Voice of Ukraine

From: Lyuda Betina (Day 1244)

News from Ukraine
Sometimes, time seems to fly. Days blur together, and suddenly half the summer is gone. Other times, it slows to a crawl. The war drags on, and we keep going—living, working, studying, trying to hold on to something normal. Nights are often broken by the sound of air raid sirens, leaving us sleep-deprived and groggy, yet still trying to begin each day as if it were ordinary.

Since the major attack on our city last month, people have become more cautious. Alarms are no longer ignored. We follow safety protocols carefully. In the basement of our church, we’ve laid out mattresses, and during nighttime alerts, people from nearby homes come to shelter with us. They bring their children, their pets—whatever they can carry. Just yesterday, before our worship service, the entire congregation had to move to the basement due to the threat of a ballistic missile.

We no longer hold Sunday school for kids. The children don’t come. We understand the parents—many feel less anxious keeping their children at home. But even as we respect that choice, we continue to think and pray about how we can serve and support children in these difficult circumstances.

Much has changed—and one significant change is that our dear brother, Ivan Pushkarevsky, is now serving in a location far from home. From the very beginning of the war, his military service was based here in our town. Although it was relatively quiet here at first, his service was far from easy. He faced challenges that demanded endurance, patience, wisdom, and a consistent witness to his values and Christian convictions. Despite his military responsibilities, Ivan continued to serve the church. He remained the leader of the music ministry and also led our youth ministry, finding time and strength to support and guide others even in the midst of great difficulty. Now he is in another place and we miss him very much.

But we’re always glad to see new people. Just a few months ago, two soldiers came to our church around the same time after being transferred to serve in our town. We were delighted to welcome them and to learn that they are Christians with experience in ministry from their home churches. Interestingly, both of them also play musical instruments and were happy to join our worship team.

Another joy this Sunday was seeing Dr. Anya, who returned home for a few days to be with her family and church community. Like many who serve in the military, she now carries a quiet reserve—but her presence still radiates love and compassion. She is deeply missed at our medical clinic (one of the church’s treasured ministries), where she served faithfully for many years. When we see her, we all feel the urge to say, “Welcome home, our beloved doctor.”

Sergey continues to help the family of the wounded soldier, Sasha, by providing transportation. Sasha needs to travel to Kyiv periodically for medical procedures, but since he can’t sit and can only lie down, he can’t be transported in a regular car. To accommodate him,

Sergey adapted our church van—he removes the seats and places a mattress inside so that Sasha can lie comfortably during the long trip, which he handles well. However, our van is now a bit “wounded” too. It survived shelling last month, and the rough roads have also taken a toll on its condition. Sergey plans to take it in for repairs next week.

Our new counseling office, which was set up a few months ago in the backyard of the Refugee Center, is now actively operating. People come for individual counseling, and we also host various gatherings with refugees, including a Bible study group, as well as classes and training sessions for future counselors.

We’re glad to share that our Bible study group with refugees has just completed a journey through the Gospel of Luke which was filled with interesting discussion, questions, and moments of deep reflection. They were especially touched by the final chapters, focusing on the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. It was moving to see how they receive the message of the Gospel, some of them for the first time and how they respond by accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Please continue to keep this group in your prayers as they grow in faith and deepen their relationship with Christ.
In Christ,
Lyuda

P.S. There are photos of our new office in the backyard of the Refugee Center, our Bible study group that meets there, Dr. Anya with her daughter and daughter-in-law, our church van, and a touching moment of Ivan saying goodbye to the church.