Dear friends,
When I think about 2022, what would you guess is the first word that comes to mind? War, crisis, hatred, fear?
Actually, the first word I think of is “faithfulness.”
When Russian invaders started to kill our people, when the streets emptied, when missiles shattered the peaceful silence, so many stayed to serve.
Our mission is to serve those who were once abandoned. Our staff was determined not to abandon them again. You prayed to God to spare our lives, to provide one more ounce of strength. And God helped us. We had everything we needed for life and ministry.
Most of our staff stayed in Zhytomyr. The day after the war began, we prayed, encouraged each other, and regrouped. Our next step was to send staff member Yuliana to Europe alongside some of our orphaned moms. Eventually, in the Netherlands, a group of believers served our moms through a “new Shelter.”
We never shut our doors to orphans, and even started to serve others: soldiers on the front lines, refugees in Ukraine, and neighbors facing a humanitarian crisis. This service showed God’s goodness to everyone who received help.
New people stepped up in these months of war. As millions left the country, staff member Sasha crossed the border the other way. Now he works in our Day Center. Vova also joined the staff; every day for two weeks he drove refugees to the border of Ukraine.
Like the Apostle Paul’s delight in his spiritual son Timothy, I’m delighted by the faithfulness of our staff. Working together, we direct all eyes to Jesus.
We’re so thankful for your prayers and donations. Without your help, we would never have succeeded. Now, we ask you once again to join in our ministry with your contributions. Let’s continue faithfully serving our youth in 2023.
May God bless all of you,
Andrey Pankyeyev
Ministry Director