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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Humanitarian Aid Efforts:

Uman:
Uman church “Resurrection of Christ” is distributing food, medications and kids’ shoes.

Church of the Tabernacle of M. Lviv:

We distributed food kits in the district department of social security and in the territorial community near Lviv and saw many happy and grateful people. First, these are the recipients of food packages themselves – these are low-income local and temporarily displaced refugees from Ukrainian hotspots. Secondly, these are the social workers who arranged a meeting for us with them. We have started working with social services that have data on people in need. And now the groceries go to those who really need it. Thirdly, Sasha, Pie and I were also happy to deliver these packages and serve the people at the same time. 

Updates from Maia:

How blessed we are! God has given us this supercharger of joy, hope, and strength at the time when He knew we would need her the most! May she inspire you to keep praying for Ukraine, for ruzzian invaders to be defeated the soonest and for peace to return into our lives and land!

The 95th night of the war is coming.
Today we had the 14th Sunday service at our church since the beginning of ruzzian invasion on Feb 24th. We see with every Sunday more and more people are coming. Some are returning back to Kyiv, and there are also some new people joining. We are still not as numerous as before the war, but it’s good to see our small auditorium filling up. We will probably move back to the larger one next Sunday!

On Feb 27th we had to do Sunday service on zoom as that first war weekend was a curfew in Kyiv. Worship was streamed from our apartment. Next Sunday on March 6th just a handful of us dared to make it for in-person service at church during air raids. Today, on the 95th day of war we still have air raids during our Sunday services (we had one today from 12:51pm to 1:22pm) but nobody pays much attention to those anymore. Kyiv is almost back to normal, except for these awful air raids! 

I am glad I have been keeping up my FB diary over these 95 days of trials. These are really diaries of God’s faithfulness, protection, comfort, and goodness. But it’s been also an opportunity to look inside ourselves.

I am reminded of a quote from Victor Frankl.

“The last of the human freedoms: to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. And there were always choices to make. Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you become the plaything to circumstance, renouncing freedom and dignity…”

Frankl was talking about his experience in a concentration camp, but it seems it would apply to any extreme crisis. The current war in Ukraine is one of those. We have been making choices every minute, every day – those choices hopefully speak of our values and foundations of our hope. But that’s not the main thing. The main thing is that foundation is solid and trustworthy.

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23-24)

As I am writing this post at 11pm an air raid sirens are wailing outside of our windows. Even after 95 days and nights of hearing this sound, it’s very unnerving.

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
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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