The last month of winter turned out to be cold, the usually damp wet weather changed to dry and frosty and a desire for warmth and comfort increased. It’s nice to sit by the fire with a cup of hot tea. We bought firewood for our Refugee Center in advance and now the residents are heating the stove and enjoying the warmth. The heating is arranged simply – the stove heats the boiler with water and hot water through the pipes heats the rooms. It’s nice to see how the residents of the center have organized themselves, distributed responsibilities, one of them is putting the wood in the stove, others stack and bring firewood. It is very nice to see a friendly and warm atmosphere.
Now that the war is going on we are experiencing a serious shortage of men, this is especially evident in those places where men usually worked. Last week the driver of the children’s bus at the orphanage fell ill and was hospitalized and there was no one to take the children to school. We offered to take them to and from school on our church van. It is impossible to describe the joy of the children when they saw that pastor Sergey would take them to school. Over these few months, the children have become our family, we know their stories, they know well and have good relations with all our team of ministers in the orphanage.
During our visit last week we saw two new boys – Serge (15) and Art (13). Their mother died, they have no father and their aunt has not decided yet whether she will take care of them. They looked very gloomy against the background of other children who are now radiating joy and peace. But they were open and shared the burden of their souls with us when we talked to them individually. They lived in a village and as long as they can remember they always worked hard. They worked in the garden growing fruits and vegetables. This was their food and they also sold something to live. They were often hired by neighbors to work in the garden and about the house and always had pocket money. Now in the orphanage where you don’t have to work hard and always have food, warmth and people who care about them they feel like they are put in a cage. We talked to them and then talked to their teachers and advised them to find some responsibilities for these boys where they could apply their skills. We hope to build relations with these boys and help them adjust to their new life.
In such cold weather we especially pray for our military and look for the ways to get them warmer. Women in the church knit woolen socks and belts, we prepare vitamin mixtures with lemon and ginger for tea. People in the community know that we send parcels to the military and bring many things to the church. Last week someone brought a whole pack of sleeping bags and while we were thinking about where to send them, a message came from the commander of one of the groups that they needed sleeping bags. We are so glad that God connects us with those people whom we can serve. We have received so many answers to our prayers during this time we have seen so many miracles, God never ceases to amaze us.
Last week our counselor George came down to our town from Odessa. He met with a group of women who are mothers and wives of soldiers. They asked for this meeting to get some information on how to communicate with their husbands and sons who suffer from PTSD. George also spent some time with Vladislav, a veteran who lives in our Refugee Center and is recovering from his wound. George is leading a support group for veterans in Odessa and also a group of widows. We want to bring together veterans in our town and have regular group meetings with them. We are busy now with renovating the garage located in the backyard of our Refugee Center. There we will have two offices where it will be possible to conduct individual counseling and group meetings. It will be good for veterans because we can not have a meeting with them in a cafe like we do with refugees.
Dr, Anya came home for a few days last week. We didn’t see her, understanding that she needed time to rest and be with her family. And this Sunday when we came to the church we saw Paul. It was a surprise. He said that he was still fighting in the evening at the position when he received permission for a few days’ leave, he left late and drove all night to make it to church.
We constantly pray for our military but also ask you to pray with us for the families of those who are fighting now. Please, pray for Victor and Sveta Lukoshkin, Paul’s parents, pray for Dr. Anya’s family, especially for her mother, whose both children are at war (Dr. Anya and her brother Ilia), for our elder Valeriy and his wife Natasha, their son is a combat medic in a war zone. And for many others. Please, pray for the orphanage kids, for our Refugee Center and for the group of 55 refugees. And, please, pray for us. The husband of our counselor Victoria, Oleg, had major thyroid surgery and is now undergoing radiation therapy. Viktoria is very tired taking care of him, teaching at the university, doing counseling and ministering to the refugees in her church. She needs our prayers.
We thank you for your help and support. It’s amazing how we can work together for the Kingdom of God.
Please, send your donations to Pathway Ministries
E. Langston Haygood,D.Min.,Ph.D.
Pathway Ministries, Inc.
288 Huntington Parc Circle
Birmingham, AL 35226
In Christ,
Lyuda
