A January Update from Serhiy Basarab

For most people worldwide, the war in Ukraine is a distant reality covered by the news media.

Here the war is knocking on our doors and windows ... literally.

During the Dec. 31 missile attack on Kyiv, our widow, Halyna Lozova, was sitting in her kitchen and praying. Suddenly she heard an explosion, and the shock wave shattered her window pane. She was showered with glass fragments and thrown into the hallway. When an ambulance arrived, first aid was administered. It was difficult to stop the bleeding in her leg because one of the glass fragments cut her vein. She also sustained a head injury. Someone called her grandson. When he arrived, he saw that his grandma was so frightened and shocked that she couldn't even speak. Thankfully, her neighbors helped to cover the broken window with felt.

My colleague Viktoria R. has been in touch with Halyna regularly. She said that in subzero temperatures, the cover made of felt couldn't keep the cold air from coming into her apartment.  She got sick. The police arrived and took pictures of the broken window. They advised Halyna to apply for a window replacement with the government. So many windows were shattered on this and previous days that the processing of this application could take a very long time, we were told. Therefore, our mission decided to come to Halyna's rescue. We are getting in touch with the specialist who can come and install a new window in the next few days.

Halyna is a very humble and modest woman. She has not asked for help with the window. She has just thanked the mission for the prayers and many phone calls. I am so thankful to God for saving me, says Halyna. I could have been killed on that day.   

Halyna is gradually recovering from her injuries and is already looking forward to reuniting with her Friday Bible study group that meets in the MMK office. She has resolved to put this incident behind her and move on with life.

Very few MMK people have experienced something as dramatic as Halyna has. Yet they all display the same attitude to a challenging life in a war-time Kyiv. They pray, accept the challenges humbly, and resolve to move on.

One might think that frequent air raid alerts would frighten our people and prevent them from leaving their homes. St. Paul's Saturday services have proven the opposite is true. Worship attendance at our new venue (Cathedral of Christ in Darnytsia) has been steadily growing. People long to hear the Word preached by our pastors, Ruslan and Yuri. They also find comfort in fellowship. Many bring pastries, cookies, and candies for short post-service tea parties, which have become quite popular with St. Paul's community.

Neither have air raid alerts and frequent power cuts prevented the KSOC from meeting for their practices. I am thankful to Vika Konchakovska for her creative leadership and ability to overcome big and small logistical challenges. Many of you have seen pictures and videos of the KSOC rehearsing in a dark room lit only with their flashlights. They are preparing for a fabulous Christmas concert that will be presented to the public on Jan. 15 at Central Baptist in Podil. And not only that—our female choir is having separate rehearsals for a unique US tour scheduled to begin at the end of February.

Stream the Christmas Concert LIVE on January 15 at 8 a.m. (EST)

December was an extraordinary month for our widows' program. We held several Christmas gatherings, where carols were sung, Ruslan preached on the meaning of the Nativity of Christ, and gifts were distributed. Most of them took place in a dark room, which gave us yet another reason to remind our widows that the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness shall never overcome it.

We see evidence of this Light working in our widows. Not only are they receiving gifts, they are also willing to give back to the MMK community. Our widow Varvara L. made a beautiful embroidered painting and gave it to St. Paul's Church. Another widow, Natalya D. volunteered to go to Stara Basan, together with our staff members Vika R. and Sasha. She taught children to dance, and they enjoyed her lessons.

A military widow, Olha H., also volunteered to go to Stara Basan. She taught the kids to make traditional Ukrainian knotted dolls. All the dolls were later sent to the Ukrainian soldiers who defend our country against the barbaric Russian invaders.

We are thankful to God, who enabled us to reestablish all of our regular ministries, except for our outreach in Donbas (which is now the scene of very heavy fighting) and School # 22. But Pastor Ruslan and I have already met with a principal of School # 22 and agreed to reopen our music and Bible program at the end of January (following a long Christmas break). In the meantime, we are purchasing a couple of power banks and several flashlights for a bomb shelter that the school has just finished renovating.

With God's guidance, we have also established some new ministries. Pastor Ruslan has been making weekly visits to IDPs (internally displaced persons) from Druzhkivka who live in a rest home outside of Kyiv. He has been delivering food and other much-needed supplies to them. He has also been giving them short Bible lessons. Although none of them belonged to any church community before the war, they are very open to the Word of God now.

Our program for autistic kids is another good example of a successful new initiative. A lot of outside observers were skeptical about our ability to sustain it. "You have no expertise", was the most frequent comment that I heard. And yet pastor Ruslan, Vika R., and Yuri A. succeeded in working with these 11 kids and their parents. What warms our hearts is that at least half of them are now coming to the Cathedral of Christ on Saturdays for Yuri's Bible study and Vika's music lesson. 

The experience of living and working in Kyiv reminds us every day that with God all things are possible. We are so thankful to Him and our courageous armed forces for creating a secure environment where we can dream and work. And we are deeply grateful to all of our generous donors. Without your support, these programs and initiatives would have been impossible. 

We are also grateful for your daily prayers for Ukraine. Please continue to pray with us for Ukraine's victory over brutal Russian invaders and over very insidious internal enemies, corruption, and lack of respect for the rule of law that have sapped the strength of our nation for so many years. May the Lord hear our prayers and heal and restore Ukraine completely!