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May 3, 2024 (Day 800)
Time passes as usual and May has already arrived. But the war lasts slowly, it seems that it has been going on for a very long time and our life before the war is left somewhere far behind. May was always a joyful month, with many holidays when we had picnics. But now we live in a different reality and our understanding of holidays has also changed.
Life in Odessa has become very dangerous. The enemy attacks Odessa every day. And if on some day there are no attacks, people live in fear that a massive attack is being prepared.
Attacks are still ongoing in different parts of the city, where residential buildings and civilian objects are being damaged. The enemy uses ballistic missiles with cluster warheads, from which shrapnel flies for many kilometers, killing all living things around. It also causes many fires in the city. In our small town, which is not far from Odessa, we hear the echoes of explosions, but we are still safe. We are ready to receive people from Odessa. Yesterday I talked with a pregnant woman and invited her with two kids to come and stay here with us.
We see less and less men on the streets. There is a new wave of mobilization and according to the law, all men of conscription age must be registered in local conscription centers. My husband received a summons again. This week he passed a medical examination and must report to the recruitment center again in a month. It looks like he will be drafted. We pray that the Lord will protect him and direct him to a place where he will be useful. He can be a doctor in the medical department, or a chaplain. There is a great need for both of these positions in the army right now.
Dr. Anya went on rotation with her group. They are very close to Crimea now. We pray for her safety and ask God to help her. She has a lot of responsibilities as a commander of the medical unit.
A new group of Marines arrived in our city for rotation. They have been at the forefront for quite some time. Sergey met with their commander to find out their needs and how we could serve them. He invited them to church. When they were in the combat zone, they had a chaplain with them, the pastor whom we know well. The commander noted that units where chaplains actively work have high morale and fewer losses.
The Orthodox Church in Ukraine celebrates Easter this Sunday. There is always a difference in the dates of the Western and Eastern rites. We have prepared an Easter program and want to show it this Sunday. We invite people from our community and also military people from the local units. I am very glad to see our youth so active. They were very eager to prepare the program, they came up with a lot of ideas and even wrote the script themselves. Some of them are working but they found time for rehearsals. Drama, pantomimes, musical performances are an opportunity to share the gospel and tell people about Christ.
Please continue to pray for us.
Thank you for your prayers and for your support. We thank God for each of you.
Please, send your donations to Pathway Ministries
E. Langston Haygood,D.Min.,Ph.D.
Pathway Ministries, Inc.
288 Huntington Parc Circle
Birmingham, AL 35226
(205)835-3325
http://www.pathwayministriesinc.com
In Christ,
Lyuda
P.S. There are photos of Sunday worship in our church, the photos of the fires in Odessa after the night attack, the photos of the shrapnels, which the enemy stuff rockets with to kill more people.