Ukraine Ministry | 乌克兰事工

Dear Friends, Sponsors, and Partners of Living Hope Global Ministries,

Since 2019, our church (Ukraine Lviv Central Baptist Church) has been serving women and children who have lost a husband or a father in the war. This service grew out of pain, but it is full of God's hope, light, and love. Thanks to the support of our partnership team from the United States, including financial contributions, we were able to significantly expand the boundaries of our activity.

Since the full-scale invasion, our ministry has changed and has been transformed into a new format of meetings. We have adapted to the needs of women and children of fallen soldiers, whose numbers have increased. We serve these women, who have become our sisters during this time. Through smaller yet more meaningful meetings, we focus on deeper personal communication, emotional healing, and spiritual recovery.

One of the greatest blessings is that thanks to your prayers and financial support, many women are able to come to our meetings regularly. In this stable, safe space, their lives gradually change. They receive not only spiritual, psychological, and financial assistance, but they also find new meaning, hope, and strength to live on. And with them, the lives of their children who have lost their fathers in the war are changing. Although it is difficult to take away the pain through words, we help these families learn to live in new circumstances without losing faith, dignity, and humanity.

Our team today consists of 10 women of all ages, in different social backgrounds and different life situations, but we are united by one desire: to serve these families with love and hope, directing their hearts to God. We strive for every woman and child who has lost their loved ones to find consolation and power in God's Word and get to know Jesus personally. Each sister in the team has her own special gifts and talents that she embodies in service. We organize art evenings, during which women create beauty with their own hands - for example, pots for flowers, flower arrangements, bookmarks, paintings, and clay products. 

We invited an instructor who conducted basic first aid training, organized excursions, and other creative events. All these ideas are born in the hearts of our team's sisters and have become a source of joy and light for widows and their children.

We have also developed and begun new areas of support, and now we have begun to invite professional Christian psychologists and speakers to our meetings. They reveal important crisis topics that are especially relevant for widows and their children: how to live with loss, how to communicate with those who are experiencing deep pain, and how to find new meaning in life in circumstances that have changed forever. It is an extremely valuable resource for women who need not only spiritual but also emotional support, and it helps them move forward with healing and hope.

Every time a meeting for the women of fallen soldiers is taking place, at the same time, their children also have the opportunity to spend time at the Skyland Children's Club. This is a special place where children get acquainted with other kids, find new friends, play sports, participate in interactive games, and enjoy flavorful snacks. In a casual game format, they learn about Jesus and also have English classes. We believe that this environment helps children feel care, joy, and the safety that they so lack after their father's loss.

We are grateful for your prayers and continuous financial support, through which we can prepare product kits, give certificates for food and essential products for children, and help families with daily needs. For several families who are not able to get to church, we provide delivery of products to their homes, and for women living in distant areas, we provide transportation for them to come to our meetings. All these are specific manifestations of God's love, which women and their children feel through your sacrifice.

Over the last 2.5 years, we have held more than 50 meetings, each of which has gathered about 30 women. These are special events, where we pray together, reflect on God’s word, share our experiences, sing songs of hope, and testify to God's faithfulness. Here, women who have previously been unfamiliar become supported by each other, forming strong connections in Christ. Three small groups have grown out of the large gatherings, which now gather 5-7 women in homes every week and have become true centers of spiritual consolation. In addition, we were able to organize five retreats, where widows could relax with children, find emotional release and recovery, and most importantly, hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

This path brings real fruits. Bogdanna G. repented of her sins and accepted Christ as her Savior. Julia P. gave her heart to the Lord and accepted water baptism. Another sister, Liudmyla Tsap, testified that she gave her life to Jesus. Several women regularly read the Gospel, write their reflections, and ask questions about the passages of the Word of God; they testify to the changes in their lives and their desire to follow Christ.
 
Our ministry is more than meetings. It is a space where wounded hearts find healing, where widows witness hope, and where the Gospel resounds not only in words but also in love. Often, these women bring their girlfriends, moms, and sisters – and the Gospel touches even a wider circle of hearts.

We are extremely grateful to you, everyone who prays, makes sacrifices, and shares our vision. It is thanks to you that this service exists and develops. Your partnership is not just financial support; it is a spiritual investment in eternity.
 
With faith, hope, and great gratitude,
The team of service for widows and children of fallen soldiers in Ukraine   

亲爱的新希望全球事工的同工和捐助人：

自2019年以来，我们教会（乌克兰利沃夫中央浸信会）一直在服事阵亡烈士遗孀和儿童。这个事工源自苦难，却满载着神的盼望、光明与爱。感谢来自美国的新希望团队的大力支持，我们的服事范围得以大幅扩展。

自战争全面爆发以来，我们的事工发生了变化 ，并转换成了一种新的聚会形式。我们服事的遗孀和儿童日益增多。通过更小型、更有深度的聚会，我们专注于深入的沟通、情感的疗愈，以及属灵的恢复。我们服事这的这些妇女，在这段时间里已成为我们的姊妹。

最蒙福的一件事是，藉着你们的祷告与支持，许多妇女如今可以定期参加我们的聚会。在这个稳定、安全的空间里，她们不仅获得了属灵、心理和经济方面的帮助，也重新找回了生命的意义、盼望与前行的力量。与此同时，那些在战争中失去父亲的孩子们也在逐渐经历生命的转变。尽管用言语很难带走他们心灵上的痛苦，但我们仍然帮助这些家庭在苦难中不失去信仰，依然保持内在的光、善和尊严。

我们现在的团队由10位姊妹组成，年龄各异，社会背景和人生经历也不同，但因着同一个心愿而结和：以爱与盼望服事这些家庭，并将她们的心引向神。我们渴望每一位失去亲人的妇女和孩子都能在神的话语中找到安慰和力量，并亲自认识耶稣。每位姊妹都发挥着自己独特的恩赐和才干，并将这些投入到服事当中。我们会组织艺术之夜，大家一起亲手创造美的作品——例如花盆、插花、书签、画作以及陶艺制品。

我们邀请了一位讲师来进行基础急救培训，并组织了郊游和其他具有创造性的活动。所有这些点子都源自我们团队姊妹们的关怀和创意，给遗孀和她们孩子们带来了喜乐与希望。

我们还开拓并开始了新的支持领域，现在我们邀请专业的基督徒心理学家与讲员参与我们的聚会，特别针对遗孀和其孩子，讲解面对危机的重要主题：如何带着失落继续生活、如何与深陷痛苦的人沟通、以及如何在动荡中寻找人生新的意义。这是对那些不仅需要属灵支持，也需要情感支持的妇女来说极其宝贵的资源，帮助她们在心灵的医治与盼望中继续前行。

当阵亡烈士遗孀聚会举行时，她们的孩子则参加“天空乐园儿童俱乐部”。这是一个特别的地方，孩子们可以在这里结识新的朋友，参加体育活动和互动游戏、还享用美味的点心。在轻松的游戏氛围中，他们学习认识了耶稣，还上英文课。我们相信，这样的环境能让孩子们感受到关爱、喜乐与安全感——这些都是他们在失去父亲后极其缺乏的。

我们感谢你们的祷告和持续的经济支持，使我们能够准备物资包，发放儿童食品和生活必需品的购物券，并帮助家庭得到日常所需。对于一些无法前往教会的家庭，我们会将物资送到她们家中；对于住在偏远地区的家庭，我们则提供交通接送，使她们能够参加我们的聚会。所有这一切，都是神的爱具体的彰显，因着你们的奉献，这些妇女和她们的孩子真实地感受到了这份爱。

在过去的两年半中，我们共举办了五十多场聚会，每次大约有三十位妇女参与。这些都是特别的时刻，我们一起祷告，一起思想神的话语，分享彼此的经历，唱出充满盼望的诗歌，并一同见证神的信实。在这里，原本彼此不相识的都开始彼此扶持，在基督里建立起坚固的关系。从这些大型聚会中衍生出了三个小组，如今每周在家中聚会，有五到七位妇女参与，成为真正的属灵的安慰中心。此外，我们还成功举办了五次退修营，让遗孀可以和孩子们一起放松、舒缓情绪、恢复身心，而最重要的是，他们在其中听到了更多耶稣基督的好消息。

这条路结出了真实的果实。Bogdanna 已悔改并接受基督为救主；Julia 将自己的心献给主并接受了水礼；另一位姊妹 Liudmyla 也见证自己并将生命交托给耶稣。还有几位姐妹定期阅读福音书，写下她们的默想，并就神的话语提出问题；她们见证了自己生命中的改变，也表达了愿意跟随基督的渴望。

我们的事工不只是聚会，它是一个使受伤的心灵得着医治的空间，是遗孀看见盼望的所在，是福音不仅借着言语，更借着爱传扬的地方。许多时候，她们还会带来她们的朋友、母亲或姊妹——而福音也因此触及了更广的心灵。

我们满心感激每一位为此祷告、奉献、并与我们一同分享异象的人。正是因为你们的支持，这项事工得以持续推进并不断成长。你们给予的不仅仅是金钱上的支持，更是对永恒的属灵的投资。

怀着信心、盼望与深深的感恩，

乌克兰阵亡烈士遗孀与儿童事工团队