Rev Dmytro Levytskyi
It is over 900 days since the full-scale Russian invasion started. The situation in Ukraine is changing from bad to worse. The state is running out of men. As we look back, we see that a clear division has taken place in society. A huge number of people, from every part of society, support the army and its struggle to defend the country from its bloodthirsty neighbour. On the other hand, there are those, a hidden minority, who do not want to see Ukraine as an independent state and want the former USSR back because they had cheap bread and sausages. Therefore, when they welcomed the Russian invasion, they did not understand that the present Russian Federation is a completely different country and, while it has some traces of the Soviet era, it is far from what they knew in the past.
Acknowledging the difficulties of the present day, we do not lose hope
that the Lord will bless this nation with repentance and that they will “turn from these vanities unto the living God” (Acts 14:15). We hope that this war with Russia will soon end, and that we will be able again freely to spread the Word of God among Ukrainians, as well as neighbouring nations, as much as the Lord will enable us.
There is sad news from our congregation. Our elder, Mr Igor Zadorozhnyi, passed away to his eternal rest at the age of 78 after a short illness. It is a great loss for the congregation, as well as for his family. His expertise in the distribution of literature as well as his communication skills were useful to the cause of Christ.
As a congregation, we are still worshipping and, with the Lord’s help, will continue our mission work among Ukrainians and beyond our borders. Our prayer to the Most High is that He would raise up those who would take the banner of gospel truth and raise it as a witness to the people of this nation. “Therefore said He unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth labourers into His harvest” (Lk 10:2).