I am sending this report from Delhi, India! Brian and Bekah have wanted to adopt a fatherless child for some time. After extensive research they found that India was the most likely place. They have worked on this for over a year and now we FINALLY have 3-year-old “Avie” as a part of our family! The process has been long but looking at Avie’s smile makes it all worthwhile. We are in the final days waiting for the documents and expect to leave within the next week!
The war continues in Ukraine. Our efforts to supply those in need with critical relief commodities continues. We have shipped a large generator that will supply the Ivano-Frankivsk Church building when power is not available. Currently the church building is being used as a charging station, warming shelter, housing IDPS, and distribution of humanitarian relief items. When the generator is fully installed this will help even more.
Below are recent reports that I want to share with you. As you read these I think you will gain appreciation for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who face day-to-day challenges of life, food, health, security, and warmth!
From Ivan Skoleba
Greetings, our dear brothers and sisters. We thank God and you for prayers.
We are all alive thank God. There’s a lot of work at Church and with relief shipments now. There are inspections still to make sure we have no corruption in the distribution and money, thus there is quite a bit of paperwork. Power outages slow down everything. Air raid alarms happen often and businesses work 3 hours a day. Long lines everywhere get under your skin some but we do what we can. Everything is uptight now. I have to do a lot of things myself because the police grab young men from the street and sends them to the war. Thus, you can see only women and children outside and it’s hard to find workers.
In looking back over January, we have lived through another winter month and have survived despite everything that is going on around us and in this country. We ask God to stop this war and give us peace. Hundreds of people die for freedom every day believing in a better future but we know that people are not going to change without faith in the Gospel because Jesus Christ is the only answer to the sin problem. We pray at Church and thank God for the great spiritual support coming from faithful American Christians. And every time we give away humanitarian aid we pray together with families and explain to them the relief items were collected and shipped by our American brothers and sisters. We invite people to Church and those who cannot come join our worship and Bible classes online.
Ivan Skoleba
Every time an air raid alarm goes off, public transportation stops all over the city and people get off and walk to closest bomb shelters. Also, power outages cause big inconveniences and hinder the work of businesses and other groups. However, we still get together and have worship services and Bible classes regularly to provide spiritual support and aid to those needing them. We pray together every Friday. We teach Bible classes in Zelena and help families and school in Ugornyky. Lyubov Zinovievna, the Mayor, asked us to thank American brethren for help.
Ivan Skoleba
Besides, we continue works in the church building. Right now, interior works are under way. We want to be done with the first floor as soon as possible to be able to receive official occupancy and use the building to its full capacity as lodging, heating station and charging station.
Thank you, brothers and sisters, for the generator sent by John Kachelman. Now we have our own heating and light. With great joy and gratitude to all of you, now we will have warmth and light. In recent days, we have been turning off electricity more often and for longer periods. You save us from the cold. John has also arranged for smaller generators to be sent and we will use these in the children’s homes that Sveta and Inna visit. Thank you for your help and great work! We thank God for you all, our dear brothers and sisters.
Ivan Skoleba
THANK YOU ALL FOR PARTICIPATION AND HELP. In Christ, Ivan and Svitlana
From Ruslan Skoleba
Greetings, dear brothers and sisters! I’m happy to greet you in 2023. I am sending you heartfelt greetings on behalf of the Church in Ivano-Frankivsk. We have started studying the Bible from the very beginning and hope to finish it completely this year. It has been rather quiet here but they predict another offensive soon. Please, pray for a quick end to this war. We will continue doing what we should regardless. We pray God’s protection to all of us in this world where evil is progressing so much. May God protect you and your families. Ruslan
Ruslan Skoleba
From Vladimir Paziy
Winter camp in Lviv: Winter camp had a healing effect on our souls, especially during separation from our familys, brothers and sisters. 180 people from various places in Ukraine. Thanks to the church city of Lviv for the organization and good atmosphere. Chris Morgan, Walter Rayburn comforters for wounded souls…It was great to see both this brothers with full energy to help us (all of us in camp) with love, worm words, and of course great bible lessons. Big thanks to these men for their courage be with us during the war and for help with organization this unique camp. We all were agreed that next year we need have same camp in Svytogorsk. Of course, war must be over.
Kramatorsk Church: Some members of our community come home to Kramatorsk for a short period, and if safely hold Sunday services with brothers and sisters, they do this. You can see that we used for that Church building. When we left our region because of the war, we don’t see each other as often as we would like. Brothers and sisters from Konstantinovka, my favorite community where we started our journey as a Church preacher, and Oksana founded the first ABC school. It gives strength and hope.
Our Work in Ivano-Frankivsk: All our worship meeting we do in apartment where we lived. Yes, we would like to change location for that, but power outages do not allow for this. I was found good places to meet more than once, but blackout makes it impossible for us to enjoy visiting when we need it. We thought that no reason to pay for an empty room. Every Monday – Wednesday we have Bible classes, I try to post them on all social platforms. When day gets longer and there are fewer problems with the light, we will return to looking for a room for rent. This situation in our prayer list. Every week I go out with a Bible in my hands in the hope of meeting people who want to study it. Sometimes I get it, but most of the time people don’t respond. Also, we always in contact with our members from hometown and try to encourage each other, for better days. Every evening we have man’s prayers with all our brothers from Kramatorsk, great time to see each other
“Otzeshola”, ABC School online: More than 9 months Oksana has worked on this project. It took us a while and now we are testing the website to understand how everything will work. It will be English and Bible school online, “Otze Shkola”. We would like to say thanks to all who were help with payments: Scott Dutton, Mark Posey, Eastern Meadows Church, Steve Housley, he helped to connect with Apologetic Press (the links we will be using at our school) and all those they represented. https://otzeshkola2022.wixsite.com/my-site Please check this website, we will love to hear your thoughts about it.
Our family is fine, Rita completed her first semester at university, it looks like she loves what is she doing, Dima last months in school summer he will have exams to go to institute, studying hard for that. We miss our home and pray that it will not be destroyed at the end of the war. We want to say thank you for your support and prayers, for the kind words and help that you provide to our family. In Christ,
The Paziy Family
Continue to pray for the situation in Ukraine! Pray that this war will end quickly and our brothers and sisters will begin rebuilding what has been destroyed.
John L. Kachelman, Jr. Montgomery, AL
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