We at present have electricity, water, and internet for approx. Eight hours per day, sirens are sounding constantly, warning us to go to the air raid basements, and military jets are heard overhead daily. Both sides are preparing and being wise, and so are we. We will not leave as our safety is not our priority. God has put us here with a task to fulfill, and we are to remain focused on our goal - the preaching of the Gospel and the upbuilding of the local assembly in Lutsk. We appreciate your prayers; there are many times during the day when the going gets tough and daily living is quite a challenge, but we remember God's people are praying, so "why should I doubt or fear? My Father's Hand will never cause, His child a needless tear."
Assembly
We had the joy of baptizing three believers recently, and they have been brought into the assembly fellowship. In the photograph, you can see Lyuda (nearest), Lena, and Kostja. Lyuda was saved a number of years ago and has been a very faithful attendee at all assembly meetings for a long time. Lyuda's younger sister has been in the assembly since it commenced over 20 years ago. Lena moved from the East of Ukraine and got saved just after the war started. Her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter were saved, baptized, and brought into assembly fellowship shortly after they fled the East in 2015. Kostja was saved last year after the war started, and it is nice to see him joining his wife Julia, who has been in the assembly for about 15 years. Another sister Oksana was to be baptized but couldn't get the evening off due to work commitments. We will baptize her soon.
Gospel meetings
In the New Year, we decided not to give out food bags every Thursday but give them a few times each month. Numbers are still excellent, and the photograph shows the people waiting outside to enter. The meeting should start at 6 pm, but when we open our doors at 4.45 pm, we have to close them at 5.20 pm as we can't take any more. We commence approx. 5.30 with a little singing, followed by the Gospel message, and we close with three brethren praying for the salvation of souls and the need of the country. After the meeting closes, we serve soup and a hot meal for all present.
Orphanage renovations 2023!
We are practically finished. The cleaners are in, and we are putting the final touches to many of the bedrooms and bathrooms - Mirrors, pictures, bathroom furniture, soap dispensers, hair dryers, etc. There are a lot of bits and pieces but nothing big except the commercial kitchen and dining room. With so many men in the military, suppliers are finding it challenging to work within our timescale, and so, for many things, we have to wait. We asked two people last week about joining the workforce in the home. Keeping in mind that children will need to be transported to school etc., and the Gospel Hall, we have begun to think about transport. We bought a 2016 (7-seater) Volkswagen Caddy and are presently looking at two used (7-seater) Toyota Proace City Versos in Poland. We are looking at how we can get them into Ukraine and the amount of tax we must pay at the border. You can keep up-to-date with the latest news by following us on Facebook:
Calendars 2023!
We printed 35,000 calendars for 2023, which have been mainly distributed around Lutsk, Ivano Frankvisk and sent to the front-line troops. God has promised that His word will not return to Him void, so it is our responsibility to get His Word out among the people. We are thankful for all in the assembly who give up their Saturdays to help spread the Gospel.
Literature
This year we will concentrate on printing Gospel Tracts and small assembly booklets. If you know of something in English that would benefit us, please forward a copy, and we will get it translated and printed. We always seek Gospel material to distribute on the streets of Lutsk and neighboring villages.
Spring 2023
Written by Timothy & Rhoda Sloan - Ukraine