What's Happening in Ukraine?

Some of you might be wondering, "What's been going on in Ukraine and at Agape?" The time has come to fill you in just a bit! 

I returned to Ukraine about 6 weeks ago after 6.5 months in the US. It is always bittersweet to leave one of my homes and return to the other one and the transition / adaptation can take a period of time. But God has been gracious and I think I can now say that I'm settled back into life here in Lutsk and at Agape. 

Immediately upon my return to Lutsk, I departed for central Ukraine to assist a team of prosthetists from LimbFit for a week. Together, they were able to fabricate 10 prosthetic legs for civilians and veterans. My role was to assist as needs arose and provide PT consultations to those who desired. It was a blessed week with this talented, hard-working team and there were many smiles in the final days as the prosthetic limbs were completed and fitted.

There were two individuals in particular (a veteran and a young mom - both pictured below) that we watched walk all week on poorly fitting prosthetic legs. Their gait patterns were markedly impaired, resulting in back and other joint pain. What a joy it was for all to witness the significant improvement in their gait patterns after the prosthetists completed their fittings and I gave them a few cues!

I will not attempt to report on the war in great detail, but please know that devastation, death and destruction continue, even when the US news does not report it. As one example, below is a map of the drones and missiles launched at sites across Ukraine over about a 24-hour period in the middle of May. You don't have to be able to read Ukrainian to understand the scale and scope of this attack. While I was outside for a brief walk on my lunch hour on this day, I watched a drone flying toward the center of Lutsk. Unfortunately, it was one of several that struck Lutsk. Other cities were also hit on that day and the following morning 24 people were killed in Kyiv when an apartment block was hit. 

This particular attack primarily took place during daylight hours, so we evacuated the Agape patients and employees to the almost completed shelter for about 3 hours. It is good that we now have this shelter, but of course we would prefer to have no need to use it again.  

Men from Agape continue making bi-weekly trips to the de-occupied areas around Kherson to deliver food, clothing, medications, and other supplies to residents, many of whom are older and/or have disabilities. Please pray for protection for Grisha, his team and other volunteers as humanitarian trips are becoming increasingly dangerous due to the threat from Russian drone attacks. 

Also, please pray for the residents of these areas who live under near-constant attack and stress and heavily rely on aid delivered by volunteers. If you have a desire to financially supporting this on-going ministry (aid for the residents, fuel for the van), please contact me directly or visit agapeukraine.com to donate. 

Unique local transportation for door-to-door delivery

Agape van loaded with supplies for distribution

The Agape team celebrated a very special event in January when Mykyta, a veteran, was baptized. His injury occurred in 2019 after which he came to Agape several times for rehabilitation. He has quadriplegia and requires assistance in daily tasks, so upon finishing physical rehabilitation he continued to move from center to center for accommodation. In recent years, he has spent the majority of his time residing at Agape. In Mykyta's own words: 

"The first stage of my physical recovery lasted 3 years. After physical rehabilitation, I realized that rehabilitation is not only physical exercises, but also the restoration of social, mental, and psychological health, as well as my spiritual state. In 2023, I came to the Agape Rehabilitation Center for the third time. Except this time I did not come for physical rehabilitation, but for accommodation. Unfortunately, I don’t have a family. I did not have time to create one due to my military service and I also lost my home. So the Agape team helps me with this problem, supporting me, creating good living conditions for me here. You could say they have become my second family. They support me and care for my spiritual state." 

Mykyta's road to repentance and life with God took some time, but the fruit is now evident to all. His baptism took place at Agape and was witnessed by many who have developed relationships with Mykyta, both at Agape and at Fimiam Church. 

Mykyta and Pastor Yuri from Fimiam Church

Rehabilitation continues at Agape with a wide array of patients. I will update more on that in the next blog, but for now here are just a couple of our brave veterans now battling to recover from their injuries. What a privilege to serve those who have bravely served Ukraine and Ukrainians! 

Zhenya has been at Agape several times and has been in previous blogs. His progress is evident even through his natural smile that has started to emerge, and the fact that he is standing in this picture without the aid of a device. 

Arkadii working hard to be ready for the architectural barriers that he will find in the community 

Ways that you can pray:

- Protection of the men at Agape from mobilization. This list includes:

    - Pasha and Vanya: the only male PT's in our department

    - Ihor: currently medically exempt from mobilization, but that ends by winter

    - Andri: head of construction at Agape  

    - Bohdan: head of the caregiver department

- Finances to continue constructing the Resource Center and begin constructing a portion of the future central building on the territory of Agape

- The humanitarian aid trips to the Kherson region (see above)

- War in Ukraine to end in Ukraine's favor