156 Days of War in Ukraine
We are into the sixth month of the war in Ukraine. On Thursday, explosions were heard in Kyiv because of the bombing north of the city. Several rockets were shot down, but the air raids in Kyiv are still happening every day and night. The people in Kyiv must remain vigilant. Our staff and the people we serve are on our daily prayer list for protection and safety, including those who have had to relocate. I honestly cannot fathom the amount of upheaval and displacement in their lives for this long of a period.
In our last update, I shared about the upcoming Ukrainian Ballet Benefit Vika and Sergii are coming to conduct at the end of August, and I want you to know how we connect to it. This benefit is due to the work of our former Executive Vice-President Marc McMurrin, who serves as the CEO of The Ginsburg Foundation. Marc is the son of our founders, Roger and Diane, who will be in Orlando to attend the Benefit. We hope to get some great pictures and video footage of them while they are here. We are very grateful for the hard work Marc is putting into this benefit. Isn’t it amazing how God works all these connections out in this special way to help support Ukraine?
This past Tuesday, our weekly devotional time with our Ukraine staff on Zoom was an incredible time together. We are currently going through the prophet Isaiah’s writings and many of them feel like they were written about Ukraine. It is easy to identify with the scenarios Isaiah describes. However, several of our staff shared health challenges their family members are dealing with, and we took time to pray over those issues. Please do not think war is the only struggle Ukrainians currently deal with. They have all the other parts of life to deal with on a daily basis, just like each of us.
Our widows continue to meet regularly for the widow’s Bible study on Thursdays. They also continue to take part of their supplemental food vouchers and give them to bless Ukrainian soldiers. We purchased and distributed needed items for wounded soldiers being treated in Kyiv. You can see Sasha making the purchases and delivering supplies to these courageous men and women who have sacrificed much for Ukraine.
Dr. Schevchenko is examining many of the widows and pensioners in order to get them referrals or medicines. We are so grateful for the professional service he provides. Here you can see Nadia Kholost with the medicines he recommended, and we delivered them to her home. She said she was very happy to receive the medicine and believes God is going to give Ukraine victory.
Our staff is making multiple home visits each week, and we are gaining new widows and pensioners weekly. One visit was to Galina, who suffers from terrible pains in her legs. She can hardly move around her apartment, but she sent warm greetings to everyone and was very grateful for the visits and food.
Nina and her husband live in a one-room apartment, both are disabled from medical challenges. Can you imagine your life in an apartment that small and being homebound most of the time? She is so grateful for the food help but even more so for the costly medicines they need. She asked for prayers of healing for both of them.
These are only snapshots of life for some of the wonderful women and men we have the privilege to serve, and your support is helping us supply them with essential food and medicine. I share this because these are real people we interact with consistently, and their lives are made better through the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of Music Mission Kiev. Thank you from all of us, both those receiving and those of us serving. With your assistance, we work diligently to provide holistic care during this horrible time of war.
I was privileged to speak at two different gatherings this past weekend about Ukraine. Even six months into this news, people responded warmly and asked many great questions about everything happening after the service ended. Their genuine care and love for the widows and orphans inspired me—what we do matters. And without you, none of this would be possible. Thank you for continuing to partner with us as we share the love of Jesus with Ukraine.
Pray
Pray for the health issues the families of our staff are dealing with.
For the widows and pensioners to continue to be encouraged and cared for by our mission.
For the senseless killing and destruction to end in Ukraine.
For food and medical supplies to reach the Ukraine troops as they continue to defend Ukraine is this sixth month.
For the US and Europe to stay the course even though we may begin to experience some inconveniencies in our lives.
Extra safety for our widows and pensioners as they move about Kyiv in their daily lives.
For our staff located throughout Europe who cannot be with the team at this time and feel isolated.
Give
ONLINE: You can give online to musicmissionkiev.org
CALL: You can still call our U.S. office and donate with your credit card. Our office phone number is 407-699-7172.
CHECK: Send a check payable to Music Mission Kiev, PO Box 161849, Altamonte Springs, FL 32716.
Contact
Please take the time to contact your government officials. We are all feeling the impact of the war and we do not want our government to back off the sanctions and pressure to end this war.
Greg
CEO | Music Mission Kiev