Ukraine Support
JHEN (a missionary from Ukraine that Forum has a close relationship with) is sending dispatches to Forum from his war-torn country of Ukraine. You can both read and watch updates he provides us.
During the sermon series, Speechless, we had the opportunity to hear Bradley illuminate how the tragedy in Ukraine helps us see more clearly who God is and the work He is doing amid chaos & crisis.
SEE
Before Jhen left his hometown, he was taking food to a starving village, when suddenly Russian soldiers were running toward and shooting at him. The driver of a nearby car was hit & killed, but Jhen escaped unharmed.
Jhen had to leave Nova Kahovka (South Ukraine) very suddenly because people were being snatched from the street by Russian Security forces, taken to interrogation rooms & asked particular questions about him.
Jhen and three other pastors were returning from a trip to the battlefield when his van broke down. The sides & back of the vehicle were covered with shrapnel holes and the front with multiple bullet holes! One had penetrated the radiator. All the windows (except the windshield) were hole-ridden and covered with plastic taped in place. Jhen said they got the shrapnel when going through the frontlines of battle as they evacuated from Nova Kahovka.
A pastor friend in one of the villages had a bomb land at his house. His daughter was penetrated with shrapnel and his five years old granddaughter was wounded. They both are alive now but the doctors had to cut the granddaughter’s leg off.
“We loaded a big van and sent [supplies] to Baltazarivka, Preobrazhenka and Chaplynka… we have no regular amount of food that we distribute week from week.”
“Usually I don’t know the people but we use it to help not only physically, but spiritually. Each comes along with the Word… we are visiting a single mother with four kids, one of them is handicapped one.”
On the decision to abandon most of their possessions as they help Ukrainians seek safety: “We prefer to invest in people… so we ‘invested’ and filled our car with people — with no room for our belongings. So now are learning to live in a new way.”
“I mean, we were really close to our final life moment, but God decided we should go through harmless. Again, thank you for your prayers!!!!”
A recent boat convoy of food and supplies nearly encountered an unexploded rocket in the water. They had been looking for submerged trees that could hurt the boat when they saw this 7-foot long rocket.
Jhen’s move to a different city about 3 years ago is providing layers of protection for him because he is known primarily as a pastor and not associated with being an army chaplain.
Jhen sleeps in a different place on many nights to try and avoid capture.
Jhen took a stranger’s Mom to the hospital in another town because she needed a surgery. The trip involved going through many checkpoints with armed soldiers.
God provided for Jhenia and these traveler’s safety. Another risk is that travel like this can mean your car getting confiscated by the soldiers, this thankfully did not happen
“I have to change all my phone numbers and everything and switch my work and ministry from official to an underground one. Today I was told I am a mark on the Russian KGB list of those who need to be arrested or killed first-hand… I am not a trained spy so don’t know how to do so. Plus, I plan to be with the church for our people are highly in need of non-stop service and it was my decision to stay… I am in God’s hands.”
“There were about 600 people in that shelter. I mean 600 souls gathered in raw cellar with 120 little kids. They have lived there for 5 days. Terrible conditions but they are not complaining as there are lots of other places with worse conditions. We had a privilege to serve there with food, songs - we printed a number of songs and sang with them, we also prayed together. I shared the Word of God with this great number of people. We all prayed the Lord’s Prayer. We also brought gifts for each kid.”
PRAY
“We know how it feels to live under pressure, under constant bombing and shelling where you balance between life and death. God has blessed me with this experience and I feel I need to stay close to these people and help them to fight their fears in the name of our Lord and serve and comfort so they know they are not forgotten!”
“Please tell my brothers & sisters at Forum Christian that their prayers are powerful and SO needed! ‘Thank you for your prayers. They now have renewed meaning for me.”
“God saved not only my family with successful trip but we were able to evacuate 19 people total to the safe area… I think I need to take several days and dedicate time to prayer.”
Jhen talks about safety on a recent boat excursion: “When we talk about prayers it’s never just talk. It’s always crucial power to protect and save.”
“Please do continue to pray for me. I am not sharing some specific information about my ministry. The things are really, really rough. I am not only walking on the edge of eternity. I am on the sharpest point of that edge.”
Protection for Jhen (who is an army chaplain). There are constant raids and ambushes by KGB officials to catch anyone involved with the Ukrainian army.
People are coming to makeshift Sunday services outdoors more and more as the situation in Ukraine grows bleak with skyrocketing prices on food and medicine.
Some have walked 6 miles to come to their church.
Jhen reports watching Forum’s Sunday service and being encouraged by it.
“We are ok, dear family! There is so much going on, but our precious God blesses us and keeps us safe. Every day I say goodbye to my earthly life couple times and everyday I find myself alive. I know you are praying for me. It means more than I can ever express. Thank you.”
“Now we have 7 half orphan kids to take care. Their dad left them and ran to Western Ukraine to save his life. They were in a shelter right at the edge of fire. We took them away from direct shooting area and brought here to our house. Now it’s a new page of war for us. Please, pray. I have not gone underground. We have to take care of them.”
JOIN
I am astonished beyond any measure of your kind and loving care, prayers and assistance in all this trials. Thank you for doing this for us!!!
“So the funds are not only about food. It’s also covering the needs connected with wounded people. Only two days ago a rocket hit our city and two people died, a dozen are in hospital wounded and several houses were destroyed completely.”
“I believe the biggest trials are yet to come and than we will need to have some essential funds to recover from the war.”
“Sometimes we send food to whole villages and big bags are ok for that, but every day we have lots or smaller destinations to a smaller number of people like elderly couples or families with some four-five kids, so we need to divide it into smaller bags for such cases.”
With God’s help and your support, we were able to purchase refrigerator room. This will be a great blessing! Now we can store & share perishables -- especially meat and milk. Local farmers have butchered livestock to feed villagers, but previously there was no way to preserve it. This is huge help! Praise God. Thank you for the funds you give to feed our people!
A recent effort sent food to 2 new places: one was a church in a village in the south. Another was a village across the river. Each are located on the banks of the Dnepr River. These areas are desperate for food.
Forum has joined with the “salvation boat” ministry. Jhen rented a boat to deliver food across the river. There were reports of snipers shooting at people transporting goods across the river, but locals found this threat to be based on fear and not reality.
“One more thing I learned from our water route is that your money can actually float and float very well. This is how the funds you direct to us look like - they can float.”
“Right now we’re creating a bank of medicine for sick people in our town and church. And at the same time people are coming to get some medicine for the sick ones… We are in our rest room - all other space is already occupied.”
People recognize us, they are so thankful… And we bring all praises to the Lord. “Thank you so very much for your help, you see…… for the people of our community.”)