From: MB Pastor Oleksii Makaiov

“Three years of war. What can we say that is new? It’s about time, pain, suffering, patience and service in such a state.

Every day, every week, every month, our churches take care of those who are forced to leave their homes because of war, fleeing from shelling, from occupation, losing everything they have. Still, despite the difficulties, we continue to carry God’s love. The most valuable, the most precious thing for us is to see how more and more people are discovering God for themselves, finding in him the hope and strength needed to live on.

In Vinnytsia, the Heart of Christ MB church actively continues to serve people. Our partnership with Multiply allows pastor Alexei Yuditsenko to help the community with renting a room and organizing various events within the framework of church service.

The Family of God MB church helped many survive the coldest months of the winter. Through  the MB Foundation and Ukraine MB conference (AMBCA), two heaters were installed; one gas, one electric. With March temperatures as low as – 15 °, these supplies are essential. Multiply Ukraine church planter Maxym Oliferovski relates that although it was wintery in the hall, people at the services feel the warmth not only of the air itself, but of the love expressed through these gifts.

Multiply’s Regional Team Leader for Europe, Johann Matthies, spent time with us here only a few months ago. He brought comforters and warm clothes from Germany, diapers from Poland, gifts from the US. Soon he will facilitate another shipment of supplies, currently stacked up in his own garage—over two hundred comforters and one hundred hygiene kits from our ministry partners in the Netherlands.

The Family of God MB church made the decision to also care for our Ukrainian defenders—those who are preventing the enemy from capturing Zaporizhzhia. Chaplain Sergei Ryadnov saw their critical need for chemical heating pads in winter, small disposable devices that can be put in pockets, shoes, and other places to keep them warm in the cold weather. 

Because of this urgent need, the Family of God church held a prayer meeting and a financial collection and, as a result, 300 units of these heating pads were purchased and sent. 

Yes, this is only a drop in the ocean of need, but it comes from the heart—from Ukrainians to Ukrainians.

At New Hope Centre, Anya Olferovski  and her team gather the women of war. Middle-aged women are now the main driving force on the home front in Ukraine, supporting the economy, their families, and the men who are fighting or serving. At a recent gathering, fifty women attended. New Hope seeks to provide them with the emotional and spiritual support they need—now more than ever, with the future so uncertain.

During the last few months, gatherings at the Ark MB Church in Kyiv have become a time of warm, touching meetings that include families of displaced people from the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Pastor Sergei Filippov tells us that these are much more than just meetings—they are a lifeline of sincerity and support. Over cups of sweet tea, the most bitter stories are shared. Here are people who do not just know about war, they know war—personally, painfully.  They are the survivors. Together with volunteers from the church, they talk about God’s love, a love which does not leave us, even in the darkest times. They talk about hope, which gives us all strength to live on, even when it seems that there is no way out.

Gathering the Women of War at New Hope Center

To you who give and pray, we are grateful. We hand out the boxes of food that you help to provide. Although food can be bought in stores, the economy in Ukraine has been undermined by the war and many families cannot afford to buy enough good quality food. These are elderly people, single mothers, large families, the displaced… Every time we place a food parcel in their hands (which is enough for one family for about one month), people thank us and thank God and thank you.

It brings a special light to their eyes. We see tears mixed with smiles, we hear words of gratitude for the opportunity to talk things out, for the realization that they are not alone. These moments, these emotions, these faces—we will never forget them.

When your strength fades, when a broken heart drowns in darkness, when it feels like there is no way out and evil tries to take over, when death breathes down your neck—there are those who stand beside you. Those who pray for you. Who hold up your hands, who support you so that you do not fall. Who silently listen, sharing your pain, or weep with you. This is about friends. About faithful partners in ministry. About God’s Church.

Hope is still alive.
~ Oleksii