16 March 2022

Dear Friends,

The good news is that our people in Kyiv report that all are safe even though bombs and missiles have fallen close by. The threat to our village is lessened, although its invasion reportedly is potential. I just received this from a woman who lives in the village. She wrote: It is quiet now, but the enemies are trying to regroup to take Kyiv. They hide tanks in neighboring villages between houses so that ours do not get them.

The bad news is that the Russians continue to bomb the cities, even purposely targeting civilians. In the city of Chernigiv, 10 people standing in a bread line were murdered by Russian soldiers. Pastor Lyosha Savchuk and his family are from that city. Pastor Sasha Petrenko is in that region. He is currently sheltering 38 people.

Please pray for these brave pastors. Pray also for Anatoly, Yuri, and Ivan, college graduates who are serving in the Ukrainian army.

The city of Mauriupol in the south has been unmercifully bombarded for almost 3 weeks, and today a theater sheltering hundreds of people was targeted by the Russians. The Ukrainians had even painted a large sign on the street in front of the street to inform the Russian that it was housing children. Alas, it was of no avail. Such wanton attacks have no military purpose but are intended to break the will of the Ukrainian people. How I admire the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainians.

I also rejoice that the people we have ministered to are ministering to others. Vasya Munko, pastor in Lviv, is working tirelessly. This is what he wrote today:

Yesterday, we settled two more people in our house, a mother and a son. So now we have 10 refugees living in our house.

Also I was contacted by two families from Kyiv. I know them very well. They left Kyiv and now live in a village near Belaya Tserkov. In one family, the husband (Sergei) and eldest son (Andrey), stayed in Kyiv. They joined the army and are now defending their city. The wife (Oksana), is a believer, and her two other children (Ira and Sasha) moved to the village. Before the war, she worked in a kindergarten, but now she is unemployed. Her daughter also lost her job because of the war.

The second family has two children. The husband (Yura) worked in an orphanage, with his wife (Lena), they are believers too, adopted two children (Zhenya and Valera). Now they've lost their jobs. They also took their mother, Galya, with them from Kyiv. We also help them, we support them financially so that they have something to buy food.

Please pray for the safety of the lives of Sergey and Andrey, that God will protect them from enemy bullets and give them courage on the battlefield. Also pray for Yura,=. He is a diabetic and constantly needs insulin. And now in the place where they live, it’s not so easy to find the right medicines.

We also continue to minister to those people who are sheltering in our church. We provide them with food, a place where they can sleep, and certainly we share the gospel with them.

Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, spoke to the US Congress today. It was a forceful and moving speech. I am so glad that there was a very positive response from the US which has pledged to provide more weapons to the Ukrainian forces.

Continue earnestly in prayer. The needs are great.

Jim
https://jfmministries.org

15 March, 2022

Dear Friends,

Here is an updated prayer list from our church in Kyiv. I know that many of the names and places mentioned are strange to Americans. But if you pray for them, God will understand our stammering lips.

This is very personal for us. These are loved ones, fellow members of the family of God, and people who until recently were entrusted to me. I ask you to please hold them up in prayer.

Jim

God, defend Ukraine, help us!

We are in prayer:

1. For those who are on their way to a safe place:

• The Slavinsky and Klyushev families.
• Sveta (with special needs) - from Warsaw to Riga.
• Sasha Petrenko - car repair and delivery of provisions to Smolino.

2. For those who need to be evacuated:

• Natalia (Oksana Senko's sister) and family, obtaining documents, evacuation from Moscow 15-16.03.
• Igor (son of Nadezhda Pamfilova) and his family from near Sumy.
• Gena and his mother - Irpin.
• Alona with her husband and six adopted children - applying for adoption and moving to the Netherlands.
• Lena, Serhiy, Dima (with special needs) - from Odessa to Europe.

3. For Baryshivka Church. (left without a pastor).
4. For those who need to be cured:

• Nina has remnants of the disease.
• Delivery of medicines for Dasha,
• Delivery of medicines for mother-in-law of Sergey Tregubenko.
• Delivery of medicines for Galya, Vova (friends of Oksana Senko).
• Serhiy - pneumonia (Vicka Savchenko's parents stayed home. her father is sick).
• Anatoliy (father of Natalia Rekeda), broken leg - recovery.
• Tamara (mother of Natalia Rekeda) - shingles.
• Phyllis - cough.
• Oksana - injured her foot.
• Svitlana Khyzhniak - allergy.
• Vova Lozinsky - constant headache.
• Nadezhda, Yana - covid.
• For Vitalik, for he won't get chickenpox.
• Sasha - bilateral pneumonia (brother of Natalia Lozinska, wife of Oleg).
• Natasha Hryniuk - stomach pains.
• Larisa Chaplaeva - symptoms of covid.
• Natalia Rekeda - exacerbation of gastric disease.
• Nadia (Nina's mother, suspected cancer and many other diseases).
• Kolya (Vova's Lozinsky friend) - temperature.

5. Territory defense and the Armed Forces, their security while on duty.

• Vov, Father of Anya Maksimova, Ilya, Viktor Chayukov, Alexander (from Irpin), Dima.
• Sasha - a soldier from Goncharovsk, Yura Chugai, Sasha , Oleg’s brother in law, Van
• the Armed Forces.
• Alexey Vitaliy Rekeda brother in law - medical battalion.

6. Safety of those who stayed in their homes:

• Sasha Petrenko and all 38 people with him, p. Smolino.
• Sister of Anya Maksimova, near Kyiv.
• Masha (niece of Oksana Senko, not a believer), Kyiv.
• Vladimirov Alexander, Kyiv.
• Vasya Andreev, Kyiv.
• Valentina Yakovlevna (blind), Kyiv.
• Mazurenko family, Kyiv.
• Katya, David, Lydia and her family, Sasha Shapovalova (Katya Khmelevskaya's friend), Kyiv.
• Mother and sister of Lyudya Ugrymova.
• Lucy Ustinova's mother and family.

7. Protection of our cities / villages:

• Baryshivka, Pasichna, Irpin, Bucha, Gostomel, Rozhivka, Brovary, Smolino, Goncharivske (there Sasha Petrenko).
• Safety of the station and people - Energodar, Yuzhnoukrainsk, Varash, Chernobyl.
• Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Okhtyrka, Chernihiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Melitopol, Volnovakha, Mariupol, Borodyanka....
• The village of Larisa Chaplaeva's mother.

8. Settlement and registration of official status.

• Denis Shamrov.
• Svintsitsky family, housing and school for Elijah and Oleg.
• Max Zabara - housing.
• Olya (Nina's friend) with her family - housing, children to school.
• Tanya Reizvih, Vova Lozinsky sister in law.
• Ustinov, Sonia, Seraphim - school (Czech Republic).
• Anya Maksimova and her mother - housing, documents (Frankfurt).

9. About our service to believers / non-believers in those places, where we are

• Grinyuki, Horodyshche -construction
• Luda Ugrimova, Larisa, Lviv.
• Nina, Krakow.
• Katya, Nadvirna.
• Oksana Senko and the Church in Chornobay.
• Gleb who is a pianist, for the salvation of his soul.

10. Delivery of humanitarian aid (to be able to deliver to the place to those who need it).
11. Internal political order.

Where we are?

Download these requests in a PDF document: https://bit.ly/UkrainePRAY

15 March 2022

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Thank you for praying for our loved ones in Ukraine. Please continue earnestly, pray without ceasing as things are getting ever more intense.

The report is that there will be a major attack on Kyiv tonight or tomorrow. I just received this note from Natalia, the administrator of our Bible college.

Please pray for us Tonight or tomorrow morning the enemy will try to get Brovary and Kiev, our village is on their way. And Yulia (translator for the college) is in Brovary now.

Natalia’s husband is with the territorial security force for our village. Intel reports are that the Russians may invade the village because it sits on a bluff, below which is an empty plain which extends for miles. In fact, from this bluff you can see all the way to Kyiv, 20 miles away. We were told that the Ukrainians are prepared to level this village in the event the Russians invade, so as to prevent them from gaining any advantage from what might be there.

I also heard that a group of 400 Russian special forces have donned civilian clothing and are trying to avoid the check points and infiltrate the city to plant explosives and take out defense positions in advance of the big attack.

One piece of very good news is that Ukraine did receive a shipment of Javelin anti-tank missiles which were used to destroy a convoy of more than 90 tanks just north of Kyiv.

Our people continue to minister where they are. Here is a short note from Pastor Zhenya who evacuated from his home in Baryshivka, about 30 miles east of Kyiv and is now in western Ukraine:

Hello Mark, we are working here to help refugees with Gena Zinchenko (pastor of a church near Baryshivka). Every morning I go to teach the Word. I was also invited to the central church to teach on Sunday. As I see and understand it, God is giving us lots of work right now. Baryshivka is still calm around it, but there are constant shootings, explosions.... I am trying to do online services for them in Baryshvika from here for those who remained, but the problem is that most old people find it difficult for them to use the Internet.

This war is devastating, the destruction extensive. I ask you to pray for an end to this onslaught. May God grant victory to Ukraine, that she might have freedom and peace.

By grace alone,

Jim
https://jfmministries.org/

14 March 2022

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer for our loved ones in Ukraine. The situation is catastrophic to be sure. You turn on the news and see the destruction. There are no places that are safe for even hospitals, churches, and apartment buildings are being hit with missiles and artillery. Cities in western Ukraine that were considered safe a few days ago are now the targets for the Russians.

Families are being split apart as women and children flee to safety in other cities and countries while the men must remain in Ukraine. Those who have managed to get out of the country must now find refuge in centers being set up in Poland, Romania, Moldova and Slovakia, or try to find people who are willing to house refugees.

Oleg and his family were warned to leave the village and to go into Kiev. They were able to do this yesterday. It was a 20 mile trip and, to say the least, dangerous. It is of the Lord’s mercy that they made it safely. His family is living at the college and the professor’s apartment for now. With the indiscriminate shelling by the Russians, no place is safe from attack. The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

Oleg’s brother, Vova (nickname for Vladimir) is with the territorial security force in our village. This is not the army, but more like a local militia to guard the area. His wife, Natalie, decided to stay with him rather than going into the city. She is a beautiful young woman, and I fear that she would be much abused if the Russians were to attack the village.

The report that I heard earlier is that there are many Russian tanks very close by, probably waiting for the command to advance on Kiev. Natalie reported that things were relatively quiet during the night, but that at 6:00 in the morning she began hearing loud explosions that shook the house. She said that they continued all morning and all afternoon until about 4:00 o’clock.

We hear reports that a big offensive against Kiev is imminent. We still have some of our church members in the city. Please pray for their safety.

• Two aged widows, both named Valentina, are unable to leave because of their physical condition.
• Eugene is a young man who is working at a Christian radio station named Emmanuel.
• Sasha is an older man who has no family or friends inside or outside of Kiev, so decided to stay put.
• Oleg’s sister, Natasha, is also in the city with her daughter, Dasha. Dasha is autistic and in need of medication which is not available at this time.
• Oleg’s other sister, Oksana, with her husband Sergei and their two children, Sveta and Vladic also remain in Kiev.
• Pray for Anatoly, Ivan and Vova who are bearing arms in defense of their nation and loved ones.
• The rest that we know have gone to the west, some to Ukrainian towns and villages, and some to Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Slovakia.
• Pray for the wives and children who are now separated from their husbands and fathers.
• Oleg reports that at this time they still have electricity, water and internet. There is still food at the grocery stores. All of this could be gone very quickly, as has happened in Mauriupol, Irpin, and Kharkiv and other cities.

Word of God Church met online yesterday with Oleg leading the service from the Bible college. How wonderful that they can stilljoin in a concert of praise to God for His grace, His mercy, His faithfulness. They also meet twice a day for prayer online. And I continue to teach our regular Bible studies online. These wonderful Ukrainian Christians are focused on the Lord and are relying on His Word for their sustenance. It is such a testimony of faith in this time of tribulation.

We are sending support to our staff, students, and others who have needs. Pray that the lines will remain open for us to do this.

Continue earnestly in prayer.

By grace alone,

Jim
http://www.jfmministries.org