Report #1 Dear brothers and sisters, peace in the Lord: I didn't expect that only two months after I arrived in Europe, I encountered the largest war in Europe since the Second World War. In the past ten days, more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees have poured into Eastern European countries, such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia... and other countries. Regarding this sudden drastic change in the world situation, I felt that I should make some reports, have fellowship with the brothers, and seek the Lord together. How to work with the Lord in such a situation:
1. Introduction to the churches in Ukraine: Since 1991 the Lord started His move in the Russian-speaking world, and in 1993 the first group of Taiwanese young saints arrived in Russia to carry out His move. In the fall of 1995, Co-workers immigrated to Ukraine to carry out His building up. Although Ukraine at that time was deficient in material resources and the economy was depressed, the development of the gospel was indeed full of life force. The words of the Lord are brought to various cities, campuses, and homes through the co-workers, and are generally welcomed. From the first church in Zaporozhye until 2005, a total of 66 churches were established throughout Ukraine with about 2,000 saints. From 1995 to today, Taiwan has sent a total of 26 brothers and sisters to cooperate with saints from various cities in Ukraine.
Until the outbreak of the Ukrainian civil war in 2014, the main battlefield was transferred from Kyiv to Crimea, and then spread to the Donbass region. Under such circumstances, the saints in some areas left their homes, from 66 churches to 55 churches, and the number of saints decreased accordingly. However, in 2015, the church building in Kyiv was completed and started to use. With the completion of the building, the campus work became more and more prosperous. Young saints from all over Ukraine came to Kyiv to study, and young working families also moved to Kyiv. The number of the church members in Kyiv grew accordingly. The Covid 19 pandemic that swept the world at the end of 2019 also spread to Ukraine, and the saints were forced to isolate themselves at home and were unable to gather in church buildings. But in the fellowship of the body, the online gatherings of everyone are increasing, and there is more fellowship with each other. Through the computer screen, I get to see the unmasked saints from all over Ukraine, and even saints from all over Europe. Until the outbreak of the war, there were still about 50 churches in Ukraine with 1,500 saints.
2. The churches in Ukraine under the war: The war began on February 24 this year, and most of the saints remain in Ukraine to this day. Some saints stayed at home, and some came to the church meeting hall for refuge. Currently, there are still about 35 saints in the Kyiv church meeting hall ; there are also about 20 saints in the blending center of Olyka in the west. They supported each other, prayed every day, and enjoyed the Lord together. Some saints who did not meet often were also revived because of this. Due to the fierce fighting the saints in Chernihiv in the north of Ukraine, Kharkov in the northeast, and Zaporizhzhia in the south, etc.. are all currently being in a state of no water, no electricity, no heating, and lack of food and medicine, the prayers of the saints are very much needed. Also because the war is getting more and more intense and is happening in more and more places, many saints are considering sending their mothers and children out of Ukraine. However, many routes are now in war, and it is becoming more and more difficult to get out, they need saints prayers.
3. The situation of the saints who escaped from Ukraine: Since the beginning of the war, the first batch of five saints from Taiwan (Pan brother and his daughter among them) who came out of Kyiv entered Poland by car after three days with the assistance of the Taiwan office. The other 24 saints were originally waiting at the Olyka Blending Center, but when they heard the sound of war getting closer and closer, the brothers immediately drove four cars and took a group to the border town of Kovel, where they were received by the local saints hospitality. But it was soon notified that the Russian army was only 60 kilometers away from the local area, and immediately decided to set off for the border. When the border was still 13 kilometers away, because there were too many people and vehicles, the brothers decided to abandon their cars and walk to the border checkpoint on foot. It was eight o'clock in the evening when they arrived near the checkpoint. Thousands of people were lining up at the scene, and only 50 people were allowed to pass through the checkpoint every hour. In the low temperature of -3 degrees at night, their adults and children waited in line until almost six o'clock in the morning, but there was still no end. Unable to bear it any longer, they went to the nearby elementary school to warm up and rest. When the two elder brothers gathered together to pray, after the prayer, the Lord miraculously prepared a bus to pass by to take 11 Ukrainian sisters to Poland. The remaining 13 were picked up by the Saints of Gowell to find a hotel to rest, and then found the bus the next day, and 13 people entered Poland smoothly. After six days and six nights, the first batch of 29 people finally met at the Warsaw church meeting hall (including Brother Li). As of this evening, there are 112 Ukrainian saints who have escaped remain in contact with us. Most of the saints were received in Poland first. At present, 37 saints have been transferred to the German Blending Center (Gut Elim) to receive them. On Tuesday, 21 saints will come to Gut Elim from Warsaw. Now the church in Warsaw is still receiving 57 saints. 8 Ukrainian saints were received by Brother Xu’s housekeeper (currently, Brother Xu is in Romania ), 3 of them went to the Czech Republic, 1 to Austria, and 3 to Norway. In two days, there are still about 20 Ukrainian saints trying to come to Poland. This time, the saints in Poland and the saints in Germany actively cooperated in the Lord to receive these escaped saints and try their best to shepherd them. Most of them were mothers with children, or single sisters. They were helpless and hopeless when they first came out, but thanks to the support of the body they soon recovered joy and peace in the Lord.
It has been a week since the co-workers and many responsible brothers in Europe have been praying online every morning, exchanging deeper fellowships, seeking how to cooperate with the Lord under such changes in the world situation. More than 1.5 million people have fled to Europe so far as Europe opens its doors to Ukrainian refugees, grants three-year visa-free access and provides many humanitarian assistance. Also because of the experience of the refugee incident six years ago, the brothers immediately prepared 10,000 copies of the Ukrainian language newspaper and care package. The Texas Saints also prepared 10,000 child care packages, because mothers and children were the main ones who escaped. It is expected that the books and care packages will arrive this week, sent to the border, and distributed in some major cities where refugees go. Pray for the Lord to gain many sons of peace to come for the Lord's testimony in Europe.
4. Conclusion:
In my prayers recently, I remembered Matthew 24:7-8: "For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pangs."
May the Lord, through this war, make the white horse of the gospel run faster and produce many sons of God as His expression. Although we still do not know what the Lord does, we are deeply afraid of missing this opportunity to cooperate with the Lord. May the Lord through the prayers and coordination of the churches make the Lord more active and developed in Europe. Also pray to the Lord to remember His church and saints who are suffering in Ukraine.
From Brothers who are fighting with you in the Lord
Report #2 Dear Brothers and Sisters, The current conflict in Ukraine has created many grievous and painful situations, too numerous to relate. The Ukrainian saints are suffering, many traumatized by the great danger resulting from war. We provide the update below in order that we could all pray and stand together with these members of Christ’s Body who are standing for His kingdom on earth.
There are still ten saints remaining in the city of Mariupol, with whom we have lost contact for the last three days. There is no water, no electricity, and no medicine in this city. The apartment buildings where the saints live are being utterly destroyed. Tonight as the city of Mykolaiv fell under the rain of rockets, we wept together with the saints on the phone. Some of our brothers on the front line are able to rest only by laying under the sky on the open ground, since living under any kind of covering invites an attack. The brothers are cold, and their bodies are failing. Our brother Oleg’s kidneys are starting to give him trouble. There are no medicines. The city of Chernigov, where we have a meeting hall which also serves as a Rhema warehouse for Russian Recovery Versions, is surrounded by opposing forces. Years of ministry translation work into the Ukrainian language is also stored there on computer hard drives.
The capital, Kyiv, is being rocked by huge explosions. There are still about 20 praying saints in the meeting hall. Many of the other Kyiv saints remain in their apartments in various districts of the city. One family and several saints are in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, which has seen intense fighting. They have been living in the basement of a central apartment building with 60 other people, mainly women and children. One couple, Sasha and Anya, both FTTM (Full Time Training in Moscow) graduates, preached the gospel to everyone who is with them in the basement, and everyone called upon the name of the Lord! Anya has her guitar and has been singing with the children. This past Lord’s Day, March 6, the saints in Ukraine had a corporate Lord’s table meeting by Zoom. It was attended by over 400 saints throughout the country. As we were singing and praising, we could still hear the sound of explosions through the microphones of some of the saints in battle-torn areas. During the sharing time, a number of brothers testified about our oneness and our victory in the Lord. Although some saints are finding it difficult not to direct their blame on persons, the atmosphere was changed when one simple brother, entering into God’s view, expressed a heart to bring the gospel to young soldiers on the street, regardless of which side of the conflict they found themselves on.
May the Lord help and train us all to ascend with Him, to pray from the position of His ascension, having His view and thought related to the current situation (see Lessons on Prayer, p. 197). May the Lord be merciful to us all. The serving ones in Ukraine
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