First Time in Church - Ukraine Crisis Story
Today was the warmest day since the beginning of the war, 17 Celsius (63 F). And this warmth heated up not only our bodies but our souls also. In this way the Lord invigorates us during this dark time for the country. And God inspires us to care for the refugees.
Yesterday, we got closely acquainted with one man from a conflict zone. Up to this day he had never been in an evangelical church and among his acquaintances there was no one who had. We met him in the city when we were handing out bags of groceries and evangelizing. He wanted to help us and today he came to us at the church. Today he not only for the first time fellowshipped with Christians and was in a church, today was the first time he prayed together with other people.
I asked him to write down his story, a very difficult story:
"I was the son of my parents' old age. My dad was an invalid due to his old age and I took care of him. In the last while he really suffered and on February 18 he passed into eternity. Because of the quarantine and other reasons the opportunity to get him from the morgue and bury him kept getting delayed. On February 23 I was supposed to pay the funeral home, but God caused that not to happen, and on the morning of February 24, I was awakened by the shelling of the city. I still kept trying to bury him but because of the war it didn't happen. After a few days that morgue and the hospital were bombed by planes and rockets... I was never able to bury my father. War is a dreadful evil. Russia is annihilating both the living and the dead."
"I was the son of my parents' old age. My dad was an invalid due to his old age and I took care of him. In the last while he really suffered and on February 18 he passed into eternity. Because of the quarantine and other reasons the opportunity to get him from the morgue and bury him kept getting delayed. On February 23 I was supposed to pay the funeral home, but God caused that not to happen, and on the morning of February 24, I was awakened by the shelling of the city. I still kept trying to bury him but because of the war it didn't happen. After a few days that morgue and the hospital were bombed by planes and rockets... I was never able to bury my father. War is a dreadful evil. Russia is annihilating both the living and the dead."
Please continue to pray for the men, women, children, and families who need our support. Pray that they would, like this man, be receptive to the Gospel and learning more about the love of God.
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Choosing a Missions Organization: Why SEND International Stands Out “Why should I be a missionary through SEND International?” Jenna, a new missionary in Eastern Europe, shared with us what she appreciates about working with SEND. The highlights for her are: - Devotion to prayer - Diligence in communication - Commitment to development - Intentionality in accountability Prayer “Back in September of 2022, the Lord reconnected me with SEND after I had met them a year prior at the Moody Bible Institute. However, before he would sign me up for anything, my Missions Coach encouraged me to pray. He said something to the effect of, "I know that you've been praying on your own for a long time. But as the Church, we are not called to walk alone. So, you and I won't talk for about a month unless you have questions. I want you to go pray with 5 or 6 others from your church about where God is calling you." That October, more than 10 friends prayed with me and we saw God answer as He directed me to Romania. From February 2024 to November 2025, I had the pleasure of being a part of team meetings in Romania with my SEND colleagues. Our meetings were four hours long, two for prayer and two for business. This has been the minimum for our team. There are also prayer meetings with the local churches we partner with, among smaller groups within our team, of course prayer with many of you across the pond, including those at our US office. The organization was built, has been sustained, and continues to run on prayer. This is my favorite thing about SEND. Communication As I mentioned above, we have a two hour block for business / ministry details in each of our meetings. This provides consistency across our team which works alongside three different churches and in a variety of ministries. It also helps us to communicate about the need for change or growth, alongside what is working well. In addition, my team director also meets with each of us, allowing us to communicate needs, considerations, and prayer requests. I've also enjoyed getting to work with SEND workers outside of my immediate region . We receive emails with the minutes from the Europe leadership team, Friday communications from our international director, and information regarding projects that affect our work among the unreached. In December of 2024, our international director at the time wrote a note to my parents for the first Christmas that I was gone. If nothing else had convinced my mom yet, this did. He took the time to care for me, but also to care well for the parents that were sending me (What it meant to my dad and mom for him to do this well has been one of the greatest ways I've been supported.). I also have some pretty wonderful regional directors. These people have prayed alongside us (while also serving in their own countries of service), they have taken time to come visit and encourage our team, and they have also taken the time to encourage the people in our churches. Development SEND has provided much in the area of development and care (spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally). At our regional conference (every three years), there have been medical check ups available, counseling options, and time for connecting with others on the field with similar experience. At our conference last October, I connected with a missionary who served overseas for many years, and is now serving on the administrative side of SEND. She has met with me since then for mentorship and has also invested much of her time recently in preparing a retreat for the singles across Europe. Accountability Over the years I have read and heard amazing stories of how God has worked through missionaries. God has done great things and great things He is still doing! However, people who have committed their lives to the Lord in this way are not “super Christians”. We are still humans with the same struggle against flesh that others have . A major challenge is in being isolated -- living in areas with little to no presence of other believers to sharpen them can cause many difficulties. SEND has been a great resource in this area too. Through my team, I have an accountability partner that I meet with monthly. When my regional director came to visit, he and his wife spent a day with me and asked intentional questions about how I lead, handle conflict, and how I am growing in general as a Christian. In addition, my teammates share their wisdom with me on a regular basis. These things and more have assured me that SEND International is a highly valuable organization and I'm excited to partner with them in service to, for, and with our great God! Interested in being sent by SEND?
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