At the start of the war getting Bibles into Ukraine was difficult. The first attack on Ukraine from the Russian army was so destructive; destroying industrial areas, and road infrastructure and unleashing an onslaught of missiles. People needed to find hope and the best way to enable this was for people to be able to read the word of God for themselves.
Throughout the war, Hope Lebedyn has been blessed to have been able to distribute Bibles in partnership with Biblica, Ukraine Bible Society, Zondervan (Jesus Story Book Bible) and the Pocket Testament League, which we helped to produce the first gospel of John in Ukrainian (right at the start of the war). Bibles have been a great blessing to so many as they suffer hardship and despair caused by the cruelty of war.
John’s gospel has been distributed to many soldiers and their families who are on the front line or living in the region. Every Bible given is done so with love and the offer for prayer and an invitation to come to the centre if they need help.
A lady called Inna arrived at a Thursday service where aid was being given out. She had been sent there by the local government in Lebedyn as the centre was regarded “The place” to go and get help. Inna was distraught. She had just arrived from Kharkiv where she lived in an apartment block in the city. She had recently been faced with the predicament of needing to get her rubbish bins to the side of the road ready for collection the following day. It was cold outside as winter set in and Inna had so much rubbish that had accumulated due to the lack of bin collection services. As she and her son, who had been reluctant at first to help, offloaded their rubbish into the bin kerbside a missile flew overhead and destroyed their apartment block. If they had remained within the apartment they would have lost their lives.
When Inna arrived at the centre she asked for a Bible to read and couldn’t put it down. In the space of a weekend, she had read the Bible cover to cover! On the following Tuesday she came back to the centre to talk to pastor Bohdan to share that she read the entire Bible and wanted to know Jesus. She repented and gave her life to Jesus.
A few years on, the Bible continues to have a huge impact on young people as well. Sasha and Oleg are two young men who are hungry for God’s Word and have become Christians. Now at 15 and 16, they want to become pastors and do one-to-one Bible studies with pastor Bohdan every week.
The Bible still holds the power today to change lives and bring hope in despair. The many versions and formats that have been used have enabled many to be reached.
"The Bible still holds the power today to change lives and bring hope in despair."
Hope in Ukraine: Svetlana and the bakery
Peter Martin of Hope Lebedyn shares some inspirational stories of mission and salvation to mark the three-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine
