The Dreadful Reality of War
Julie and I are back in Ukraine, and especially enjoyed being at services at Living Hope Baptist Church of Kyiv, on Sunday. What a joy it was to reunite with our family and co-laborers there and to see the hand of the Lord at work. The reality of war is everywhere. As we drove into Kyiv the sirens had just warned of impending missiles. Soldiers were mounted on military vehicles with machine guns ready to shoot incoming drones. The next day at Living Hope’s service, the reality of war became more personal, as two mothers spoke with Julie. They shared how each has a son fighting on the front lines for Ukraine. When I joined them, the two mothers had tears in their eyes as Julie had just prayed with them asking the Lord’s protection on their sons. For these two mothers their personal investment in the war is immense. But consider other women of Ukraine, their reality of war is even more personal, and their sacrifice immeasurable as they have lost sons and husbands fighting for the freedom of Ukraine.
This week in Lutsk we are hosting camp for the second group of children who are coming from areas of Ukraine where the reality of war has been the hottest. In last week’s camp there was a thunderstorm. Workers shared how the children jumped and trembled at the thunder thinking the Russians had followed them to western Ukraine. Children of Ukraine know the reality of war, and by some are considered “collateral damage.” Children here have lost fathers, mothers, and others their own lives. Some have been injured and maimed, and an estimated 1.5 million have been scarred emotionally, and will carry PTSD into adulthood. However; with the reality of war, comes a greater openness and realization of the grace of God. Praise the Lord for the 40 children who came to faith in Christ during last week’s camp. Please pray for this week’s camp. Christ is the only hope for Ukraine and her children and for all those victimized by the reality of war.
Thank you for your prayers and financial gifts to “Compassion for Ukraine.” They are impacting Ukraine and we especially ask you to pray for next week’s evangelistic opportunities and meetings in eastern Ukraine, including services at Living Hope. Pray for the Lord to glorify His gospel and fill hearts with the “living hope” of Christ. Continue in prayer as in 2 weeks we hold session at SBI in Kyiv. Before we left the states, a senior saint came to me after a service and said, “I’ve been wondering what the Lord would have me to do concerning missions. Now I know, I can pray!” Someone has said, “Many of us cannot reach the mission fields on our feet, but we can reach them on our knees.” Your ministry of intercession for Ukraine can help touch those experiencing the reality of war, turning this dreadful reality into an occasion to realize the grace of God.
Your friends and fellow servants,
Derek and Julie
P.S. If you have not received a printable version of this prayer letter by email, but would like to, please write us at dthomas.sbi@gmail.com.
Also, please follow us on Instagram at missionaryderek or through our Facebook page Derek Thomas
The above photos are from last Sunday’s service at Living Hope. You can see Julie and the two mothers who have sons fighting on the frontlines for Ukraine. Their names are both Zhanna, and their sons Dima, and Maxim. Please pray for them and the protection of their sons. You can also see Dima leading in the service. What a blessing it has been to see Dima growing and serving with his wife Erica, and daughter Abigail. They are often awakened in the middle of the night by sirens, drones, and missile assaults on Kyiv.
We are excited to announce a new CD that we’ve helped produced with one of our SBI students, Albina Pasichnyk. Albina played violin professionally in Europe, but came to a point in her life where she desired to serve only the Lord with her gifts. She is part of our team, and travels with us and plays before many of our evangelistic meetings. All proceeds from this CD go to “Compassion for Ukraine” and will be used to help further spread the gospel in Ukraine. The name of the CD is “In the Cleft of the Rock.” It may be purchased at ITunes, and soon should be available at YouTube Music, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and others. Downloads are $11.99 and CDs are $15.99. If you’d like a CD, please order by our email. We especially thank Rebekah Fruin for helping to bring this project together. Below is the direct link to iTunes.
https://music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-cleft-of-the-rock/1701505539
These are children at camp this week from eastern Ukraine, where the war with Russia has been the strongest. We are very thankful for our students from SBI that are serving at both weeks of camp. Last week the Lord blessed with souls responding to the gospel. Please pray for souls to answer God’s call this week. Many of these children have fathers serving in the war for Ukraine. They have heard the sirens, and explosions of drones and missiles. UNICEF estimates 2.5 million children are internally displaced within Ukraine, with 1.5 million having long-term effects of PTSD. The UN reports as of June 1, 2023 that over 1,500 children have been killed or wounded since the war began. World Vision states that 2,600 Ukrainian schools have been hit by missiles and drones, while 400 of these have been completely destroyed. The majority of these children pictured have been forced to study on-line.
We have found The Telegraph’s “Ukraine: The Latest” a good news outlet to get an accurate update on the war in Ukraine. Click on the above link to hear one of the latest episodes. They also offer the same updates by podcast, 5 times a week. Please remember this is a secular news source, so we are not always in agreement, but have found their updates helpful.
Julie and I are very humbled by your sacrificial gifts to “Compassion for Ukraine.” Your gifts and prayers are helping to take the gospel to areas of Ukraine in great need. We are amazed at how the Lord has provided through you, and for the doors He continues to open to proclaim His glory. Many in Ukraine have expressed their gratitude to you and some even sharing, “We do not know how we’d make it without your aid.”
