Left Home, Went Home, and Came Back Home

It has been quite some time since my last update and, of course, very much has happened in that time! At the end of September, I left my Ukrainian home to return to my US home for 4 blessed weeks with family, friends, supporters, and new acquaintances. I was thankful to get to see so many of you and to share what is going on in Ukraine and at Agape. Thank you to the many who took time to get with me and for your concern and prayers for myself, Agape and all of Ukraine. Although my time in the US was not long, it was very blessed and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to make the trip. 

Several of you collected and donated scrubs for Agape employees. We actually received so many that I haven’t yet been able to get them all to Ukraine. Many, however, are here already and all of us at Agape are grateful for your generosity! That said, if anyone has men’s scrubs you would like to donate, please contact me as we continue to have a shortage.  

My return to Lutsk near the end of October was not a day too soon. We immediately had a series of situations that required me to substitute for therapists on our team one after another for about 2 weeks. As always, God’s timing is perfect! 

Several of our therapists continue to reside in Europe due to the war, so the number of patients at Agape is still limited to 11-12, but we have no shortage of people seeking our services. We continue to receive average citizens, soldiers wounded in combat, and we currently have our first civilian wounded during an attack on his city. In many ways, we are operating as normal at Agape. Rehab continues, birthdays and holidays are celebrated, and we even sometimes gather for after work activities. 

Katya, a dear friend and fellow PT, is the leader for group of people with disabilities that evacuated to Holland. Thankful she got to make a brief visit to Lutsk this fall, but really looking forward to the permanent return home of all who had leave Ukraine due to this war.  

Agape residents and employees celebrated Thanksgiving. 

In light of the ongoing war, however, there are also notable differences and nuances that have become part of a new “normal” for us. 

• Signs now hang in the hallways of Agape to direct people to the designated “bomb shelter” locations in our building. 
• Electricity goes out frequently. Thankfully, several years ago Agape purchased a powerful generator that can operate everything at Agape, including the elevator. So in a power outage, the guys only need a few minutes to get Agape back up and running. God is good! We are also hoping to be able to assist others in our village soon by designating a newly constructed room at Agape that has direct outdoor access as a place our neighbors can come to warm up, drink tea, charge devices, and use the internet when our village is without power. 
• Three rooms at Agape are occupied by refugees who will remain with us for the winter. Among them are three ladies with disabilities and a mom (Irina) and her adult son who has a disability. They have now become familiar to us all and even pitch in around Agape wherever they are able. For example, I walked into the kitchen this week to find my former patient, Natalia, peeling potatoes. And Irina has taken on the responsibility of doing any needed sewing and also cleaning the rehab gym daily, which is no small task!   
• Construction is moving forward on the Resource Center. This 3-story building will include an underground bomb shelter, a ground-level storage area for large equipment such as electric wheelchairs, and an upper floor for storage of smaller items such as nonperishable foods, hygiene and personal care supplies, etc. This a large and expensive undertaking, but it became apparent that it was necessary to construct this building even in the middle of a war.

So what is going on in our personal lives and the lives of Ukrainians? If you have been keeping up with the news, you know that Russia has been targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure for some time now. Even as I write this (on Wednesday evening, November 22), I am working by candlelight and staying warm thanks to a fire in the wood stove. 

We, like everyone else, have stocked up on candles, batteries, water, and firewood. Agape was blessed with funds to provide firewood for 15 families and we were among the recipients. On Friday, men from Agape stacked it up nicely for us and also for another Agape family, finishing just in time for snow! 

Wednesday evening's power outage left basically all of Ukraine in a blackout and was the result of missile strikes across the country in the afternoon. It is difficult to describe the feeling of walking in our neighborhood or driving through the middle of the city and being surrounded by total or near total blackness. Our electricity was off for a solid 24 hours, but others experienced even longer outages. At our house, electricity is required for everything...light, water, and heating. The wood stove, however, provides us the opportunity to warm ourselves and food. We are also blessed to live near Agape and therefore have access to water, electricity, showers, and Wi-Fi for communication when needed. We know many other Ukrainians are not as blessed as us.   

Despite the current challenges each person in Ukraine faces to one extent or another these days, the spirit of the people is not shaken. In fact, Ukrainians appear more defiant than ever, certain that Russia cannot and will not win. The will of the people is to stand strong, even in darkness and cold. A quote by Ukrainian President Zelensky a few months ago has been appearing in various forms on social media in recent weeks and goes something like this: 

    Without gas or without you (Russia)? Without you.

    Without electricity or without you? Without you.

    Without water or without you? Without you.

    Without food or without you? Without you.

    Cold, hunger, darkness and thirst are not as terrible and deadly for us

    as your “friendship and brotherhood.” 

“Without you.” This is the sentiment of the Ukrainians I know and fuels the spirit to fight through the current difficulties in order to experience victory in a free Ukraine. 

There is so much more I could say, but for now I’ll close with some ways you can join us and support us in prayer:

• Pray for those who have lost loved ones in the war. Just this week, a labor and delivery hospital in Ukraine was hit and a 2-day old baby was killed. Residential building across the country continue to be hit with civilians injured and killed. Soldiers are injured and killed daily. Pray for comfort, peace, and an end to this loss of life. 

• Pray for the energy infrastructure of Ukraine to be able to be repaired after the repeated missile strikes so that thousands of people will not experience a winter without heat and electricity.  
• Pray for us to recognize and seize opportunities to share the resources we have both personally and at Agape with those in need. As mentioned above, we at Agape are seeking ways assist our neighbors and also our employees and their families. Pray we have wisdom and adequate provision of resources to maximize our assistance to others in need. 
• Pray for the construction of the Resource Center to continue to progress through the winter. 
• Pray for thousands of Ukrainians who have inconsistent access to basic utilities, such as electricity, water, heat. Pray for government leaders, but also for churches and Christian organizations that are seeking ways to help their neighbors and communities. 

"Invincibility Stations" have set up around the country for citizens to warm up and charge up. 

Pray for Ukrainian victory in the war to come soon!! 

 

I am thankful God is still on His throne! Thank you for standing with us in prayer. If you have a desire to support Agape financially, please visit agapeukraine.com/en and click "Donate." 

Unity in the Midst of War

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship."

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

This quote stuck with me for some time after I came across it a few weeks ago and I came to see it's truth lived out in the Ukrainian church in these past months of war. I can only speak from experience in regards to my local church, Fimiam Church, but I believe it is a good representation of many, if not most, evangelical churches across Ukraine in these days. 

Fimiam Church has always been an active church body with brothers and sisters in Christ ministering in many spheres within the church and in society. But the onset of war led to the departure of over 100 church members to other countries and an influx of displaced people from other parts of Ukraine. Many ministries of the church were put on hold and new ministries, such as housing displaced people, daily prayer meetings, regular distributions of food and other humanitarian aid, and weekly evangelism services for the many displaced Ukrainians now living in Lutsk, needed to be organized and launched virtually overnight. New leaders needed to emerge to accept responsibility for these new directions of ministry. Displaced Ukrainian believers who found a church home in Fimiam Church desired not only to be knit into the church body, but also to serve as well. New ministries in the uncertain time of war, new leadership, new responsibilities, a near-constant need for flexibility, people serving alongside unknown and new people, and a rapid pace of change. It could have been a set-up for chaos, conflict, and confusion, but that is not what has occurred. Why?

First and foremost has been God's mercy and kindness to protect us from the chaos and conflict that could have taken place. Also, our pastors have led out in truly amazing ways, exemplifying humility and selflessness in ministry, reliance on God in prayer, and genuine and open love and concern not just for members of Fimiam Church in Lutsk and abroad, but also for other believers who came in search of a temporary or new permanent church home. I'm certain plenty of other good reasons could also be listed. 

But after I read the above quote, I slowly came to realize that the unity among believers at Fimiam Church and across many Ukrainian churches in this period of time is not a testament to the efforts of church leadership to teach on unity or attempt to "create" unity in the church. Instead it has been the automatic outflow of the individuals of the church being united to God in fervent times of prayer, in times of joint worship, and in personal times in His Word. Unity as a body of brothers and sisters has been the result of the unity of each individual with God. 

What are some other thoughts I've had recently regarding the war? In no particular order...

- War has brought a fresh realization that I am dependent on God for everything. He holds each of our lives and the outcome of this war in His hands. I can do nothing to stop the enemy, but God has all authority and so I pray to Him. When I awake in the morning, particularly after a night in which air raid sirens sounded, I thank God for His protection through the night and for the gift of a new day. I've read the news and I've seen the pictures. I know there are others whose lives ended on their beds when a missile struck their residence in the night. I do nothing to sustain my life through the night, so my day should start with gratitude to the One who does. 

- As a PT, I find myself hopeful that one positive result of this war will be improvement in the prosthetics and wheelchairs provided to people in Ukraine. There is a currently a great desire to provide the very best care and equipment to our wounded soldiers and that is good and right. Assistance is often sought from the West to provide the best prosthetics and wheelchairs. That is good, but I do hope that after the war, more Ukrainian prosthetists will have the knowledge, skills and materials to provide good prosthetics as this is an area that has been truly lacking. Also, I am hopeful that the process of obtaining a wheelchair will be streamlined and wheelchairs that meet the needs of the individual will be provided. So far we have had probably 10 soldiers with spinal cord injuries go through rehab at Agape. Thankfully, most came to us with a wheelchair, and sometimes a really good one, already provided to them. This is NOT the case for the average Ukrainian. Getting a wheelchair generally takes months, like 6-12 months, so if the person wants to be mobile at all they are forced to locate and purchase a wheelchair themselves, not a process most people can accomplish on their own. So I find myself increasingly hopeful that the rapid rise in the number of people with amputations and spinal cord injuries will have a positive result on the provision of prosthetics and wheelchairs in Ukraine. 

- I'm really glad I learned Ukrainian. Over the years, many Ukrainians have expressed surprise that I learned Ukrainian as many, probably actually most, missionaries learned Russian in the past. There were reasons for that, not the least of which is that Lutsk is a Ukrainian speaking city and I knew that ahead of time. With Russia as the aggressor and enemy in this war, many Ukrainians who have been Russian speakers are switching to Ukrainian, many Ukrainian speakers are trying to utilize less Russian words and phrases in their speech, and the topic of language comes up pretty often in various circles and strong opinions can be expressed regarding what language should or should not be spoken in Ukraine. All that to say, I'm increasingly thankful to have learned Ukrainian! 

- I'm thankful the Agape Rehabilitation Complex exists not just to improve people's lives physically, but to share the truth and love of the Gospel with them. The biggest need for us all is salvation from our sins. Only then can we live with true hope! And hope is something every Ukrainian seeks right now. I'm thankful we get to share the Source of true and eternal hope with people at Agape. 

- And to close, Ukraine is a beautiful country, don't you think? 

And Ukrainians are brave people! It's harvest time in Ukraine and the harvest is being reaped despite the war.

Please continue to pray for Ukraine, Ukrainians, the church in Ukraine and victory for Ukraine in the war!! 

Rehab Continues

This will be a very brief blog update, mostly about rehab and the current work of Agape. Hopefully in the very near future I will have a chance to write again with more information regarding the war, some of its effects, and some of my recent thoughts. 

It seems like summer just began but in fact it is already approaching its end. In June we celebrated the 6-year anniversary of the Agape Rehabilitation Complex by enjoying a festive lunch. It is always good to rejoice in the ways God has blessed and sustained us over the past year. 

Summer celebrations in Ukraine must include shish-kabobs!! 

Our rehab team continues to be small as we still await the return of several therapists and our secretary from Europe. As a result, our patient caseload continues to be smaller than usual, but it is still a joy and privilege to provide rehabilitation to those impacted by strokes or injuries. Young and old, civilian and soldier...all can find the opportunity for physical improvement through rehabilitation at Agape. And all have the opportunity to hear the Gospel as well. 

Currently, refugees are not coming to Agape in search of temporary housing or evacuation. There is a thought, however, that when summer ends and winter approaches, we may again see people coming our way. Why? While it may be possible to live in a damaged house or apartment (for example, with the windows blown out) in the warm summer months, that will not be the case in the cold winter months. So our team is continuing to look for locations in Europe to which people with disabilities can be evacuated should the need arise again. Please join us in praying for this provision.

I'll close this brief blog with a few pictures that were posted here on social media with the headline, "Sports in Ukraine now." Just a taste of some of what Ukraine looks like as a result of the war. 

Stay tuned, I promise the next update will be more informative. 

Thank you to all who support us in prayer and financially! May God bless you all! 

Approaching 4 months

The war in Ukraine has now exceeded 115 days and will hit the 4-month mark later this week. Thousands of lives have been lost and millions have been altered, to say the least. The number of soldiers wounded or killed rise with each new day. Civilians continue to flee the zones of active fighting in search of safety. The majority of those who fled earlier are still unable to return home as their cities are occupied by the Russian forces and/or their homes are destroyed. The fighting is primarily confined to the east and we are keenly aware that we must be grateful for the current safety we experience here in Lutsk and in western Ukraine in general. Periodic air raid sirens and strikes on locations within a few hours of us remind us that our "safety" is far from guaranteed. Below is a map of Ukraine, posted on social media a few nights ago shows a moment when the air raid sirens were going off in almost every region of Ukraine simultaneously. This is not uncommon. 

So while the fighting is currently in the eastern side of Ukraine, no region of Ukraine gets to live in peace at all times. Please, please continue to remember Ukraine and pray for Ukrainians! The war likely does not get the attention it once did in the news, but it does rage on and people's lives are at stake. Below are a few pictures of lives altered or ended because of the war. The first few stories are of people I do not know personally, but who are representative of so very many Ukrainians. Please let these brief stories serve as a reminder that while the war has negative ripple affects all around the world, on the economy, on prices, on the availability of various products, it is most important to not forget the direct and lasting impact it has had and continues to have on the lives of Ukrainians. 

First is a family, a mom and her twins. They were at the train station in western Ukraine trying to evacuate when it was hit by a missile. Their physical wounds are evident. One can only imagine the emotional and psychological wounds they have as well. They were successfully evacuated to western Ukraine for medical treatment and very likely on to Europe. Lives altered, drastically altered by the war...

Next is a little girl who will now grow up without her father, a soldier killed in the war. On her first birthday, her mother took to visit her father's fresh grave. A life altered, drastically altered by the war...

Next are funerals for men from our local region. So many soldiers' lives lost in the war and so many families now without a son, husband, father, brother...

And now for a few stories of people with whom I am acquainted. 

Ihor is one of three wounded soldiers currently undergoing rehabilitation at Agape. When Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, Ihor immediately volunteered. He is 59 years old and had served in the army when he was younger, but that was more than 30 years ago. He was injured just one week into the war when a mine exploded, resulting in a spinal cord injury as well as other injuries. When he arrived at Agape, he stated that his goal was to get back on his feet "because I still have business to finish with the enemy." While he is not likely to achieve that goal due to the extent of his injury, he is working hard to be maximally independent in all spheres of life while using a wheelchair. Please follow this link to see an article, pictures, and a video about Ihor published by a local station this past week. 

https://suspilne.media/251101-nogi-neruhomi-ale-a-mau-nadiu-ak-na-volini-prohodit-reabilitaciu-odin-z-poranenih-bijciv/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=ps&fbclid=IwAR04oYA5cfJajFAubxBNyD5Pbgla2ghNEJ_DCN2j7kLoMAlFE67DF5wQTec

Above is Danik who was a patient at Agape early last fall. He has a spinal cord injury from a gunshot. Since he is only 9 (probably 10 by now) he was accompanied by a parent, in this case his father, during his stay at Agape. Just this past week, his family member called to ask if he could return for more rehab as he has now had a needed surgery. When we asked if his father would be with him, we were deeply saddened to learn that he had been killed in the war after sending his wife and children to safety in Europe before joining the fighting. So many children are now without fathers, but the shock and sadness go to a deeper level when you have become acquainted with child and his now deceased father. More lives devastated by the war...

While leaving church today I ran into Baba Luba in the parking lot. She and her husband, who is in a wheelchair, lived at Agape for a few weeks back in April and we became acquainted at that time. They are probably in their 70s and were evacuated to Agape from eastern Ukraine. She, her husband, and another family not related to them were assisted to find a house in a village not far from Lutsk. One of our friends went to pick them up for church today and I enjoyed visiting with Baba Luba briefly. She expressed her desire to see the war end and to be able to return home. Despite losing everything and living in a completely new place, I realized that she did not complain once during our conversation. Instead, she expressed gratitude to all who have helped her, including Agape, and stated how many kind people were around her even now in their new village home. Her life has been drastically altered as well, but she demonstrated a heart of trust in God even in her difficult circumstances. 

I share the pictures and stories above to demonstrate the personal nature of the war. They are just a drop in the ocean of stories that could be told of lives altered and devastated by the war. But despite all that we see and hear as the war continues, God is still on His throne and is still worthy of our trust. We petition Him for a Ukrainian victory, for protection of our soldiers and civilians, for wisdom for our president and other government leaders, as well as the leaders of the other nations assisting Ukraine, for thwarting of the plans of the enemy, and for provision of daily needs such as food, clothing, and medicine. Please join us in these prayers and more. 

If you desire to financially assist Agape in meeting needs, there are two options for doing so: 

1. Go to https://www.agapeukraine.com/en/golovna-english/ and click on the "Donate" button

2. Christian Health Service Corps: Text CHSCUkraine to 41444 or at bit.ly/CHSCUkraine. 

The funds will reach Agape via either method. 

Below is a video with English subtitles about the evacuations of people with disabilities to Europe. The link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XniirHxhXA&t=1s