Warm Spring Greetings from Ukraine!!!!!

Warm Spring Greetings from Ukraine!!!!!

Spring is in the air and we are SO excited about having some warmer weather here in Ukraine!  Unfortunately, we are still experiencing a quarantine here, where almost all schools have been closed since March and the capital city, Kyiv, is in compete lockdown until the end of April.  We are very thankful that our school has been in session at least for the elementary school the entire time and the high school will be returning to school next week.  

We also had COVID run through our family, Archie had it pretty bad, and Ruslan had it a second time, but praise God we are all better and all the kids stayed healthy!  Experiencing COVID first hand has made us very thankful for good health but most of all God’s mercy!

In the midst of the pandemic and all the changes everyone is experiencing all over the world, we are constantly praying about how we can be an extension of our loving Father.  With the hardship of people losing jobs, not many people out in public and having to stay distanced and indoors, the grandmas and grandpas have really suffered and struggled during this time.  One of the things the Lord has placed on our hearts is the opportunity to do a small senior home in a local village close to us.  In Ukraine there are not many options for the elderly – either they are take care of by family, or left alone. We have asked the government to sell or even better give us the local clinic in the village that is no longer being used.  It has 10 separate rooms in it and is large enough to have a portion used for having a local church in this village. There is such an opportunity to share the gospel with children and youth in this village and we are seeing God open doors right before our eyes!

We ask for you all to be in prayer with us as we navigate this vision and leading from the Lord. We would like to care for some elderly not only physically, but spiritually as well.  

As you can imagine, this will not be a cheap project.  But, as God’s timing is always perfect – we have an opportunity that we’d like to share with all of you.  Raising Hope is a Thrivent non-profit organization and this past week has been National Volunteer Week.  To end the week with a bang – Thrivent is offering a 24 hour flash fund opportunity, which means they are allotting $50,000 to split amongst organizations that receive donations using the following link:  https://bit.ly/2OMKScS.  We would be so honored if you’d invest in the lives of some sweet grandmas and grandpas that don’t have anyone to take care of them in their last years. 

We are so grateful to all of you for your continued love and support!  If you have any questions or concerns about this opportunity to donate, please don’t hesitate to contact us at raisinghopeukraine@gmail.com.