December 19 ( Day 1030)

December 19 ( Day 1030)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace”. Isaiah 9:6

When there is a war people find it hard to see the goodness and mercy of God. When children die, bombs hit hospitals and thousands of people are left homeless, it is impossible to give an answer and explain why. All that our human nature wants is to hate and take revenge. War makes people's hearts stone and cold. A heart wounded by grief and loss is inconsolable. Only God's light, His love, His consolation and His strength can help. God heals, cures, comforts, brings peace and tranquility in situations of fear and chaos and gives hope and vision of future. And it is a great blessing to see how God works in the midst of all this horror and nightmare. His work is amazing. God breaks the stereotypes of our Orthodox culture where people are mainly focused on traditions and rituals where the presence of God is often understood as the presence of an icon on the wall. But now we see in people the desire to know God. We hear many testimonies about how people who did not want to hear about God, are now asking for prayers for them, seeking fellowship, and reading the Scripture.

I want to share some stories with you.

Artem is a young man from our town. He is one of those soldiers to whom our church sends parcels to support, encourage and share the gospel. Before the war he lived in our city, he had a family - a wife and a little daughter, but the relationship with his wife did not work out and they divorced. His carefree and cheerful life ended when the war began. He joined the army and went fighting to the front line. Artem responded to our help and became friends with our elder Valeriy. His heart opened to the gospel and he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Last month he was seriously wounded and we prayed for him. He feels better now but is still in the hospital. Artem says that he is happy to feel the presence of Christ, he feels warmth and joy from the fact that he is not alone in this life. He started talking on the phone with his wife and daughter and wants to restore the family. He also dreams of coming to our church when he returns home.

Venera is one of the refugees we serve, she is a small woman with a difficult life. She was born into a Korean family that lived in the Soviet Union. Her parents' family was repressed and sent to Siberia. She was separated from her family and lost her native language and forgot her culture. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, she lived in different places and came to Ukraine several years ago. But she had to leave her home when the war started because her village was occupied. Together with her daughter and grandchildren she wandered around different places and recently ended up in our town. We took care of their family, found them places to live and provided them with everything they needed. Venera’s daughter and grandchildren live in our Refugee Center and Venera lives in our Christian clinic guest room. Venera attends our church and loves Bible studies, she always has many questions. She says that it’s the first time in her life when she feels safety and peace. This is because she knows that Jesus is with her.

Vanya is one of the kids in the orphanage. When we first met him he was unhappy and detached. He always sat separately from the other children, he didn't want to play, he didn't want to communicate, but he always listened attentively to the Bible stories. He was particularly touched by the story of Joseph who found himself alone far away from his family and went through a lot of suffering before he became successful. Vanya understood very well what it meant to be left alone because he too felt lonely and abandoned. But the fact that God was always with Joseph, never left him, helped him and raised him up, encouraged Vanya. This ten-year-old boy accepted the Lord with great joy, trusted Him and seized upon Him as his only hope. For several months now with tears of joy we have been watching the changes that are happening in this boy. He has become open and sociable, he plays with other children, he loves sports competitions. He greets us with joy when we come to visit them, loves to retell biblical stories, remembers all the details, and loves to pray.

There are a lot of stories like these, God works in amazing ways. He is Wonderful, He is our Counsellor, our mighty God, our everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.

This week is a joyful and exciting time for us, we are preparing gifts and rehearsing our program. Every day next week we will be holding an event: Concert of Christmas music, Christmas program for the orphanage, Christmas party for the volunteers in the local defense center, church dinner, Christmas drama, Evening candlelight service and Christmas worship. We hope this holiday season will be special for many people in our community.

We wish you Merry Christmas! Unto us a child is born!

In Christ,

Lyuda

P.S. There are photos, of Vanya, Venera, Artem, the photo of the kids in the orphanage and the photo of our fellowship in the Refugee Center.