Voice of Ukraine

From: Lyuda Betina (Day 897)

News from Ukraine
The last week was not the same as before. Something has changed, although it is not yet entirely clear what exactly. We do not hear alarm sirens as often as it was before. And even when something flies at us, it is shot down. There was even one night without any alarms. That’s good, and we know that our country got some help and is now able to better protect our skies. We thank God and thank our partners for sending us weapons for defense. And although we began to sleep better, there is still a sense of anxiety, because such lulls usually occured before mass attacks. We hope it will not happen.

Last week we were happy to have Dr. Anya with us. She came home for a few days to be with her family. She spoke in the church and thanked all people who pray for her and for her team. She said that May and June were very hard months, there were very many wounded soldiers. July is a little bit easier, there are less wounded.

They still use the ambulance that was bought for them last year. The vehicle has withstood a lot of shelling, but is still running. The windows and hatch were knocked out. The glass can’t withstand it, and the windows are covered with whatever they can.

Every day they go to the front line to pick up the wounded. This can only be done at dusk, early in the morning, or in the evening. There are a lot of drones flying around and the car is not so visible at dusk. They also painted it green so it would blend in with the trees. It’s bad that the wounded have to wait, they can’t be picked up right away.

A month ago, the ambulance came under fire and the entire team was injured. Paramedic Sashko suffered the most, his left arm was amputated. At first, the doctors at the hospital where he was taken, thought that he would not survive, then they talked about amputation of his second arm, but it did not happen. Doctors fought for his right arm for a long time, he underwent several surgeries and this week he is discharged home to recover.

Anya is very busy, she has many responsibilities and we can only guess how hard it is for her. But she never complains, she is always serious and calm. She is a person of faith, she always trusts in the Lord. Sashko’s family is very grateful to her for her support. She prayed with them and always kept hope alive in them. When we communicate with our heroes: Paul, Anya and others, we firmly believe in Victory.

Sasha, the refugee, who joined the army and was wounded the fall 2022, came back from Croatia medical center where he and other wounded soldiers from Ukraine were having rehabilitation. There is not much progress of his state. He has more sensation in his body but he can not get up. The doctors say that he will be in a wheelchair the rest of his life and he is very upset. Sergey and I spent some time with him and his wife Nadya. We had a good conversation with them. We talked about how even if things don’t happen in life the way we want, God can open up new opportunities and new directions. We prayed with them. We hope Sasha will open his heart to the Lord and let Him work in his life. We have been communicating with their family for more than two years already. We know their children well and support them in their studies. Two of them Alex and Nika are very active in our youth group. Alex, who is the oldest is going to start communicant classes to become a church member.

Our counselors continue to work hard helping emotional and spiritual needs of people. Yesterday I talked to George who leads the groups of veterans and does a lot of individual counseling with soldiers, their families and widows in Odesa. He was talking about starting a group for soldiers in our town. We are praying about it and hope that God will bring together those who need our help.

It is a great joy for us to minister to the children in the orphanage. They eagerly await our arrival every Monday. We buy them food, toys, coloring books. We play with them and learn Bible stories.

When we came to them this week, there was an alarm and the children went to the shelter. We waited for more than an hour before we could get out and held our program. Each child has their own story.

Ira, the oldest in the group, is 16. Her father died in the war few months ago, and her mother is in the hospital fighting cancer. She is a very open and positive girl. There was a period in her life when she was in the church, she knows Bible stories. She loves spending time with the younger children, reading them stories and taking care of them like an older sister. All kids received small gifts and her gift was different, we bought her the stuff that girls of her age like ( shampoo, creams, and other things), she was very happy.

We are grateful to God for blessing our ministry and opening up new opportunities. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Please, send your donations to Pathway Ministries
E. Langston Haygood,D.Min.,Ph.D.
Pathway Ministries, Inc.
288 Huntington Parc Circle
Birmingham, AL 35226
(205)835-3325
http://www.pathwayministriesinc.com

In Christ,
Lyuda