Dear brothers and sisters,
I am sending you a report about the events in the church in Ukraine during the month of August and the beginning of September of 2022.
The Ukrainian events.
We are still in the middle of active warfare. Unfortunately, the constant air raid alerts and missile strikes landing on Ukrainian territory don't let us lead a normal life. So many of us don't remember what it's like to peacefully sleep through the night. I think it will take years for us to recover from the psychological trauma. The most dangerous events took place in the East and the South of the country. Daily artillery attacks, aviation bombings, and rocket launcher systems strikes hit Ukrainian cities and villages. During the last few weeks, the Ukrainian military forces were able to reclaim the territory of the Kharkiv region to face the atrocities of the Russian occupation aftermath, especially in the city of Izium, where they discovered mass graves with the bodies of civilians and children. In 2006-2007 we had intentions of founding a new congregation in this city. We beg for prayers for Ukraine.
Bear Valley Bible Institute in Chernivtsy.
The school year started on August 29th. The Institute had to change locations 4 times during the recent 15 years. It's inconceivable but with the Lord's help, we continue to do the impossible. Of course, you understand that the work of the Institute involves not only students but also the Instructors, their families, books, furniture, etc. Some smart people compare a change of location to a fire, and I'm afraid I agree.
Currently, we have 6 students. They are all young and full of desire to serve the Lord. The first two courses were Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther and The Intertestament Period (taught by Dennis Sopelnik). Now they have an introduction to the Greek language (Instructor Valentin Tsyopa). The classes continue as scheduled.
The Church in Bela Tserkva and Ukraine in general.
As I have written before, we keep helping out the refugees. In the church building, we have people from different places in Ukraine that are occupied by Russians or the ones with active warfare strikes. We give them 2 weeks to get all the paperwork done to get some financial aid from the Government and find a place to rent and a job. Occasionally we are able to have some food packages for refugees. This is a way of reaching out with the good news of Christ. We have good response, some people started attending the services. Obviously, it costs money and thankfully, our American brethren support this ministry periodically.
We are extremely grateful to all brothers and sisters as well as the congregations who help us during this time of trials. May God strengthen each of you. By God's good grace, we keep working and ministering to people who lost hope. Our God is great!
Your brother, Bear Valley Bible Institute Dennis Sopelnik.