Dear Friends and Partners,
The following is copied and shared with permission and reflects a deeply personal perspective forged amid the daily suffering and sacrifice caused by the war in Ukraine. This update is offered to inform and encourage your prayerful support for all who are affected by this tragedy.
If you would like to help us with humanitarian aid efforts you can donate through our website https://ipministry.org/donate/. The needs are growing as we keep helping thousands of people to move west within Ukraine and also helping those who want to leave the country temporarily. We need funds most of all for gas, but also for food and various supplies (medical, bed linens, mattresses, etc). Thank you.
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Maia:
“This is not the first time we go to get some food and we buy flowers as well. We want to support the flower farmers who are able to harvest some blooms. But we also want to insist on the mode of life that is not a mere survival. We want to continue appreciating beauty – the beauty we see in people, in how they behave with dignity, how people support each other, the bravery of our defenders, courage of mothers covering their babies from explosions, the sacrificial hard work of volunteers, generosity of businesses that give away what they have to those who need and we also appreciate the beauty of our land, of a spring day, blue skies, of flowers, the freshly baked bread… There is so much beauty around us – the ugliness of war can not hide that beauty.
We trust that God will bestow on our grieving nation a crown of beauty instead of ashes (Isaiah 61:3).”


Update from Ludmila Pyrig with Lviv, Skinia Church:
“A few days ago, the American Medical Hospital of Miss Billy Graham began its work in Lviv. Will and Jonathan, who are chaplains of this ministry, held chaplaincy training Sunday in our church office in helping people seek medical care.”


Maia:
“Day 28 of russian invasion. Four full weeks of war.
Briana is one week old today! This beautiful baby brought immeasurably more happiness, joy and strength into our lives!
I don’t remember in what article I read it, but someone said that fear is not a consequence of russian aggression, it’s the very weapon they use. That’s why they bomb our cities in the middle of the night, they deliberately bomb residential areas, maternity hospitals, schools, they are not allowing civilians to evacuate from ruined areas – it’s not war of russian army against Ukrainian army. Russians are failing there big time (considering the comparative sizes of their and our forces). But they are trying to sow panic and terror among population, trying to bomb us into submission.
Putin was able to coward his own population, any opposition and protests so well and for so long, that he began to believe that it would work the same way with people of other countries. It doesn’t work on Ukrainians – russian atrocities make us only more resilient and more determined to get a victory over russian horde.
Of course, fear is there. People in Ukraine fear losing their lives. Every night going to bed we pray and hope that we would live to see another day. People who have been displaced or became refugees have to deal with a lot of challenges of making life when the ground is taken from under their feet. People in Europe and the USA probably read Putin’s threats about using nuclear weapons and also experience fear. It seems world leaders fear the World War III.
But since for Putin fear is the main weapon, let’s keep that in mind, do not let fear paralyze us. We need to look ahead, we need to continue constructively contributing to the future victory, we should continue dreaming, making plans for the future. I can only imagine how much our farmers are itching to start planting! Nick who only couple years ago discovered farming as his third calling has been talking now for days about making a trip to the land that we have in suburbs. Sasha’s tulips and daffodils need watering!
We will not live in fear, we will live in hope and in God’s love! “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)
And we will continue dreaming of Briana’s beautiful future, of having many more grandchildren, of Sasha’s flourishing flower farm, of building a house, of planting many more churches, of living in renewed, strong and free Ukraine!”



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Please share these updates with others. I have added direct links to our email, our website, and to the IP Ministry Journal on YouTube to the bottom of this page. Your prayers are precious to us. Thank you!
In Christ,
Brandy Ezzell
International Partnerships
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