News from Kharkiv

As the war in Ukraine continues to escalate,  I can't thank you enough for your prayers, fasting and sacrificial giving for our dear friends. I would like to share letters I am receiving, along with a picture from happier times.  I will start this morning with Pastor Gennadi Pilipenko in Kharkiv, so that you can see the spirit and faith of those who are facing this horrendous tragedy...

  Shalom! Greetings, dear Jerry, with the peace and love of our Lord! Before, when we said "Shalom!" to each other, it meant "Hi!" When the war began, this acquired a completely different meaning. Now this word means a wish for peace and tranquility, so that there is no anxiety, so that the war ends. Five days of war have passed in Ukraine, but it seems to us that it has been going on for a whole month. Russia's military leaders deceived their soldiers. They said that the army was going almost for a walk, that peaceful people in Ukraine would be happy to meet it. Many Russian military did not want and did not intend to fight with the friendly people of Ukraine. But the Russian army met very serious resistance, people began to defend their land. Blood began to spill. It's hard for me to imagine how godless Russian generals will look into the eyes of the mothers and wives of the young boys they have sacrificed for political ambitions. Representatives of Ukraine asked that the corpses of the killed men be sent home as soon as possible so that people could see the result of war crimes. This is more than 3 thousand people. The Ukrainian army also suffered losses. The troops entered Kharkov along several roads at once. There were fierce battles. But the main goal of the invaders was Kyiv. The Russian government wanted to force our government to capitulate. But it didn't happen. Today, several districts of Kharkov were shelled, and it was residential buildings that were shelled. There are dead and wounded. In the area where our house is located, the shooting was not carried out, only heard from a distance. When the air raid alarm sounds, many people come down from their floors and hide in the basements of their houses. But we do not go down to the basement, we fully trust the Lord. A lot of people day and night are at metro stations, which are bomb shelters. Many families left for Western Ukraine and even other countries. Lilya and Danik with their family also left for the west. They stopped near the city of Lvov. Ira and Dima with their family are at home. In the church building, we receive people who are afraid to die from explosions and shootings. They feel safe in church. Many of them live near the church. Previously, they did not want to go to church, and when the war began, the church became a refuge for them. We read the Word of God with them, reassure them with hope in the Lord, and pray. Some of them have already begun to pray. Pastor Dima also organized the reception of people in the church. They have up to 100 people on the lowest floor. Today I organized a group in the church to coordinate assistance to people in need. We currently have 3 areas of work: 1) We help church members who need food. 2) We will prepare meals for those people who are in shelters without a livelihood. 3) We will provide food assistance to the military, who are also in need. To do this, we bought and brought bread and other food products to the church. Our Dima helps me in this ministry. It is very difficult to buy food in stores now, because many stores are closed, and in others there are long queues (100-200 people each). But the Lord sent people who without difficulty gave food for organizing help through the church. Thanks God! Giving bread to unbelievers opens the door to evangelism. I think this is what the Lord wants. He sent difficulties so that believers would show love and talk about faith in the Lord. Some church members are already doing this. We will need additional funds to help those in need. We do not yet know to what extent we can help people, but we understand for sure that the Lord desires this. If you have the opportunity, you can help us in this ministry. I believe that the Lord will send funds exactly as much as we can invest in the cause of God. I wish you peace and God's blessings. Lena, Nikolay and Svetlana send their heartfelt greetings. In His love, Gennadii