s classroom, have hooked up water filters and switched in water for shower and toilets.

Special thanks to you for financial help, which allows us to assist the elderly, orphans and military with food and other things. Thanks to Mike Lawson, Bill and Lyuba Wharton and brother John Kachelman for his work and financial support. Big thanks to the Hillsboro elders for prayers and support. Thanks to brother Ron, Henry, Gary and the whole Church at Hillsboro. Thanks to John Durham, brothers and sisters from the Dalraida Church, Johnny and elders and all praying for Ukraine and the Church in Ivano-Frankivsk.

Prayer requests. Please, pray for our Church to set a good example to people around us and for the Lord to strengthen us and help us endure this trying time. Please, pray for the war to be over so that everybody could go back home. Please, pray and ask God to help us finish repairs on the first floor so that we can assemble there. Pray for my family as well, please, for the Lord to strengthen us and give us wisdom to secure all that God has entrusted us with.

Please, pray on behalf of our grandson Timothy – they removed sutures from his head yesterday. He had banged his head badly and had sutures put on it to help it heal well.

Ivan & Sveta Skoleba

Ruslan’s Report

Dear brothers and sisters! 

I’m thankful for one more God-given opportunity to write you. Despite the war in Ukraine, the men continue working both in Lord’s vineyard and at the construction site. There are a lot of displaced people in Ivano-Frankivsk, many brethren have come here—we knew some of them before and have met others here. We try to help everybody needing assistance and provide aid to Christians in the first place as God teaches us (Galatians 6:10). We have brought aid from Poland that The Lord’s Church in Wroclaw collected. There were things both for the displaced and the military.

We continue construction of our church building. During April we have bought doors and construction materials. Those that know construction understand that it takes longer to do interior works and it takes longer to see the outcome. But we press forward thanking you for prayers and support. We pray for you asking God to reward you for your service to others.

Ruslan Skoleba

Reporting on Mission Efforts

I am scheduling reporting trips to give a personal touch to the reports of the great being done. I use Acts 14:27 as the pattern when Paul returned his mission trips, “To report all the things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” At this point, I have visited the Church of Christ in Meridianville, AL. I have confirmations to report to the following congregations:

• May 15 – North Lexington church of Christ (Lexington, KY)
• May 22 – Wayne Furnace church of Christ (Waynesboro, TN)
• June 5 – Dalraida church of Christ (Montgomery, AL)
• June 12 – Eastern Meadows church of Christ (Montgomery, AL)

Several others have reached out about me coming and talking about our mission efforts, so if you want a personal report please contact me as soon as you can.

Thanks for your prayers and support! Our efforts together are accomplishing much in the name of the Lord’s Church.

John L. Kachelman, Jr.
(Montgomery, AL)