Ukraine- Prayer Update

Join us in prayer for Ukraine.

February 25th:

• During today’s prayer meeting, Ukrainian brothers shared their experiences from different cities. They lack fuel, and stores are closed. Many men cannot flee the country with their families, as the roads are closed, all over is a danger of shelling. In some places, the government forces them to stay home. In general people under 60 years old are not allowed to leave the country. Many are asked to join the army. There is fighting in many places and the Russian army is trying to surround the cities.
  Let us pray for our brothers in Ukraine; let’s pray for safety, for access to food and water.
  There are chaplains in the Army who are a member of churches we relate to, these men are unarmed, but present where there is faith, sharing about Jesus. May God protect them. May God touch the hearts of people in power so that they may succeed in calming things down.

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Taken from https://multiply.net/ukraine-in-crisis 

Ukraine in Crisis- How We Can Help

“If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Dear Friends,

These days, my heart is heavy with what is happening in Ukraine. Our brothers and sisters there are suffering, and we suffer with them. I am deeply saddened by the war and grieved by the pain and loss it is causing, and yet I am also confident that God is present in Ukraine, and we will see him intervene in ways that bring healing and hope to that nation and beyond.

As a global MB family, we feel very connected to Ukraine, not only because the historical roots of our MB movement are there, but because we partner with a network of twenty-five MB churches there. We are in close contact with leaders like Maxym and Anya Oliferovski, who oversee Multiply’s work in Ukraine, and with Johann Matthies, our Regional Team Leader for Europe and Central Asia. We had a video call with them this morning (find clip here), and they shared with us how we can help.

First, they asked us to pray. Maxym pleaded with us, “Most of all, we need prayer support, that God would intervene and stop this war. We already see miracles happening. There was a children’s shelter that was bombed, but somehow all of the children were on one side of the building, and the missile hit the other side, and no one was hurt. So, it seems like God put his angels there and protected them. We count these as miracles, and we ask you to pray for even more.”

Johann added, “Our faith is being tested in these times. We are being invited to suffer with those who are suffering, and to cry with those who are crying. Today, that is Ukraine. But it’s so good to know that we have a global family that cares, a family that will find every possible way of coming alongside those who suffer, and to encourage those who suffer, that we would see signs and wonders of God’s presence with us.”

Second, they asked us to consider giving. The global MB family is mobilizing in different ways to offer practical help to those who are fleeing from the war and those who are remaining in Ukraine to serve their people. The financial resources that we supply to our Ukrainian MB churches are critical in providing relief now but also in providing ongoing support for their ministries. (donate here)

Maxym and Anya have chosen to stay in Ukraine for the time being and they continue to oversee efforts to help people in practical ways within the country.

Johann told us about other MB church leaders like our church planters in Dnipro, who recently fled their community with their family because of the bombing. They have now fled to another part of Ukraine. With resources that we are sending to them, they are busy preparing food and feeding people, as well as trying to give people hope. Eventually, if the fighting continues, they may also try to flee the country, but for now they have a ministry there, so they will stay.

Johann himself is involved with a multinational team that is coordinating help for Ukrainians that have fled to countries like Poland, Romania, and Germany. They are involved in partnering with local churches and ministries in those countries who are interested in serving these refugees and giving them hope in the name of Jesus.

“These are some of the darkest times in generations for Ukrainians,” said Johann. “But the darker the night, the brighter the stars. We believe that this is also the time to reveal Christ in word and deed. God is making resources available, and we need to pray for his grace to use them in the best way possible.”

If you would like to give in support of the relief effort in Ukraine, please donate to our “Ukraine Ministry Project.” In addition to urgent needs in the war zones, this project continues to support MB churches in Ukraine with ongoing discipleship and church-planting, as well as with practical ministries like the New Hope Center that serve youth at risk and families in crisis.

Vic Wiens
Multiply Interim General Director