From: Lyuda Betina in Belgorod Dnestrovsky (Day 1050)
New Year has come and I want to wish everyone a happy New Year. We always want to hope for the best in the New Year.
We had a wonderful Christmas season full of events and activities. We set the goal of bringing into people’s lives the light of the Gospel the light of love the light of the peace and the love of Jesus Christ. (“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16)
We really wanted people who have been living in anxiety, grief and sadness for almost three years to feel joy and hope. The candlelight service in our church was a special event.
Many people came and there was a very special warm atmosphere. We sang hymns, meditated on the verses from the Scriptures, and shared our testimonies. Many of the people who shared their testimonies were our refugees who talked about how God came into their lives and it was especially important to hear and understand how God works even through circumstances like war. Our church music group prepared and performed a wonderful concert of Christmas music. Many people of our community came to share the joy of Christmas.
A good tradition of our church is the drama ministry and this time we prepared a puppet show and several drama skits. One of the skits was a true story from our counseling experience. It’s a story of one young girl had to go abroad because of the war. She was left all alone for Christmas. She had no family, relatives, or friends. She was very sad. She brought back the memories of Christmas before the war, of how her family celebrated with gifts and guests and thinking about it she felt even worse.
This was an opportunity to tell her about real Christmas and about Jesus who came into this world for her. Suddenly she understood everything and said that in past years when her family celebrated this holiday so happily, Jesus was lonely because they did not invite Him to this holiday. And then she decided to give her heart to Jesus and spend this holiday with Him. This story has become an encouragement for the refugees, many of whom are separated from their families now.
It was a special joy for all of us that Paul Lukoshkin and Dr. Anya were able to be at our celebration. They came home for a couple of days. Paul was in hospital undergoing treatment. He has a problem with his legs from constant heavy physical exertion. Anya said she was very happy to finally be able to wear a dress. How good that they could be with their church and their families on this special holiday. Now they are back in service.
We sent many Christmas packages to our military. It was a greeting to the military from our town, to the soldiers we know personally and also to those we met by chance during the war. We are also glad that military personnel who are currently serving in the units of our town have started coming to our church. This is a great opportunity for us to build relationships with them and look for ways to help and support them. Our soldiers are very tired both physically and morally, and now that the situation at the front is not very positive, they are experiencing despair and disappointment and cannot always cope with it. Military people don’t go for counseling, they consider it a sign of weakness, but they really need help and we are glad to welcome them into our church.
We organized a wonderful holiday for the children in the orphanage. It was a real joy of holiday. We told the Christmas story, played games, sang songs.
Our visits to the orphanage are always an opportunity to talk to children, listen to their confessions about small joys and problems, encourage them, support them and give them the feeling that they are loved. We gave gifts of small toys and sweets. The children were very happy. It gave them a feeling of a real holiday and a feeling that somebody cares about them.
Thank you all for your donations, for your support, for your prayers, and for your love and care. Thanks to your help, we were able to prepare gifts for the children and for the refugees, we were able to organize a Christmas dinner and do other things to bring some joy and peace into the lives of people.
We were able to buy a heater for the bomb shelter in the orphanage because there was no heating there and the children felt cold when they went down there during the alarm.
We have many plans for this year, we ask God to guide us and show us where we are needed.
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
Gallery:
Voice of Ukraine 
4 responses to “1/8/2025 — Update: Belgorod Dnestrovsky — “We set the goal of bringing into people’s lives the light of the Gospel…””
Dear Lyuda,
It is so encouraging to hear your update on how God is working in Belgorod Dnestrovsky! God is so good, and His light truly is shining brightly through you all.
Also, great to hear that Paul Lukoshkin and Dr. Anya were able to have a rest and be home for Christmas! I pray God brings healing and strength to Paul’s legs. And continue to pray for their safety!
Love in Christ,
Jill
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From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 1063)
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
Psalm 13:3-4
Every day, the war is out there to get us. Every day requires you to be watchful. Every day comes with a battle to fight or to give in to.
No, I wasn’t talking about the war in Ukraine now. I was talking about the war each one of us lives in. The war for our souls, hearts, and minds. It’s the war I fight in every day and the one I see vividly in the lives of my students. And it is far more dangerous than the physical war in our country.
Ephesians 5:15-17 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” We had it as a memory verse with my students last semester, and we talked about this passage at our staff meeting. The days are evil indeed, but it’s not the reason to panic or get depressed. Instead, it’s a reminder to be careful with your judgments and understand what the will of the Lord is (what it really is and not what we want it to be).
That’s why I often feel like I’m walking through a minefield for the threats are frequent and real, but I know I’m not doing it alone, and if I can guide at least one of the young ones entrusted to my care to the safety of Lord’s embrace, there can be no greater victory.Share this:
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