Trip to the East

Sasha and Irina headed to Toretsk at the end of September after a long break (our last trip was on March 16). 

When we arrived, the city looked very gray, dull, and sad. Yuriy bought food and we headed to the church. We had the meeting outside so that we could abide by quarantine rules. This was the first time the group had gathered since March. As we asked them how they were, they replied saying things like, “Very bad.” We had not seen such emptiness, yearning, and sadness in people’s eyes for a long time. As we taught the lesson, we closed by reminding them, “You are in our hearts and you are not forgotten—God loves you so much.” We saw tears in people’s eyes and we cried along with them. We also prayed for Toretsk’s people and left with heavy hearts.

As evening approached, we arrived in Druzhkovka to visit with the You Are Not Alone group. God poured holy oil on our heavy hearts. When we opened the door, we saw 18 people at the table. They had tea, cookies, and Bibles. There were Scripture quotes on the board and they were so glad to see us. They shared what a joy it was to sing in Sunday's worship service in the church. They even sang for us when we were there—it was wonderful and deeply encouraging. We had a lesson on the topic: God hears us without any regard for race, material status, height, weight, or position. People were grateful for the help we provided.

After the lesson, we visited two widows who could not come to church. They were crying tears of joy because they had just received unexpected support. We asked to pray with them and you could tell we came just at the right time. It looked like they were waiting for people to visit them and pray. Praise God for His perfect timing!

Before the train left, we also visited the Children's club meeting.

Thank you for your faithful support and prayers. Because of you, we are able to continue to share God’s word in Ukraine.