Dear brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine. First of all, we want to greet you with a Happy New Year 2023! And with all our hearts, we wish you abundant blessings from our Lord for the whole year of 2023!
We are grateful to God for this past year - 2022. Although it was the most difficult year of our lives for us. For 311 days now, the war has been raging in Ukraine. The arrivals of missiles and drones over Ukraine do not stop. And we don't know where these missiles will hit. There are many people injured from them and dead. Even poor children are dying. Our soul hurts for our people and we pray for those people who live there, where such rockets often fly. We only thank God that rockets and drones do not fly to us. The Lord is merciful to us. And we pray that it will continue to be calm so that we can serve God.
1. We spent a week of prayers in the church of the village of Nesvoi where we prayed every day for peace and the end of the war in Ukraine. They prayed for an end to the arrivals of enemy missiles, for God's protection of children, young families, for ministers who serve in churches, for the sick, for orphans and for migrants from all over Ukraine. At the same time, they conducted church Bible lessons from the Gospel of Luke, which speaks of the birth of Christ the Messiah, who first suffered great suffering from the king of Israel, Herod.
2.Social assistance.
- With difficulty, we found the necessary help that a young family needed, where the wife is undergoing chemotherapy. They had already run out of all means and were already talking about death. But thank God that those people who we thought could help this family really helped, and this sister in the Lord can continue to undergo treatment. She had unbearable pains, but now these pains are gone - Thank God. We thank God for these people who helped this family.
-We helped people in need and orphans with food and medicine, and we really helped with the help that you, brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners, gave us to help such people. We are very grateful to God for you, our dear ones, who zealously donate funds for the Lord so that, with these funds, help people in need.
-We helped the family as much as we could to Alina, our translator. She had a successful operation on her leg, and she was even able to attend church with her family on December 25-Thanks to God! Thanks to everyone who prayed for her.
-In our church, in Nesvoi, there are young families, youth and our choir that helps prepare food for the soldiers of the defenders of Ukraine. And they take this ready-made food to the Khotinsky district, from there, this food, is taken by volunteers to the front line to feed these people. We cooked: cabbage rolls, pilaf with chicken meat, fried chops and froze them, baked cookies and buns. They need ready-made food because there is no place to cook on the front line. There are no conditions. You can only warm up a little food and serve them to eat. And since it is winter now and it is cold, the food does not spoil on the road in one day. Thank God that every month our church serves God through this good deed. Other churches in our region also prepare such food. May the Lord bless all who serve Him with bright blessings.
3. I taught classes at the Bible Institute on the topic: "How to Spread the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth." The students diligently studied these lessons to better know how to spread the Word of God.
4. Thanksgiving:
-I thank God for you, brothers and sisters, for your help that you gave us and we can help migrants and other needy people here.
-Thank God for my family and the families of our missionaries for keeping us healthy and protecting us from all evil.
-For the fact that our missionaries of the PIEI Ukraine mission tirelessly help people in need and migrants: both spiritually preaching the Word of God and helping them financially with humanitarian help.
-Thank God for our churches that are ready to serve God by helping other people in need.
-We thank God for the fact that, in our region, it is peaceful and quiet, and there are no rocket arrivals. This is only God's mercy to us - Glory to Him!
5. Prayer needs:
-Pray together with us that the war in Ukraine will stop. So that the Lord will protect us because without God we will be lost.
-Pray for the students who study at the Bible Institute.
-Pray for all the missionaries who are working in the Field of God here in Ukraine.
-So that we don't have enemy missiles arriving, so that we can serve God here peacefully and calmly.
-To those whom we preach or help socially this month, may the Lord open their hearts to repentance.
-Pray for our young families and the youth of our church so that the Lord will protect them from any trouble during this difficult time for us.
-Pray for our project: "Christmas for orphans" which we planned in mid-January. We are already preparing 200 gifts for the orphans. So that the Lord would help us to realize all this at this difficult time for us. Because we do not know what awaits us tomorrow.
-For all our evangelizations that we will hold both on the New Year and on January 7 with our church. For people to come and listen to the Word of God. And for the Lord to touch their hearts.
Once again we want to thank God and you for your sacrifice and for your love for us. May God bless you abundantly and give you a hundredfold blessings!
With love to you, the Petikhachny family, Pavel and Larisa.
