Ukraine (MNN) — God often builds His Church through the hardest circumstances.
In Ukraine, one pastor and his family fled from the Russian invasion, taking refuge in Bulgaria. Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “He has several kids of his own but many more that he’s adopted. There are 11 children in his family. While he was in Bulgaria, neighbors contacted him to let them know that several rockets hit his home. This home for him and his loving kids has been destroyed.”
The pastor continued to minister to Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria. He found himself at a crossroads, with a chance to emigrate to the U.S. or to move to Latvia.
But he chose neither of these options. Mock says, “He turned down two better opportunities to get in his broken-down van, drive to the western part of Zaporizhzhia about 30 minutes from his house (which is no longer usable) to help out at a church that had no Pastor.
“He and his 11 kids chose to get back into the fray, going back into the region and continuing to proclaim Jesus Christ.”
Mock says Ukrainian churches are filling up with people looking for answers. “When we see terrible times, we’re focused on the circumstances, and not on the work of God in those circumstances to transform people’s lives by His grace.”
Ask God to build up a church in Ukraine. You can help equip these local churches through SGA.
Photo credit: The header photo shows Ukrainians receiving aid provided by SGA. (Photo courtesy of the Slavic Gospel Association on Facebook)
