The church in Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky began as a medical mission that provided compassionate, Christian medical care to residents in the post-soviet era. The love shown by the doctors and staff starkly contrasted with the brusque, dehumanizing manner that people were used to, and this, combined with the Good News of Christ’s salvation, turned into a gathering of believers.
Today, the church continues its mission of healing by serving the many who are affected by war. They are open daily for prayer, as well as distributing humanitarian aid and providing a warm location for people to charge their phones and other small electronic devices. Thanks to the installation of solar panels, they have more ready electrical energy, despite the russian attacks that have caused country-wide blackouts.
Our region, including Odesa, has suffered greatly, and 2025 has been especially hard for our small town. Just before Christmas, a massive night drone attack destroyed an electrical substation and nearby homes. Our region depends on a single remaining bridge to connect us with Odesa and central Ukraine. Over the past two months, it has been repeatedly targeted, yet each time it is quickly repaired so traffic can continue.
Our city is among the first to encounter drones approaching from the sea; they circle there almost constantly. For now, they pass over our small town and continue further inland. We follow their paths online, praying for the cities where they may land.
Odesa endures attacks night after night—there is no true rest, no sense of peace. About a week ago, at night during an attack on Odesa, a drone struck the window of a conservatory dormitory. A young man from our church, Zhenya Shamota, who is studying there, currently lives in that building. By God’s mercy, the students who had been living in the room that was hit had moved out just the day before.
Our counseling center continues helping people. We have individual sessions in the office, we work with many people online, do group therapy. Our target audience is displaced people, refugees, people who have moved abroad, these are people who suffer from the loss of their home, the loss of their environment, and the loss of their relatives. Another special category of people are people who lived for some time under occupation and experienced all the horrors of the domination of Russian rule.
Last week, we welcomed a family who had fled from occupation and offered them shelter in the guest room of our church. They are three women—a grandmother, a mother, and 13-year-old Masha. They endured four years of occupation in the Kherson region, where Masha’s father and grandfather were killed by the occupiers. Masha has withdrawn deeply. She does not want to communicate and spends most of her time alone in her room, showing little interest in anything around her. Please pray for Masha, and for our work with her—that we would gently and patiently find a way to reach her heart, to build trust, and, step by step, help her begin a journey toward healing and growth.
In a time when we can only live day by day—because the future feels uncertain and unclear—our faith in God remains our only firm foundation and source of hope. We continue to hold small, active Bible study groups where we explore God’s Word, reflect on His promises, and seek answers to life’s questions together. Many of the refugees, most of whom come from an Orthodox background, are discovering the Scriptures with genuine interest and beginning to follow God’s guidance in their daily lives. Please pray that more people would join these groups, and that all who come would grow in faith, wisdom, and a deeper relationship with God.
In Christ,
Lyuda
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