Boots on the Ground
Karen’s Personal Updates
Alcohol Addict Set Free through Salvation!
Two months ago, a man named Sergey showed up at our Feed the Hungry outreach in Izmail, desperately seeking help due to a strong alcohol addiction. He was all swollen and the color of his skin didn’t look healthy at all. On that day, he heard the Gospel and responded to a call to follow Jesus! Sergey’s life was completely restored, and he was delivered from all of his addictions!
Two days ago, Sergey made a covenant with the Lord through water baptism, along with seven others, and now he’s a devoted follower of our Lord Jesus! He was so happy and excited about that decision to follow Jesus for the rest of his life here on earth!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Monday, April 22, 2024.
50 Salvations During Village Outreach!
Our team from Izmail visited another remote and isolated village of Golitsa, where we found 400 people still living there! No one ever came to them with the Gospel message about the living Messiah; they don’t even have an Orthodox Church in that village. We brought food packages and some other supplies for families with four or more children. We also visited elderly folks and families whose loved ones were killed in war. We had people who needed prayer for healing right there, so we laid hands and prayed for them in Jesus’ name right on the spot, and some people testified that they immediately felt better and their pain was gone! Glory be to our King Jesus!
Altogether, 50 souls opened their hearts to receive Messiah as their Lord and Savior!
Tomorrow morning we are heading to Riga, Latvia to conduct another school of evangelism for over 50 students who signed up for our training. Most of them, as we found out, are pastors and leaders of different churches in Latvia. Please keep us in your prayers as we will travel there by car and for the powerful time of equipping and training for the work of the ministry!
Thank you so much for your support and partnership!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Visiting a Remote, Forgotten Village & Offering New Life!
Our team from Izmail found yet another remote and forgotten village in the Odessa region, where only 23 families remain there. The name of the village is Dzinelor, which used to be a thriving village with more than 1,000 inhabitants. Now, there are only lonely, elderly people who are still living there.
The villagers were so happy that our team visited them. They told us that no one comes to them, and they don’t have a grocery store in that village. So basically they live off of their land and their households.
But most importantly they were so excited to hear the Good News about our Lord and Savior Jesus! Every soul who came to gather the food box also confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! It is almost as if everywhere our team goes, the locals don’t want us to leave and ask us to come back and teach them more about the Word of God!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Hope in Jesus for All!
Our teams from Izmail and Tatarbunari visited a couple of villages in our region, and this time our goal was to visit families whose relatives were either killed in action or are still fighting out there on the front lines! It was a very difficult trip emotionally, because these people lost their sons, husbands, and dads during this war. Some of them don’t know where their sons or husbands are, so they were reported as missing.
But by the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, our team was able to minister the love of Jesus and bring hope and comfort to all of those precious souls! 38 people decided to say “YES!” to Jesus and give their hearts to the Lord. We also brought some food supplies to every family we’ve visited in those villages!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Amazing Time of Evangelism in Macedonia!
God is opening doors for our school of evangelism to go into new territories and nations, where we can bring the practical training on how to make a lifestyle of witnessing and winning souls! This time I traveled to a republic of North Macedonia, a small nation with over two million people, where 20% are Albanian and Turkish Muslims and the rest are Slavic Macedonians who profess Orthodox Christianity.
I visited a small town by the name Stip. The pastor of their small, local church needed a breakthrough in the area of practical evangelism, because hardly anyone goes out to these places. You can see him in the photos with me, the man with gray hair wearing glasses.
So this time I did the training alone without my team, but it was still a great time of training, especially since I’m coming from the country where the majority consider themselves Orthodox Christians, with no born-again experience.
But of course the most exciting part was the practical application, when we went on the streets! Honestly speaking, this church had never done it and I could see that they were nervous, including the pastor and his wife. Everything changed when they saw how easy and practical our methods are when we go out on the streets, to the point where the pastor said to me, “Karen you talk to people so naturally and in such a simple way that hardly anyone refused to stop and listen to what we have to share with them!” I told him that is the way we need to learn to communicate. The Gospel message must be simple, practical and relevant!
So the next day, the local team and the pastor were much more bold and radical in sharing the Gospel one-on-one, or heart-to-heart as I call it. The pastor got so motivated and excited that he told us that after this school they’re going to do outreaches, like the ones I showed them, on a regular monthly basis! This is my goal, frankly speaking: to get the churches and especially pastors ignited to share the greatest message of all in practical, down-to-earth ways, just like Jesus showed us in the Gospels!
Thank you so much for supporting this trip. I believe that there are people in Stip, Macedonia who will hear the Gospel and come to Jesus through local believers who are now bold and unafraid of being loud about our King Jesus!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
40 Orphans Give their Hearts to Jesus!
Last Saturday, our team from Odessa visited a village about 100 miles away in the Donbas area, where we found 40 children who had lost their parents, either due to war or because their parents had gone missing. These children were divided into four different families in that village in the Odessa region. By visiting these children, our team brought them hope and comfort through the love of Jesus.
When we asked the families who took the kids in what their greatest needs are, their response was that they needed someone to encourage them and show them love and care. They also requested some sporting equipment like soccer balls, ping pong sticks, and some table games. We brought everything they requested and held an hour-long evangelistic program for the kids.
When the altar call was given, every child raised their hand and said “YES” to Jesus! I’m sure that this trip last Saturday was just the beginning of many trips to those kids. It was so precious to visit them and introduce them to our God and Savior.
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Monday, April 8, 2024.
The Whole Village Comes to Jesus!
Our team from Izmail is good at finding small, abandoned, and remote villages in the south of Odessa region! This is another village called Novo Holmskoe. It used to be a thriving village with over 200 inhabitants, but due to economy issues and the war now, most of the villagers moved out. The first impression we got when we drove into this village was that it was a ghost village, because so many homes were vanished or destroyed over time and by criminals.
But there is still life there. 16 souls are trying their best to make it in their village. We brought food supplies for every single person, then the local authorities allowed us to have a evangelistic meeting with the remaining villagers in a former train station building. And after the Gospel was presented, everyone responded and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Praise be to our God!
Just before we left, they all asked us to come back or at least send someone who can do Bible study meetings with them on a weekly basis. So, there will potentially be a new church plant on the horizon in Novo Holmskoe. Jesus would come, even for 16 souls living in the middle of nowhere, because they are the ones He laid His life down for… and rose again so they could know Him!
Please keep me in your prayers as I will be traveling tomorrow morning to a republic of North Macedonia to conduct another school of evangelism in a small town called Stip!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
The Power of Resurrection in Action!
Our team from Izmail visited another village with some Easter gifts as food packages. This time we were not allowed to gather people in one location, due to the possible air raid attack, so our team went door to door with the message about our risen Savior and food packages.
We found people, especially elderly folks, in very tough conditions as you can see in some of the photos: tremendous poverty, loneliness, and no hope for any bright future.
But on that day, the power of our risen Lord Jesus was touching the lives of almost every person we came across in that village! By the grace of God, we visited 30 homes and in almost every location, people confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Out of all the houses, there was only one man who didn’t want to pray, but he heard the Gospel! Praise be to our God. Happy Easter friends. Jesus is risen and He has risen indeed!!!!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Monday, April 1, 2024.
Visiting Our Soldiers on the Front Lines!
About 2 weeks ago, one of our teams in the north of Ukraine asked me if we can help them with their trip to the Donbas area, which is in an actual war zone. They wanted to visit one particular place where some of their church members are serving now. They asked us for financial support for their trip, as they will be getting food supplies for our defenders. So we helped them get fresh meat, canned food, vegetables, and marinades.
This past Monday, they took off to go to the Donbas war area in order to visit our troops and share the Gospel with them. I just want to thank you for your support, because our team not only brought the necessary supplies, but also had a chance to share the Gospel with some of the soldiers and officers! Pray for them and with them. This trip also was a huge blessing for our brothers and sisters in Jesus who serve now in the military. One of our pastors who traveled there served them communion and encouraged them to be the light of Jesus in the middle of this horrible war!
For them, this visit was like a breath of fresh air.
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Friday, March 29, 2024.
127 New Souls for Jesus in Ukraine!
In Izmail, our teams were able to conduct outreaches almost the entire week last week. Every day they would drive around the town and find good locations for the outreach. So last week, because our team in Izmail was able to do it almost every day, by the grace of God we reached 400 souls! As always those folks not only received hot meals, but they also heard the greatest news of all… the Gospel of our Lord Jesus!
127 souls confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Those who needed to be sent to rehab centers were assisted, and we connected them with our rehab centers so that they could go through Bible/ Holy Spirit-filled rehabilitation.
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Wednesday, March 27, 2024.
100 Displaced Refugees Receive Food and Salvation!
A few days ago, our team from Izmail visited the town of Reni, on the border of Romania and Moldova, where our team was able to reach out to 100 internally displaced refugees. The situation is very tough right now for these people. Unfortunately, the government has cut off their support, and in a small town like Reni, it is almost impossible to find a job that will put the bread on the table. So people were truly happy and very excited about our aid with food packages, and of course our team shared the Gospel with all of them. All 100 souls got reconciled with the Lord!
You know friends, this time it was different in a sense that we could see that people were not just there for food, but they also came to hear the message of hope and salvation! Thank you for supporting us and praying for our teams as we reach these precious souls in Ukraine!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Monday, March 25, 2024.
Once an Angry Mob with Pitchforks… Now Begging to Know about Jesus!
Two days ago, our team from Izmail – lead by brother Yan – has traveled to another remote village where we found 200 people still living there. God has given us tremendous favor with a local mayor. He was so excited that we found their village and brought food for every household in that village.
We want to share a story about this village by the name of Ostravnoe. Back in the summer of 1999, we came to that village to hold a crusade which was part of our Odessa region evangelistic tour, back in those days. But unfortunately, our first attempt to bring the Gospel into Ostravnoe didn’t happen, due to a very strong opposition from a local Orthodox priest, who raised many people in this village against us. I remember like it was yesterday. There was an angry mob with shovels and pitchforks who blocked our way to the cultural hall where we planned to conduct our outreach. It was very intense, to the point where we realized it is better to shake off the dust and leave for now, as the Bible instructs.
Now 25 years later, we went back to find out how open the whole village was. This time, people didn’t want to leave! Literally everyone came out of their homes to attend our outreach, and all of them – I mean the whole village – confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Praise the Lord!
Even the mayor was begging our team to come back, even without any aid or food packages, just to do a Bible study and teach them the ways of the Lord! God is so good!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
Forsaken, But Not Forgotten!
Our team in the north of Ukraine has visited another remote village where they found elderly folks and orphans who live with their grandparents. We brought food packages, which are so needed in those remote villages. No one really goes into those places, especially with the Gospel message and practical help! Every single soul in that village accepted Jesus as Lord of their lives! Together, there were 24 people whom our team reached in that small village! One elderly lady said that she had grown so resentful, because she thought that God had forgotten them. So for her and many other villagers, our visit was like a sign from God that He hasn’t forgotten anyone and that He loves and knows about every single soul He created!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Tuesday, March 19, 2024.
Gospel Outreach After Missile Attack in Ukraine!
It is with great heaviness and sadness in my heart that I write this report. Today, three Russian ballistic missiles hit Odessa. This time, like almost always, their target was the residential area where only civilians reside. 20 dead and dozens wounded this morning after this horrific attack.
Yet, we decided not to cancel anything, and our team in Odessa conducted another Feed the Hungry outreach where over 60 people came to hear the Gospel message and get a hot meal! Most of the folks who were there accepted Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Tomorrow has been declared a day of mourning for those killed in today’s attack. Please keep the families and close ones of those lost today in prayer. Only Jesus can bring comfort and healing to those wounded hearts!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Friday, March 15, 2024.
Expanding our Reach for the Salvation of Many!
Our team in Izmail continues to reach the lost through our Feed the Hungry outreaches. And now it’s happening in different locations throughout the town! We decided to not just come to one location but rather cover a wider range of different parts of town to have more opportunities to share the love of Jesus and hot meals.
On Monday, 38 people – including some young people – came to get their portion of food and another portion of the Good News of Jesus. Everyone ended up confessing Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.
Salvation in a Northeast Ukrainian Hospice!
In a far away village in Northeast Ukraine, our team found this lonely and almost abandoned hospice for elderly people. There were only 11 souls in that nursing home, all alone in the village, which is basically located in the middle of nowhere.
Due to the war in Ukraine, the supplies for these people have been compromised and cut from many directions. Most of these folks have no one else to take care of them, and no other family members, except for a few workers that still remain there. They were having major struggles with necessities of food and medical care.
So today our team brought them food and necessary medical supplies! Most of these people have nothing else to their name, except old Soviet beds and lockers painted dark blue.
But this morning as our team visited these precious souls, the light of Jesus shone on them and their hearts were filled with hope and joy about the greatest news of all… the Gospel of Jesus! All 11 of them confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Friday, March 8, 2024.
Our God is Still in the Miracle-Working Business!
Thank you for supporting this outreach which changes the lives of so many people! I received two wonderful testimonies from our team in Odessa.
The gentleman in the first photo goes by the name Vasyl, and he’s 58 years old. A few weeks ago, Vasyl came to our Feed the Hungry outreaches in the Central Park of Odessa. After the outreach and hot meal, our team members prayed for him because he had a severe form of trophic ulcers on his legs. He came back to our outreach two weeks after the prayer and testified that all of his trophic ulcers had completely healed and his legs are clean. Vasyl is now a new follower of Jesus! There is power in the name of Jesus!
In the second photo is a gentleman by the name of Ostap, and he’s 69 years old. He also came to our Feed the Hungry outreach where he received his miracle from a very severe form of streptoderma. Ostap confessed Jesus as Lord of his life and was healed from all of the red wounds on his skin! God is good. There is nothing impossible for our God!
Email written by Karen Zelfimian of Ukranian Harvest Ministry on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Monday, March 4, 2024: 43 ladies confessed Jesus as Lord in the front line town of Liman!
Last Saturday our team was on the front lines of the war zone and reached out to some locals who are still living there, mainly elderly women, who have no place to go and no one to even talk sometimes.
This time we brought hygiene supplies because this was the main demand in the war zone area, due to a shortage of supplies in the war zone. People were blessed by the atmosphere during the outreach, and most importantly this was a fresh breath of freedom and shalom, which can only be found in the presence of our Lord Jesus! 43 precious souls gave their lives to Jesus by confessing Him as Lord of their lives in the front line city of Liman!
Please keep these people in your prayers! Thank you for your continuous support!
Wednesday, February 28, 2024: Forgotten village of Muravlevka!
Two days ago our team from Izmail visited another village, where we found many widows and children without fathers. Unfortunately some of those women and children lost their dads, sons, and husbands in this awful war, which is now raging over 2 years. The situation and conditions of their living is very bad – not enough food, not enough basic supplies. Thankfully our team was able to minister to over 110 souls in that village, including children and elderly women. They were sure happy to have us come and visit them! The Gospel message was preached and 70 souls got reconciled with the Lord on that day in Muravlevka! Thank you for your continuous support and friendship!
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
–James 1:27 NLT
Monday, February 26, 2024: One more precious soul for Jesus!
We continue to feed people on the streets of our cities, and the Lord is working miraculously as we go out there and declare the good news of the Gospel.
This is Maria. She is 85 years old, and she almost can’t hear anything. Every day she stands on the streets and sells flowers and tries to make a living. Because of her meager pension she is forced to go out and sell home flowers, socks that she knits herself, seeds, and old books… She came up and took something to eat for the first time and was very happy that we came.
We supported her and encouraged her that there is One who has not forgotten her, who calls her by name, and it is our Lord Jesus Christ! After offering her to open her heart and confess Jesus as Lord of her life Maria agreed and excepted Jesus in her heart! Thank you so much for sending our team every week to share the Gospel with the needy and lost!
Thursday, February 22, 2024: 100 souls for Jesus!
Our team in Izmail has reached over 100 war refugees in the village near the town of Reni. This time, we bought them some food supplies and Bibles for everyone! After a preaching of the Gospel on steps into the entrance of the local mayor’s office, 100 souls responded and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Glory be to our God!
Monday, February 19, 2024: Time2Go India!
Last night was our final night of ministry here in India, and we’ve had the best time so far here. Over 700 young people from different cities attended our training, hungry for more of God’s presence and the truth of His word! There was also some time of worship, where we were able to pray for those young people who wanted to commit their lives for the sake of the Gospel. Some received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and some encountered Jesus in a new and fresh way.
Indeed last night was a good end of this 2-week trip. I’m so excited that so many local Indian young people responded to come and be trained in practical evangelism and that they are willing to take the Gospel all over their huge nation. Tomorrow, early in the morning, we are heading back home. Please pray for a safe and sound journey. I’m ready to go home and be with my family again.
Friday, February 16, 2024: Continuing our mission trip to India!
Yesterday we came into our final destination into the city of Ahmedabad in Gujurat state. For the last three days we’ve trained about 150 local believers in Jaipur and then during our outreach concert we had 200 young people who came to hear the Gospel through music, art and testimonies. Due to very strict laws now in India, we are not allowed as foreigners to convert Hindus to any other religion, especially us coming here on tourist visas. So we were there in an audience supporting locals whom we had trained the day before the event! We found out later that, 200 miles away from where we were, there was another outreach with 400 people and two foreigners. Someone reported it to local police and they all were arrested, and foreigners were deported within 24 hours with a fine of 500 euros.
So, the situation here is not easy for Christians, but they continue to serve and trust the Lord for a major revival in their nation. Tomorrow we are doing another, and our final training on evangelism, so please keep us in your prayers!
Thursday, February 15, 2024: Offering free hugs and leading people to Jesus!
Well, while I am still here in India doing trainings on evangelism for local churches, our team in Izmail continues to reach young people on the streets of our home town! By offering them free hugs and a cup of coffee, our team has had some great one on one conversations about Jesus, and by the grace of God, they lead 10 souls to the Lord!
Monday, February 12, 2024: 70 young people confessed Jesus in Delhi!
Yesterday we conducted another indoor evangelistic concert where we invited young people from different places of Delhi. Over 150 of them came, and when the altar call was given, 70 of those youngsters said yes to Jesus!
In one of the photos, you see me with a man by the name of Shahgi Shan, the leader of 75 Afgan families who are refugees here in India. I had the privilege of talking to him and sharing with him about Jesus after the outreach. He came with a group of young people from their refugee camp to our outreach. They fled from Afghanistan when Taliban took over the country a couple of years ago. They didn’t want to stay in their village anymore, so they escaped to India with over 75 other families from that village!
Our local brothers and sister are visiting that camp and ministering to those Afghan refugees and bringing them step by step the message of hope and life!
Thursday, February 8, 2024: India update!
Yesterday we held our first training in the city of Rowki, which is about a 4 hour drive north from New Delhi in the area densely populated by people practicing Hinduism. And with this current government, there are huge increases of persecution in India for Christians, especially in those three states. And we happened to come into one of them.
While we were driving there, we received a call from a local leader who was organizing our training on evangelism, and he told us that the building we rented for school of evangelism was denied, and we got kicked out of there. So after making some phone calls, he found a local Anglican church pastor who agreed to let us in his building.
He didn’t realize how many young people would come to the church, so when he saw his church building packed with people, he got so scared and was not sure what to do, due to potential mob riots of Hindu radicals. He asked us, all the foreigners, to wait in his house while one of us does the training session for security reasons. He was not comfortable with our team staying in his church building the whole time, so we did what he had asked us and just took turns with brother Shawn for training sessions!
Over 300 young people came from different villages to go through our training, and they were hungry to learn how to win souls for Jesus! The atmosphere inside was amazing, and I haven’t seen so many young people with hunger for the works of Christ! At the end, we had some Holy Spirit encounters and some of them received the baptism of the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord!
Tomorrow we’re doing another training here in New Delhi!
Tuesday, February 6, 2024: India time2Go!
After an almost 36 hour trip, we’ve finally landed this morning in New Delhi, India!
The local team welcomed us and they trying their best to make us feel like home. But here in India you won’t really feel like home; it is truly a different world.
75% of unreached people groups live here in India. The spiritual darkness is just off the charts and as a result of all this idol worshipping, people live in such deception and bondage. I don’t want to write much about the situation here, but one I think I realized being here less then 24 hours is that the Gospel needs to be preached in this nation, and only Jesus can bring light and hope!
Tonight we went on the streets of Delhi to share the Gospel and invite people to our evangelistic concert. Tomorrow we are going to conduct our first training for about 400 believers in a city called Rowki, about a 4 hour drive from New Delhi!
Please keep our team in your prayers because the spiritual opposition is felt here so strongly!
Friday, February 2, 2024: 70 people turn to Jesus!
Yesterday our team from Izmail visited another remote village in our region of Ukraine! This time we brought 70 food packages and invited locals to come to our outreach. 70 souls came out, and we preached the Gospel using our truck door as a small stage from where brother Yan was preaching the Gospel of our Lord Jesus! Everyone who was present there responded to the altar call and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
There is a good chance and potential for us to plant a home church in that village. Please pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send the workers on this ripe field!
Wednesday, January 31, 2024: Two orphans for Jesus!
A few days ago our team conducted another outreach in a town of Reni for all internally displaced refugees. We brought 250 food packages and also special presents for children. There we met these two precious souls: Alina, 9 years old, and her sister Gabriela, 11 years old. They have an older brother who is 14, but he wasn’t there on that day. Their mother had passed away a few months ago from cancer and they have no idea where their dad is. He’s been gone from their lives since they were very little. Alina, Gabriela, and their brother are staying with some relatives in Reni. Somebody from the local church invited them to our outreach, and when they heard the Good News about Jesus, and that He will never leave them nor forsake them, both Alina and Gabriela responded and invited Jesus into their hearts!
On that day about 200 more people got reconciled with Jesus!
Friends, please keep us in your prayers as me and another 3 brothers will be traveling to India this Sunday in order to do four schools of evangelisms and outreaches. This is my first visit to India. We are going under the radar, because one of our friends who organized these schools in those towns has already received threats from local Hindu activists, whatever that means! We’re still going, because we have 400 believers registered for each school in total. So far 1,600 Christians will be trained and equipped for the work of evangelism!
Monday, January 29, 2024: 70 souls for Jesus!
Yesterday our team in Izmail conducted another wonderful Feed the Hungry outreach in Izmail! 70 people came up to our outreach and despite the cold weather we were able, by God’s grace, to minister the Gospel of Jesus to those precious souls. And when the alter call was given, all 70 souls confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Friday, January 26, 2024: 200 more souls for Jesus!
Greetings friends! Last night our team from Izmail visited another remote village in Izmail region. It took them two hours to get to that village, which is located only 50 miles away. That’s how bad our roads are over there. As we say it in Russian, these are not roads, these are just directions. Over 200 people came to the local church building where we held the outreach and then we distributed 150 food packages to those who were in need of groceries. This local Baptist church had never filled their auditorium so packed that we even had an overflow of people. This might not be the biggest numbers, but trust me, for that small village it is a huge number. When the altar call was given, almost every soul responded and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Glory be to our God and King Jesus!!!
Monday, January 22, 2024: 65 children asked Jesus to come into their lives!
Our team of young people, most of them our disciples who were trained in our schools of evangelism, are now traveling and preaching the Gospel in the villages of Ukraine! Yesterday our team visited one village where we already came about a year ago, as soon as that village was liberated from Russia’s occupation. And now we decided to go back there and do something special for local children and teenagers. We brought a special entertaining program for kids through which we shared the Gospel with those precious little souls and of course we had gifts – shoe boxes from Samaritan’s Purse for every child!
The greatest gift which all these children have received yesterday was the gift of salvation in our Lord Jesus. All 65 of them confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Adults who were present there told us that events like this one, is so vital for those kids who survived the military occupation and all the horrors of war. One of them told our team that our arrival is like a breath of fresh air in this gray everyday life!
Glory be to our God! Thank you for supporting us and enabling us to reach the most unreached for our Lord Jesus!
Friday, January 19, 2024: Another changed life as a result of evangelism on the streets!
This is Sergey. He’s 48 years old and about two month ago he came to our Feed the Hungry outreach in Izmail. Due to alcohol addiction, he had major issues with his liver and doctors didn’t give much hope to live much longer. They sent him off from hospital to die, but Jesus had a different plan for Sergey’s life. When he came to our outreach, he heard the Gospel message and responded by confessing Jesus as Lord of his life. Jesus not only saved him, but also completely healed him and gave him a new, restored liver! Praise God for His miracle working power. Now Sergey is heading to the rehab center in west Ukraine, and after that, we expect him back and serving other guys with similar needs and addictions!
Wednesday, January 17, 2024: Winter outreaches continue!
Despite our very cold winter weather that finally arrived in our region of Ukraine, our team in Izmail continues to reach out to the lost through Feed the Hungry outreaches in Izmail!
43 precious souls confessed Lord Jesus as Lord of their lives on the streets of Izmail. We also offered free haircuts for those who needed one, and there were people who gladly agreed to get a free haircut. This is another opportunity personally to share the love of Jesus with those precious people! Our barbers are trained in how to witness during their professional performances! Jesus said follow me and I will teach you how to fish for men!
I would also like to ask you to pray for my upcoming trip in early February to India. As you know, one of the biggest desires of my heart is to conduct more schools of evangelism and train the Body of Christ for the works of the Kingdom. At the end of last year, I was praying that God would open more doors for me to train and equip believers, not only in this part of the world, but also in different places. God has answered my prayer, and at the end of December I received an invitation to join a small international team of four guys, also evangelists, to travel to four cities in India and conduct our school of evangelism with open air and indoor evangelism as part of the training. It didn’t take long to pray about it. I said yes I will join that team and go to India, especially when I’ve learned that three of those four cities are smaller places where hardly anyone goes. I’m praying for Time2Go schools to be held in Romania and Macedonia later this year as well!
Monday, January 15, 2024: Wooden stoves and hope of the Gospel were delivered!
Last weekend our team from Odessa, along with our chaplains, traveled back from the front lines of Kherson region, delivering food, water, and wooden stoves, which people asked us for. This time we were able not only to visit civilians, but also our military personnel who also asked us if we could help them with wooden stoves to keep their positions warm during these cold winter days! Of course on every location we shared the Gospel and people accepted Jesus into their hearts. Our chaplains prayed for our warriors just outside of their positions. Due to security reasons we were not allowed to take photos over there. People are so thankful and appreciative for every trip we make over there, because hardly anyone goes to those remote and dangerous villages.
Thank you for supporting this project!
Friday, January 12, 2024: Another changed life!
This is Tamara. She’s from Nikolaev, when Russians invaded Ukraine and were only a few miles away from her hometown, Tamara fled to Odessa. She heard from some people that every Thursday in one of the central parks our teams feeds the hungry and preach the Gospel. Tamara decided to come and see what’s happening in that park on Thursdays, so she came and of course she received her portion of hot meals and for the first time in her life she heard in a simple and very practical way of how God loves her and how she can be reconciled with the Lord!
On that day, Tamara accepted Christ as Lord of her life, and since that time she now regularly comes to our outreaches, and every time she comes she brings someone else with her, so that one more soul can hear the truth which will set them free! Tamara told our team that now she praises God and she’s learning how to pray and talk to Jesus through studying His word.
Yesterday, Tamara brought another friend who got saved along with 60 more people at feed the hungry outreach!!! Nothing greater than to hear and to see those happy faces after they encounter Jesus for themselves!
Wednesday, January 10, 2024: 35 Adults and Children Confess Jesus as Lord of their Lives!
Thanks to your support we were able to reach out to over 35 children and their parents in a front line town of Liman in the Donbas region. Only a few miles away, the real war is taking place and these kids and their parents live in the reality of the war 24/7 for the last two years! The only good news they can get is the news about Jesus!
This time we held a special program with a puppet show about Christmas, and every child and teenager received a shoe box full of gifts! And every soul in the room confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Monday, January 8, 2024: Normal Christianity!
This is what I call normal Christianity – when we can serve those who are in need, and use this opportunity to share the Gospel!
Yesterday, 30 more people in a small town of Tatarbunari gave their hearts to Jesus as our team from Izmail were doing a Feed the Hungry outreach in that town. Right after the outreach, we invited those folks into the local church building, where they were able to hear more of the Word of God, and our team prayed for all of them!
The auditorium was packed with people. We didn’t have enough room to facilitate all who wanted to come to the Sunday services, but no one was left behind!
Friday, January 5, 2024: 65 souls for Jesus!
Thank you so much from supporting our ministry! Yesterday our team in Odessa conducted the first Feed the Hungry outreach in our Central Park in 2024, and 65 people were not only fed with hot meal, but also all of them heard the Gospel message and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Great start of this new year! Let’s believe God for more souls for the Kingdom of our God!
Tuesday, January 2, 2024: Children coming to Jesus!
There is nothing greater than to see children turning to the Lord! To be able to witness is the greatest, most satisfying feeling one could ever get! On the last day of 2023, December 31st, our team from Izmail, led by brother Yan, visited one of smallest, poorest, and most remote villages in that area. Our goal was to gather kids and teenagers and surprise them by gifts we brought them and of course to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus! Over 50 kids confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Thank you for sending us to those precious little souls, whom Jesus loves so much!
Saturday, December 30, 2023: Special holiday outreach for the needy!
Yesterday our team in Odessa conducted another Feed the Hungry outreach, probably the last one this year! It was special due to the coming new year, with special treats for those who came out.
Odessa has been under missile attack for the last two days, and one of the missiles hit the apartment complex killing a few people and injuring dozens. Please keep our city and region in prayer. The Russian attacks have been increasing recently as they shoot those drones and missiles anywhere they can possibly hit. More people trying to escape and leave Ukraine.
In times like this, people need hope and encouragement, and that’s why we decided to continue our outreaches even during these holidays. Over 70 people confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives yesterday as we were ministering to them with hot meals and the Gospel message!!!
Wednesday, December 27, 2023: Thank you for standing with us in 2023!
Last night our team here in Poland conducted another Christmas2Go outreach in a city of Łódź and over 100 Ukrainians heard the Gospel, and many confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Also, our team down in Izmail, Ukraine carried on another Feed the Hungry outreach, and over 70 souls heard the Gospel and asked Jesus to come in to their hearts!
These were our final outreaches in 2023. The busy Christmas season is almost over for us and it’s time to take a few days off and spend time with families. And as usual I take a few days off in the first week of January in order to seek the Lord and to renew our strength in His presence for another busy and productive year in 2024!
I want to thank you for your continuous support throughout the year of 2023 and I do hope for even greater cooperation and friendship in 2024!
What I want to focus on in 2024 is our schools of evangelism and to train more believers for the work of Jesus. My goal is to train 5000 people during next year and I would need you, my friends, to continue to stand with us and continue to support our ministry!
Monday, December 25, 2023: Merry Christmas update!
Merry Christmas friends!
On Friday and Saturday night despite the cold weather we were out in the center of Warsaw city giving away some special gifts and sharing the Gospel message! The response was awesome. So many young people were open to the Christmas message, and what’s most important is a lot of them had no idea about the true meaning of Christ’s birth. Unfortunately many young people think that Christmas is just a winter holiday or a special family night, but during those two nights over 335 souls heard the good news of Christmas!
I was so excited to be able to share the Gospel with the group of Muslim students from Kazahstan and Kyrgyzstan. They had no clue about who Jesus was or why we celebrate Christmas and for them it was the first time they ever heard the Gospel. I wish you could see their eyes and the excitement they had on their faces. You can see me with them on one of the photos! Later that night one of them came back to me and asked me to pray with them while we were still evangelizing!
Again, Merry Christmas and thank you for supporting us and standing with us throughout 2023!
Thursday, December 21, 2023: Christmas2Go outreaches!
We all love this special season of Christmas, especially for another opportunity to get out on the streets and share the Good News of Christmas, and the true reason for the season which is the brith of our Lord and Savior Jesus!
I personally like this time of the year because so many young people are open to talking about Christmas, the reason why Jesus was born, and why he came down to this planet. Every year, I’m amazed by how many youngsters with whom we share the Good News on the streets don’t know what the true reason for why we celebrate Christmas. And for most of them, it becomes an eye-opening experience when they hear that it’s all about Jesus! Our team in Izmail was sharing the Gospel using our food truck and offering people hot drinks like coffee and tea. Over 40 young people that night heard the Gospel, and some of them prayed the prayer of salvation!
We are going out here in Warsaw tomorrow night and on Saturday night. And then on Tuesday night, we’re doing this outreach in another city called Łódź! Please agree with us for good weather conditions, so we can be out on the streets and reach hundreds of young people for the Kingdom of our God! Merry Christmas to you and have a blessed holiday!
Tuesday, December 19, 2023: Time2Go school of evangelism!
Thank you for keeping me in your prayer while I was traveling to the east of our country in order to conduct another school of evangelism, Time2Go, on the bases of wonderful church in Kamienskoe!
Over 65 students attended our training, and one thing I can say for sure is that people were eager to learn and put to practice the soul-winning business! As always, when we do our schools, we take our students on the streets to practice what we’ve trained them for. It was so exciting to see how most of them were activated during the street outreaches and practiced what we’ve taught them in the classes. For the first hour, they observed me and how I was talking to people, especially to the youngsters. Then, their eyes were burning with excitement to do it for themselves! And it worked out just as we trained them, because the Gospel is not hard to share with others.
It was pretty scary when I first arrived to Odessa. There was an air-raid, and one of those big suicide drones, which Russians launch towards Odessa, was shot down about one mile away from our apartment building. Thank God nobody was killed, but few were injured and several cars were burned. Thanks for praying for us and our properties! We got three more Christmas2Go street outreaches here in Poland before this 2023 year ends, and our teams are continuing to reach souls in Ukraine!
Friday, December 15, 2023: 65 orphans received Christmas gifts and Jesus!
Last Tuesday, our team from Odessa visited an orphanage in the north of our region, about 100 miles away from Odessa. We’ve been there a few times since the war started. Every time we have an opportunity to visit them, with gifts and a short evangelistic program, we do. These are mainly orphans and kids from dysfunctional families, so we thought they need to be reminded during this Christmas season that Jesus loves them and takes care of them. Every child has asked the Lord to come into their hearts and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! Every child received the Lord, and they sure were happy that we came to visit and minister to them.
Wednesday, December 13, 2023: 60 families for Jesus!
We were able to invite and evangelize to 60 families in the front line town of Liman in a Donbas region. This time, we brought hygiene supplies and every family received one! We also gathered them together and shared the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, and every single soul confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! People were so thankful for our team! They were grateful that we could make it over there, risking our own lives, and bringing them the message of hope and salvation!
Monday, December 11, 2023: Christmas is almost here!
The Christmas season is here, and we are now in full speed, doing outreaches with the message of Christmas – that Jesus is the reason for the season!
Over 50 people heard the Gospel in Izmail as our team distributed hot meals and the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. As always, our main priority is to introduce these people to our Lord Jesus, and all of them confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
Please keep me and our brother Zhenya in your prayers as we will travel this coming weekend to the east of our country. We will be training new believers in our evangelism course at one of our friends’ churches, and then take them to the streets for the practical part of our school. Thank you!
Thursday, December 7, 2023: The harvest is ripe!
Our team from Izmail conducted another Feed the Hungry outreach on the streets of the town of Tatarbunari using our food truck. We are so excited that now we can be mobile with this outreach and basically drive up to where people are. We can offer them hot meals and use this opportunity to share the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
As you can see in the photos, the age difference is amazing, from as young as 12 years old all the way up to 80 plus years old. They all come to our outreaches, and most of them hear the Gospel for the first time. This time, 27 souls confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
We’ve invited some of them to our local church building and continued to share the Word of God with those who came from the streets. The place was packed!
Glory to our God!
Tuesday, December 5, 2023: More souls for Jesus!
Last weekend, our team from Odessa traveled to another war zone village and also visited some of our military personnel around that area. By God’s grace and your support, we were able to bring more food supplies and clean water to those places!
As you know, our goal is not just to provide humanitarian aid but to bring the most satisfying and life-giving message of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus! While we were in that village, over 50 people responded and said YES to Jesus. Our chaplains also prayed and led a few soldiers and officers to the Lord while visiting their platoon.
We will continue to serve and bring the Gospel of Jesus to the lost and needy in Ukraine!
Wednesday, November 29, 2023: Compassion has a face!
Today our team in Odessa conducted yet another Feed the Hungry outreach in Odessa, where we were able to feed over 50 souls and share the Gospel with all these people. Every soul confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives!
What really amazes me is that we now have people of different ages and backgrounds coming to get their hot portion of Ukrainian borsch and sandwiches. Some of these people come from different parts of Ukraine and Odessa. They all come thinking that this is just a social event, and they get so excited when we present the Gospel message and invite them into personal relationships with Jesus. We can bring fresh natural and spiritual bread to all these people every week in Odessa and Izmail! Thank you for supporting this project!
Monday, November 27, 2023: Special aid to our military!
A few days ago, our team of chaplains visited our military troops in the war zone. This is Odessa’s 35th Marine Brigade who are now fighting in the Donbas area. This time, we were able to bring them some military first-aid kits and food supplies. We were able to pray for everyone that we’ve met and share the Gospel with some of them. The situation on the front lines is very complicated now, and our soldiers need our prayers and support. So, these short-term trip are so vital for their spirits!
Thursday, November 23, 2023: New territories for Jesus!
Yesterday, our team visited three new, very remote and poor villages literally in the middle of nowhere in the Odessa region. When we arrived there, we learned that these people have never been visited by any Christian mission group, and the conditions of living there is beyond poverty level. They survive from whatever they can grow in their gardens, and few have home animals. This time, we visited them door-to-door and shared the Gospel with every single soul. Over 30 homes we came into, and everywhere people were so excited and caught by surprise! They didn’t know we were coming that day, but most importantly, they heard the words of hope and love about our Lord and Savior Jesus! Thank you for your support and prayers!
Tuesday, November 21, 2023: 24 widows for Jesus!
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” – James 1:27
Last Saturday, our team in Izmail lived this verse from the book of James. I like how this translation puts it in the NKJV Bible: “visited them in their trouble.” We thought it would be a good idea to invite 24 widows who have lost their husbands during this war in our country. Most of them are from other parts of Ukraine who found safety and refuge down in Izmail region. Each widow received a box of groceries, clothing, and spiritual materials. We also had the privilege of leading every one of them to the Lord Jesus!
Friday, November 17, 2023: 50 more come to Jesus!
This afternoon, our team down in Izmail conducted another Feed the Hungry outreach, and over 50 souls came to be fed and hear the Gospel of Jesus! The more the weather changes and becomes colder, the more we see elderly friends who come to get a hot meal and hear the words of hope and salvation in our Lord Jesus!
During the outreach, we also provide free haircuts for all who wish to have one. This is another great opportunity to witness while the haircut is being done.
When brother Yan did the altar call, every person that was there responded and said “YES!” to Jesus by confessing him as Lord of their lives!
Wednesday, November 15, 2023: More souls for Jesus!
We want to share with you the stories of two people we have been impacted by the grace of God through Feed the Hungry outreaches in Odessa.
In the first photo, you see 42-year-old Vitaliy, who has been struggling with alcohol addiction for the last three years. He has no family or relatives and eventually ended up living on the streets. Some of his homeless friends told him about our weekly outreaches in the park and that he could get help and food if he shows up there. So, Vitaliy showed up and heard the Gospel and gave his life to the Lord! Now he is on his way to one of our rehabilitation centers.
In the second photo, you see an elderly lady by the name of Elena. She is 70 years old. Back in 1994, her home was set on fire and completely burned down. She ended up living on the streets as a result. Now for nearly 12 month, she has been coming to our outreaches, and her life is rapidly turning around! She has now found a place where she can live with some other friends. And, every Thursday when she comes to our Feed the Hungry outreaches, she thanks our team for serving there faithfully and giving them hope through the Gospel message!
Thursday, November 9, 2023: Over 300 souls confess Jesus as Lord of their life’s in Odessa!
Tonight, we had an amazing night once again of preaching the Gospel through art, music, and our testimonies in Odessa’s philharmonic. We invited over 700 people, and over 500 came into the building. Praise the Lord! The theme of the night was “The True Source of Love and Strength.” We showed them where to find true love and strength in order to fix our lives and give us purpose. Through song and several testimonies, including our strong man Zhenya’s testimony, the Gospel was proclaimed. When I had the privilege of making an altar call, over 300 people responded and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! The presence of God was so strong the entire night. Though there were about 50 people who left the outreach as soon as they heard the Gospel message, the Spirit of the Lord was in the room. God was moving and touching the hearts, minds, and bodies of all who were there.
Monday, November 13, 2023: 400 people confessing Jesus as Lord in the war zone!
Last Friday, our team traveled back to the active war zone just 180 miles away from Odessa into the Kherson region. This time, we had to split our team into two to better accomplish our goal. Our goal was to reach four villages and one special outreach in Kherson in one of the local Baptist churches with whom we’ve been partnering for sometime now. By God’s grace, we were able to visit every location. It was like a fast blitz outreach due to continuous shelling and bombings. It is very dangerous to gather people for a long time in one location. Russian drones are flying constantly over that region. This time, we brought food supplies, drinking water, some blankets, and clothing. Over 500 Bibles and audio Bibles in the Ukrainian language were also delivered to every soul who attended our outreaches.
Combined in four locations, over 400 people prayed the sinner’s prayer and asked Jesus to forgive their sins. Together, we also prayed for our country and for peace. These people are so worn out emotionally because of this war. Some have lost hope and some are in depression. But, the light of the Gospel has brought hope where there is no hope and peace where there is no peace! We proclaim that Jesus is Lord over our country and our villages. Thank you for your faithful and continuous support of what God is doing in this part of the world.
Thursday, November 2, 2023: Real stories from the harvest fields!
Today, our team in Odessa was sharing the Gospel and feeding 65 people at our usual spot in one of our central parks! I would like to highlight two stories from today’s outreach; they really moved and encouraged me to keep up with the good work we are doing for the glory of our God!
In the first photo, you see a man by the name Genadiy. He’s 47 years old and is from Odessa. He started abusing alcohol as soon as he turned 9 years old. By the time he turned 20, he was on drugs. Then, due to troubles with the law, he was sentenced to prison for 3 years. He has lost everyone and everything due to addictions and a lifestyle he lived most of his life. This morning, his friends invited Genadiy to our “Feed the Hungry” outreach, where he heard the Gospel and confessed Jesus as the Lord of his life! He’s coming to church this Sunday, and right after that, he will begin our discipleship program for new believers. Praise the Lord, and please keep Genadiy in your prayers!
In the second photo, you see the couple Anna and Vladimir, 38 and 39 years old. They escaped bombing and war atrocities from the Nikolaev region. When they arrived in Odessa, they didn’t know anyone, and unfortunately, the government didn’t provide them with any accommodation or jobs. So, they both ended up becoming homeless, sleeping on the benches of that very park where we do our outreaches every week. One summer day, as they were sitting on those benches, they heard a voice calling people from all corners of the park to come and join the “Feed the Hungry” outreach. Anna and Vladimir came and had their hot meal and, of course, heard the Gospel message. After the altar call was given, they decided to pray and ask Jesus to forgive their sins. Now they have jobs, and they found a room to rent where they can live, and they are so happy that they don’t have to sleep in the open air. They still come to our outreaches every week and attend the church regularly since last summer!
Thank you for supporting this ministry; every dollar is worth it to hear life-changing stories like these ones!
Tuesday, October 31, 2023: One More Out of Bondage!
This is Igor. He’s the one who stands in the middle between brothers Yan and brother Kolya. Igor’s parents recently visited our ‘Feed the Hungry’ outreaches in Izmail. When they heard the Gospel message, they both responded and accepted Jesus into their hearts. Shortly after that, they approached Yan and shared their son’s story. He has been struggling with drug addiction for the last two years, and he’s now 21 years old. Their plea was for help; this was the desperate cry of parents fighting for their son.
The next day, Yan and Kolya went to meet Igor and share the Gospel with him. Brother Kolya shared his testimony of how he found Jesus and how Jesus set him free from a serious drug addiction. At the end of their visit, they offered Igor the opportunity to reconcile with Jesus, and then they prayed for his deliverance. Igor agreed and expressed a desire to be free and to learn how to follow Jesus.
Well, two days ago, our team sent him to our rehab center in Odessa. This photo was taken at the bus station in Izmail as they were sending Igor on his way to a new life with Jesus! Glory be to our Lord and Savior!
Saturday, October 28, 2023: More souls for Jesus this week!
This past long weekend was very fruitful for our teams in Odessa and Izmail. By God’s grace, we’ve been able to reach over 350 people with the Gospel message through “Feed the Hungry” outreaches and indoor food packages for the refugees.
200 of them confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives and invited Christ into their hearts! Every outreach like this is so precious for each and every soul who comes to our outreaches and who we reach as we go out and preach the Gospel of our Lord Jesus!
We are living in very special times and, now probably like never before, we need to focus on spreading the good news everywhere we possibly can. People are scared, lost and without hope, and the only cure for this problem is the message of hope and salvation!
Thank you for supporting us and standing with us during these times!
Wednesday, October 20, 2023: More Smiles in Times of War!
Our teams in Odessa and Izmail are faithfully continuing the “Feed the Hungry” outreaches on Thursdays, and it is heartwarming to see children coming with their parents to our outreaches. They receive a hot meal and, of course, the greatest news of all—the Gospel of Jesus!
Before the war, this outreach was primarily for mature individuals, but now we see different age groups coming to fill not only their physical hunger, but also their spiritual hunger.
Yesterday, at our three locations in these two cities, over 100 people confessed Jesus as the Lord of their lives! Praise the Lord!
Jesus is coming back soon, and the best thing we can do now is to lead more souls into the Kingdom of God!
Wednesday, October 18, 2023: Another trip to Kherson villages!
Our team from Odessa visited another village near the front lines of the war zone in the Kherson region. Once again, we provided clean water, food, and clothing for the local children. While we were there, we were asked to help evacuate a family with two children, and we gladly did so. We brought them back with us to Odessa, from where they will travel to an EU country to reunite with their families and friends.
We are grateful for the opportunity to minister to these precious souls in very difficult life situations and to share the Gospel of Jesus with those who are lost and desperate.
Friday, October 16, 2023: Big Event In A Little Village!
Last Saturday, our team from Izmail traveled to a remote and small village of Pocrovka, where we organized another special outreach for the boys! A small soccer tournament with two local teams. Of course, everyone received a prize, and, most importantly, we used this opportunity as another way to evangelize and introduce those teenagers to the person of Jesus.
All 12 of them gave their lives to Jesus, and we had a great chat afterward about life and the importance of knowing your purpose and meaning in this God-given life!
Friday, October 13, 2023: Happy Faces After “Feed The Hungry” Outreaches!
It is always so exciting to see people smiling and displaying happiness on their faces after we share a hot meal and the gospel of our Lord Jesus!
Last Thursday, over 70 souls at our “Feed the Hungry” outreaches confessed Jesus as the Lord of their lives! Most of these folks are elderly people, living alone in a country that has been at war for the last 600 days. The economy is almost dead, and most of the time, hope is lost. But our Thursday outreaches are, for most of them, like an island of hope and peace in the midst of all the calamities and turmoil.
Thank you for helping us continue to minister to these precious souls on a weekly basis!
We are also standing strong in prayer for Israel throughout this week, praying for the complete victory for Israel and peace for Jerusalem!
Tuesday, October 10, 2023: 25 Souls For Jesus!
Yesterday, our team visited 25 refugee families spread around the Reni region. Most of them were elderly people, and for them, the food package we brought was a tremendous blessing! We prayed together for every person who came to get their food package, and every soul confessed Jesus as the Lord of their lives! Praise the Lord! We do what we can with what we have and reach one person at a time! We are praying for Israel and sending our blessings to Jerusalem!
Friday, September 29, 2023: 50 More Souls For Jesus!
Yesterday, our team in Izmail conducted another ‘Feed the Hungry’ outreach event, and over 50 people came out for a hot meal. After Brother Yan shared the Gospel message and invited people to repent and open their hearts to the Lord, they all responded with a resounding ‘Yes’ to Jesus! Glory to our God!
In the photo with our Brother Yan, you can see an elderly lady named Raya, who is 87 years old. She lives alone with her handicapped son. She came and told us that she’s so happy about this project where she can come and get some food for herself and her son. On that day, Raya gave her heart to the Lord—better late than never!
We are thrilled that some of our refugees are now involved in helping and volunteering during these outreach events. These are the same people who just a few weeks ago came to receive help and food. Now, they are coming to serve and assist others in finding hope and salvation!
Wednesday, September 27, 2023: 35 Children And Teenagers Come To Jesus!
Yesterday, our team from Odessa brought another 35 school supplies and backpacks to a remote village that was liberated by our army about 11 months ago. These supplies will benefit the entire school in that village, which consists of those 35 pupils. Our youth prepared a special program for all these kids, and, of course, at the end of the outreach, the Gospel was shared in a very simple and practical way. All the kids said YES to Jesus and confessed Him as the Lord of their lives!
‘Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.'” Luke 18:16 NLT
Thank you for helping us bring these children to Jesus!
Monday, September 25, 2023: 45 More Children Received Their Gift!
45 children from refugee families received brand new backpacks with all the supplies to start their new school year! It was such an amazing event. Most of the kids came with their moms, and they also heard the Gospel presentation. When the altar call was given, they all asked Jesus into their hearts. It was a very precious moment! Every child received a Bible in their backpacks, along with all the other stuff in it.
Later last night, some of the moms sent us personal messages of gratitude for the special attention and for the joy that our team brought to their kids through this simple act of love and compassion!
Thank you so much for making a big difference in those kids’ lives. Thank you for your support and heart to reach the lost!
Tuesday, September 19, 2023: Reaching Youth for Jesus!
It is so exciting to see young people reaching other youth with the Gospel of Jesus! Sometimes we don’t need to spend a lot of money to reach people for Jesus, especially the younger generation. They like when someone could talk to them heart-to-heart!
In Izmail and in Odessa, our trainees continue to share the Gospel of Jesus on the streets and present the message to non-religious people in very unique and attractive ways!
For me, it is the greatest reward to see how young people take what we taught them during our schools of evangelism and then apply it in their local community!
Tuesday, August 29, 2023: Far away, but not forgotten!
This is a small village in a very remote area of our region. Only 150 people live in this village and about 30 children. There are no schools or kindergartens in that village, basically no activities for kids. Our team from Izmail traveled there again yesterday and conducted another special outreach for kids. We also brought food packages for some adults.
We visited this village 3 years ago and conducted outreaches in that area. After we left, one local brother started a small Bible study home group in his house, which has now grown into a local church. Yesterday, we also prayed and appointed this brother to be a pastor for those villagers. 25 kids and 15 adults gave their lives to Jesus in that village on Monday. Now, the church there is the only life house and place of hope and encouragement for the local population. The name of the village is Elizovetovca. Praise be to our God!
Monday, August 21, 2023: Gospel is being proclaimed!
I’m excited to share with you that our teams and disciples in Odessa, Izmail, Tatarbunari, Warsaw, and Chisinau are continuing to go out on the streets of their cities and share the Gospel of Jesus with so many people and especially young people!
For me personally, it is a dream come true to witness our young evangelists and those who have gone through our School of Evangelism being ignited and carrying forward the message of the Gospel in their communities.
Yes, we share the Gospel a lot through social outreaches when we distribute relief aid. However, this one is particularly special in the sense that we offer nothing else but the greatest news of Jesus. The power of God is being released through the simple preaching of the Gospel!
Please pray and join me in agreement for new open doors in other places and countries where we can come and equip the body of Jesus for His work.
I am truly determined to focus more and more on conducting our Schools of Evangelism here in Europe. This continent is inadequately reached, especially the western parts. We have generations of young people who have never, and I mean never, been introduced to the simple yet powerful message of the Gospel.
Thursday, August 17, 2023: More souls for Jesus at our feed the hungry outreaches!
“‘For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!‘” (Matthew 25:35-40, NLT)
Souls got reconciled with Jesus this afternoon during our feed the hungry outreaches in two parks of Odessa! What I love about this ministry is that most of our volunteers who are serving during the outreach are former addicts who came to Jesus through these outreaches not long ago and what a joy to see them now returning the favor and bringing Jesus through simple acts of love! Our God is good!
Tuesday, August 15, 2023: Continuing to share the love of God through simple acts of love!
Our team from Izmail conducted another feed the hungry outreach in Tatarbunari, and over 60 people from different backgrounds and different ages came to hear the Gospel and to receive their portion of food. 32 souls asked Jesus into their hearts! Praise the Lord for His mercy and provision!
Sunday, August 13, 2023: 180 children turning to Jesus!
Last night, our team from Izmail reached another village in the south of our region: the village of Gladeni! This village, for many years, was known as a place of witchcraft and sorcery. Almost on every street, there was a woman who would practice these sorts of demonic activities, and people used to come here to “solve” their different issues. There was no evangelical church here so far. Finally, we’ve made it there despite some opposition from local authorities and some individuals. We decided to focus on children. By reaching them, we can reach adults too!
So, last night, over 180 children and some of their parents came to our event. We presented them with games, quizzes, cotton candy, and, of course, children’s Bibles. When Brother Yan gave the altar call, every hand was up, and every tongue confessed Jesus as the Lord of their lives!
When we finished our program, a few of the kids’ moms came up to us and asked if we could come more often and conduct Bible study classes for their kids. Praise the Lord, this is awesome! Please keep Gladeni in your prayers, that God would raise a pastor for these kids and for the entire village!
Thursday, August 10, 2023: Back in Kherson region!
Yesterday, our team was back in those 3 villages of Kherson region, as locals requested we brought some water to drink and rubber slippers with some underwear. People can’t purchase any of those items anywhere nearby, but we can use those needs to show them the love of Jesus in action! There was no bombing while we were there so we were able to stay a little longer and spend some time with the locals, sharing the Gospel and praying for people who constantly live in a war zone frontline. Many of them felt the reality of the presence of the Lord! We are believing God for a church plant in that community right after the war. Please keep that in prayer!
Saturday, August 5, 2023: 280 souls said YES to Jesus!
Yesterday, we visited another remote village on the outskirts of Odessa region where many internally displaced refugees found safe haven from war-torn parts of Ukraine! We were able to bring 280 food packages. People were so open and thankful for the aid, but not only for that, but also for some music and the Gospel presentation we did over there. When I gave an alter call, every soul responded and confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives! The local pastor of the Pentecostal church was shocked. He said they never had so many people coming to an outreach. This was the biggest outreach so far in that village. Because we wrote every person’s name and contact details, the pastor of that local church and his team could do the follow up work with all those precious people!
Thank you so much for supporting us in reaching people for Jesus!
Friday, July 28, 2023: 230 souls for Jesus!
Two days ago, our team visited yet another remote village in the Ukrainian desert. No one ever came into this village with the Gospel message! Over 230 villagers came out to our event and almost every soul confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives. Every family received a food package, and every child got their own children’s Bible for the very first time! Glory to our God!
Wednesday, July 26, 2023: Another trip to Kherson region!
Today our team from Odessa delivered another portion of drinking water to a remote village in the Kherson region. We were able to bring 2.5 tons of clean water for those precious souls who are still remaining in that village and have no place to go. They were so excited to see us back again with water and of course, like always, with the Gospel message that brings hope and salvation to these people. For them, our visits to them is like a breath of fresh air and a sip of living water!!! We are planning to go back to some more villages next week and trusting God for the supernatural provision!
Thursday, July 20, 2023: Keep Odessa in prayers our eyes are on Him!
The last three nights were the most hard so far into the war in Odessa. Three nights straight, Russian terroristic army has been shelling and bombing Odessa. One of the missiles last fell on the administrative building literally just around the corner from our church building in Odessa. Several people ended up in the hospital and unfortunately two casualties. They say on their television in Russia that they have been only hitting military targets and bases, but it is a lie after lie. They did damaged some of our sea port’s infrastructure and grain containers.
It is so sad to see how our lovely city of Odessa is being destroyed and people have to spend nights in safe shelters or underground parkings with little kids and their home pets. One guy today, due to stress and depression, jumped out of a 14th floor apartment building. Sorry for overwhelming you with all this info, but this what I feel now for our city and our country – sadness and anger! But God who is with us is greater and stronger. They can destroy our buildings, but they will never be able to take away our will to live free and to raise our children in a free country!
For us as Christ’s church this time is an opportunity to minister and bring the hope of eternal life to our own countrymen! I’m heading back to Ukraine on the 28th of July. Any extra support will help to bring some aid and the Gospel message to the people of Odessa and Ukraine! All this morning I’m meditating on this story of the king Jehoshaphat from 2 Chronicles 20. Particularly, this one verse identifies with what I feel today:
“Our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” – 2 Chronicles 20:12
Friday, July 14, 2023: 300 people said YES to Jesus!
Today our team from Izmail traveled to Kherson and another village nearby to deliver some water and food supplies for the people of that region. By God’s grace, we were able to reach over 300 souls. We prayed for the sick, and one women who lost her son in the war testified that during the time when the message of the Gospel was proclaimed she felt freedom and deliverance from that deep pain of loss and grief. For the first time in few month she felt peace and ease in the presence of the Lord! Our God is so good!
Monday, July 10, 2023: 200 souls reconciled with Jesus in Kherson!
Yesterday as our team in Warsaw was finishing the school of evangelism, our small team from Odessa drove into Kherson in order to deliver another 3.5 tons of drinking water and some humanitarian relief aid! We just drove into one of the districts of Kherson where people don’t have any clean water available in their apartments, and after a short notice and announcement over 200 souls came out of their apartments to get the water and aid.
After proclaiming the Gospel, we led them into a sinner’s prayer and every single soul responded and said YES to Jesus! It was so touching to see elderly people cry and be so overwhelmed and thankful that we came to them and shared some attention because most of the time they feel so lonely and abandoned. War and almost daily bombings have added to it as well.
Friday, July 7, 2023: Time2go Warsaw!
I’m so excited to let you know that yesterday we started another school of evangelism, Time2Go, in Warsaw for the Ukrainians who live here. 18 students from different churches came to go through three days of training and practical evangelism on the streets. My favorite part of the school is when we take these church kids to the streets to train them on how to practically share their faith in Jesus. For most of them, it was their first time experiencing being on the streets, and I love to see them stepping out of their church comfort zone and overcoming their fears as they begin to share with people and practice what we have taught them in the classes. Last night, we were able to reach over 200 people with the Gospel message through one-on-one encounters as we presented the Gospel of Jesus!
In the photo, there’s a lady named Rukhsar whom I’m praying for. She is a refugee from Afghanistan. Back in 2021 when Taliban took over her country, she and her child were able to escape and moved into Poland. She told me that she’s a Muslim but she respects Christians and honors our Jesus. Well, I was not the guy to just agree with that, and I explained to her that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. She was almost convinced and allowed me to pray for her. While I was praying, the Lord compelled me to ask her about the need that has been bothering her and stealing her peace. Rukhsar told me that when she escaped with her child, her husband Mustafa was not able to leave, and he is still in Afghanistan. Her only desire was to ask God to bring her husband back to her and their child. So we agreed, and then she told me that if Jesus answers that prayer, she wants to know more about Him, and she would like us to meet again and celebrate the reunion of her family. I responded and said that it’s not “if” but “when” God, in whom I believe, will answer and bring her husband to safety. We will meet and thank Him. So, right there on the spot, we became friends on Facebook with Rukhsar.
Please agree with us for this situation and pray that this whole family will come to know Jesus as their true God and Savior!
Thursday, June 29, 2023: Results of our efforts!
This is how I felt when we baptized 23 people last Saturday in Odessa. This is truly the result of our teamwork: you on your side and us here on our side doing the best we can to make new disciples and followers of Jesus! To God be the glory! Thank you for supporting us!
Tuesday, June 27, 2023: More water, more life of Jesus for these souls!
Today our Odessa team went back again to Kherson region, where the flood waters are almost gone, but still so many villages have no access to clean and drinkable water. So we were able to bring another 3.5 tons of clean water, fresh bread and canned food. Today we were able to gather about 100 people as they were coming to get the water and bread. We preached the Gospel and shared the love of Jesus with all of them. When the alter call was given today by pastor Vitaliy all the people responded and said yes to Jesus. People were so excited about us coming and sharing the message of hope. We told everyone that this water represents the living water which Christ can give to all who are thirsty and willing to come to Him! It was an incredible atmosphere despite of all the sorrows and turmoils of war! Thank you for giving to the Lord and supporting us as we reach the unreached for the Kingdom of our God!
Wednesday, June 21, 2023: More water, more life for Kherson region!
Yesterday our team from Odessa was able to get another 3.5 tons of pure drinking water and delivered it to Kherson. Our plan was to get to that one particular village where we wanted to deliver all that water, but unfortunately it didn’t go as we planned. We couldn’t get to that village due to flood and a pontoon ferry was not available this time, but we found a solution. We left the water in Kherson at a local administration storage, and they will organize the delivery as soon as a pontoon will operate again. We’ve attached New Testaments and sinner’s prayers with all the water we’ve brought yesterday! God is good, and we continue to go forward!
Monday, June 19, 2023: Extra Help needed for Kherson aria!
Last Friday our team made another trip to a village flooded around Kherson aria and this time we were also able to bring them drinking water and one generator so that the villagers could have a spot where they can come to charge their devices and boil up some tea! As always, we use every opportunity to share the Gospel with the locals, and I tell you people are so desperate and so heartbroken that more than anything else they need message of hope and love, they need Jesus and along with aid we always bring the Gospel of power that can transform people’s lives!
This week we are believing God for more resources to be able to make two more trip’s tomorrow and Friday, but we need your help. Every dollar is needed now, we are short of finances for clean water and gas for the vans. Each trip costs us around $200 just to fill up both vans and another $800 for almost 7 tones of clean water. Everything extra will help us to get canned food and medicines for those people who are stuck in those villages and have no access to grocery stores and pharmacies. Let’s stand together and believe God for the funds for this week’s trips!
Monday, June 5, 2023: 60 more children come to Jesus!
Our team has conducted another special outreach for children in a village of Karakurt. Hardly anyone else come to these villages, but there are still living souls who live there and this time we’ve had 60 kids shown up for the outreach! All of them gave their hearts to Jesus! We brought ice cream for each child and special bible with comics for them. They were sure excited about the whole event! I love this special outreach, because we can touch these young souls who are not yet brainwashed by all sorts of junk that this corrupt world has to offer. There will be more of these outreaches in the unreached villages of our nation!
Friday, June 2, 2023: Children for Jesus!
What an awesome day we had yesterday! Our teams conducted 3 special outreaches for children and teenagers in two liberated villages near Kherson area and one in Izmail. We dedicated these outreaches to June 1st international child protection day! It was such a blessing to see these kids being excited especially in the villages about our visit; they were all gathered and waited for an hour before we’ve made it to each location. Again, to get to those villages we had to drive on a very bad roads and navigate through mines fields, but it was all worth it! What a privilege to be able to bring hope, joy and happiness to these precious little souls! All together over 250 children and teenagers came to our outreaches and almost every single one of them asked Jesus into their hearts! Of course, we brought gifts and children Bibles, but they were more excited about the greatest gift of all – the gift of salvation and hope which we can all have in our Lord Jesus!
Thank you for supporting and praying for us!
Wednesday, May 31, 2023: God is opening new doors for the Gospel!
Two days ago, our team in Izmail was able to provide food supplies for 5 different communities in our region, especially for those [who] reach out to refugees and share the Gospel in unreached villages! This means that those whom we provide with food will go and tell more people about Jesus and more souls will be won for the Kingdom of our God! This time we even helped a local jail in Izmail with food supplies. Because of the war, their supply line has been really struggling and now they are overcrowded and there is not enough food for all the prisoners. Because of that, we have an open door now in there and we can freely share the Gospel in the local prison. Administration of that jail invited us to come and visit every cell with Gospel message! Glory be to our God! When God opens doors, no one can close them!
Tuesday, May 23, 2023: Nations for Jesus!
What I like about living in the southern part of Odessa region is that in one day you can visit [a] few ethnical groups living next to each other. People with different languages, cultures, like Bulgarians, Moldavians, Gagauzians, even Albanians. Yesterday our team from Izmail visited an Albanian village where we focused on reaching large families with more than 3 children, by bringing them food supplies and Gospel of Jesus! I believe that every child deserves to have food on the table and not to struggle for it and also to see love and care shown by adults! In every house that we went those precious little souls gave their lives to Jesus and invited Him to become the Lord of their lives! Glory be to our King Jesus!
Friday, May 19, 2023: 450 souls said YES to Jesus!
Our team from Izmail drove to another remote village where we found 450 souls. They all came out for the outreach. No one ever came to this particular village with [the] Gospel message and food packages; people were so open to the point when the mayor of the village came to us after the outreach and invited us back, without even bringing them any aid, because they are so desperate and hungry for the message, hope, and the Word of God!
Every villager confessed Jesus as Lord of their lives as the alter call was given. We also brought food packages for everyone who came. The atmosphere was so open, and we could sense the sincerity of people’s attitude and desire to hear more about our Lord and Savior Jesus!
Friday, May 19, 2023: 50 more souls for Jesus!
On Thursday, as our team was feeding the needy and lost and preaching Gospel with these precious souls, over 50 of new arrivals responded to the Jesus and confessed Him as Lord of their [lives]! Glory to our God! The [economic] situation in Ukraine is deteriorating and this causes more and more people [to] fall below the poverty line, that’s why we’ve been seeing more average people coming up for the hot soup and a sandwich to our two locations in Odessa where we feed the hungry. So that’s why we as a church and people who know their God need to step in and fill that void by bringing them practical love and [the] life-changing message of Gospel!
Thursday, May 18, 2023: More refugees for Jesus!
Today our team in Izmail held another outreach for the new refugees, most of these people arrived from famous battlefield in the east of our nation called Bahmut. That city is almost destroyed completely, most of these folks have no place to go back to, it is a sad situation and very difficult, but [the] message of Gospel and simple acts of love had put smiles on the faces of these people. Some of them have to struggle with panic attacks on [a] daily basis, that [is] why what we do for them is so important, because the only true way to be free from any burden and bondage of fear is the power in the name of Jesus and we are there for them almost every single day!
40 families had come today to receive food packages and fresh bread, most of them confessed Jesus as Lord of their [lives]!
Wednesday, May 17, 2023: 400 villagers come to Jesus in a remote village!
This morning our team from Izmail drove to another remote village on the outskirts of our Odessa region! The name of the village is Orehovka, over 400 villagers came out to our outreach all of them confessed Jesus as Lord of their [lives]! We were also able to bring them food packages, hygiene supplies and clothing for the needy! The Mayor of the village was so open to us and to our message that she invited us back again anytime or like she said sometime soon please! God is so good! We prayed for one women who came with a high blood pressure and almost passed out, immediately we laid hands and prayed for in the name of Jesus, she was healed without any pill or medication, then they brought the pressure measuring machine and when she was checked the blood pressure was down to normal. She walked home on her own! Praise be to our Lord and Savior!
Tuesday, May 16, 2023: The gift of salvation!
What a great grace we have as New Testament believers and that grace called the gift of salvation. We share this wonderful gift or like Paul would say this valuable treasure with those who needs it and want to receive it! Today in Izmail our team ministered to over 30 refugees who came to our church building for the first time, all received the food package, bread, heir cut and of course the greatest gift of all and it is the Gospel of Jesus! 30 people confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior!
Tuesday, May 2, 2023: Aid delivered, souls saved!
Last Saturday our team from Odessa was back into a village where we went to about a month ago, this [is] the village where we found 68 children and 102 adults who still live there after occupation. Since the road there is mined, they [are] basically cut off from all the necessary supplies like food and hygiene supplies. This time we brought them mainly hygiene supply because that’s what they asked us to bring, so that people can wash themselves, clean their clothes and so on. This time 32 villagers prayed to Jesus and asked Him to come into their lives as Lord and Savior!
Thursday, April 27, 2023: 40 Refugees for Jesus!
Yesterday our team in Izamil reached out to over 40 internally displaced refugees who just arrived to Izmail from war torn part of our country. Food packages, loafs of fresh bread and of course the most important is the bread of life which is the message of Gospel! 40 souls got reconciled with the Lord Jesus! Glory to our King and Lord! People were so happy and cheered up that upon their arrival our team met them and showed true love and compassion of Christ towards these precious souls!
Monday, April 24, 2023
Last Thursday at our feed the hungry outreach 72 people in 2 locations got reconciled with Jesus! It seems like there is nothing much in one cup of hot soup and a sandwich, but uses these simple tools to manifest His amazing grace and love to lost and lonely! So many people receive hope and gift of salvation thought this one simple outreach faithfully conducted by our team in Odessa.
“And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
– Hebrews 13:16 NLT
Thank you so much for supporting us in all our efforts to reach the lost!
Friday, April 21, 2023
Two days ago, our team from Odessa have visited an orphanage in one of the villages of our region. In this particular villages they facilitate over 50 children from age 5 till 14, some of them are orphans of war who end up being there after their parents died in was zones of our country!
We brought gifts for every child and of course we presented Gospel message during our special program with songs, games and testimonies. those kids were so excited that we came to them, because we are first ones who came to visit them with Gospel message since the war have started! I think you can see the atmosphere there by just looking on the pictures. All children accepted Jesus into their hearts when the alter call was given!
Monday, April 17, 2023
Yesterday we’ve visited our local prison in Odessa. In the middle of the war and constant work with refugees we are trying not to forget about those are behind the bars, they also need Jesus! Our team put together a small musical program and we came to share the Love of Jesus with those who in jail. Over 30 of them showed up for the outreach, the atmosphere was so open and when the alter call was given all of them responded and said Yes to Jesus! Glory to our King Jesus! One of our chaplains come to visit this prison on weekly bases and he now will start a bible study group with these new converts!
