Joy and Tears
Dear Friends and Prayer Partners,
We rejoice in Jesus, and we weep with Ukraine. God is very kind to us and to all Ukrainians who were able to flee from the war. Thank you for your prayers! We hear so many testimonies of God’s grace and mercy from the Ukrainian people around us here in Switzerland.
The mother of our new friend Alexander lived in a village outside Kharkov, very close to the border with Russia. Alexander begged his mother to leave her home and to run away from the war, but she refused. Her neighbors have left the village, and several houses have already been destroyed by Russian bombs. On Wednesday, we prayed that God would lead Alexander’s mother out of her village. And how much we rejoiced at God’s mercy that the very next Wednesday Lilia was at the church meeting together with us! Two hours after she left her house, her neighbor called her on the phone. The house in which she lived was engulfed in flames from a bomb that exploded in front of it. Just two hours after Lilia left for the evacuation! This is God’s grace! We rejoice for Lilia, but we weep with her because she no longer has a home to return to after the war ends.
This week Olga arrived at our church with her son Svyatoslav. The family had lived in Kyiv, but with the outbreak of war, they hurried to leave the city for a small village. Wrong decision! The village was occupied by Russian troops. Russian soldiers entered every courtyard and shot vehicles and people’s houses. This way they intimidated the population. The neighbor’s daughter got scared and began running. So they just shot her. They said she should not have run. Olga, her husband, and son sat in their basement for about a month, listening to the Russians firing multiple-rocket launchers from a neighboring courtyard. They fled as soon as the opportunity arose. We rejoice with them about God’s protection and deliverance. They live right next to us in Switzerland. This is God’s miracle. But we cry with them for those thousands of people who did not survive, were tortured, raped, and simply thrown into trenches one on top of the other.
Every person in our small church congregation has a story of God’s miracles on the way to Switzerland (Pic.1-2). But each of them also bears deep emotional wounds from the horrors of war. Each of us still has loved ones in Ukraine who are in danger of being bombed by the Russian aggressor. We pray for God’s miracles of deliverance for them. And you pray also. Pray for the healing of their emotional wounds. Pray that the Lord will save their souls through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ died and rose again! He is alive and working in the hearts of those who trust Him.
Another miracle that we would like to share with you happened in Ukraine. Remember, a year ago we asked you to pray for a young sister, Inessa, who was suddenly paralyzed? This week we found out that Inessa is pregnant! God not only healed her of her affliction, but He also gave her the joy of carrying a child under her heart. Continue to pray for this family (Pic.3). Dima and Inessa live in western Ukraine now. They bought a van and help evacuate people from the hot spots of the war.
God continues to keep our Kyiv church safe (Pic.4). Of course, our church members are not in Kyiv anymore, but we have not lost a single brother or sister in this war. Pray for Zhenya. He continues to serve in the army, guarding a checkpoint on one of the roads. He sees the grace of God in the fact that the locals constantly feed the soldiers and take care of their needs. Pray for Zhenya’s sisters, mother, and grandmother. They remained in occupied Kherson, and they just can’t evacuate to the free Ukrainian territory. The Lord keeps them safe, but we would like to see them farther away from the war.
Thank you very much for your prayers! Our emotions jump up and down from complete peace and confidence in God to tears and the feeling of complete hopelessness several times a day. The Lord knows everything. Thank you!
With love,
Your missionaries among refugees from Ukraine,
V & A
