Updates and Prayer Requests from Ukraine
See the complete archive of news, updates, and prayer requests from Lifesong Ukraine here.
Update: March 22, 2022, 3 PM CST—
Your prayers have been especially needed and visible over the last few days.
Around 4:00 on Saturday morning, a Russian military aircraft dropped eight bombs onto one of our farm/camp sites. Most of the fields and some machinery were destroyed. The shelling also damaged a few buildings on site.
But God is faithful. A few weeks ago, as conflict grew closer, our team decided to evacuate everyone from this specific site to a safer location in the west. Had the Spirit not prompted their evacuation, there would have been at least 50 people in harm’s way.
Even more, the night before the bombs fell, four men from the Lifesong team were driving to the city with relief supplies, planning to stay the night at this farm/camp site. But due to a nationwide curfew, they spent the night at a local pastor’s house—just 12 miles from camp. Had they spent the night at the farm/camp site, the shelling could have caused serious injuries or even casualties.
Bogdan showed us some of the damage in his latest update. Watch him share:
This weekend, we also had the opportunity to connect with Julia in Ukraine. She has been serving orphaned and vulnerable children with Lifesong for 10 years. But today, she serves as one of Chernigov’s main points of contact for evacuation, coordinating rides to get anyone and everyone to safety in the west. The testimonies she shares—both of those she’s evacuated and those to whom she delivers food—are profoundly impactful.
Watch Julia’s update:
When you look into the eyes of people to whom you brought this package of food or medicine, they treat you as a savior. This is the moment when you can explain to them, “It’s not me. It’s not about my heroism or my braveness. It’s because of the God who is still alive, who still cares for you. He’s here. He didn’t leave Ukraine.”JuliaLifesong Ukraine
Finally, we are blessed to announce a great giving opportunity! A generous supporter has agreed to MATCH all gifts toward Ukraine relief up to $50,000 when you give by March 31, 2022. 100% of your gift goes straight to Ukraine relief.
Please pray for Ukraine and specifically:
- For safety. Fighting is escalating all around Chernigov and our ministry sites in that region. The entire city is without power. And while most of our team is evacuated, some we know and deeply love are still in the city. Tonight, an estimated 130,000 people remain in Chernigov. Would you pray for them?
- For all driving across Ukraine (either evacuating civilians or delivering relief materials) to make the trip safely.
- That our team would have great strength and hope, even in the midst of great loss.
- For the strength and safety of the soldiers.
- For the war to end!
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Ukraine Prayer Updates
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Update: March 17, 2022, 2 PM CST—
We see how people’s hearts are softened and open to the Gospel.DenisDirector of Lifesong Ukraine
We are so thankful for your prayer and support for Lifesong Ukraine! Many have asked some great questions about how things are going with our team’s three-fold plan.
Here are a few FAQs from supporters like you.
Q: How is the team holding up?
Praise God, all of our staff (including spouses and children) and children in our care remain safe!
Unfortunately, much of our team in one location is under the weather. While no one’s symptoms are too severe, it’s difficult to feel sick and tired when there is so much hardship and work to be done. Please pray for the Lord to restore the team’s health and give them energy.
Spiritually, our team members have testified how their relationships with God and faith have grown and intensified exponentially since the war began. They shared, “It’s like an awakening.” Praise God!
Q: How are the children Lifesong serves in State-run orphanages?
All of the children and families we have served are safe and evacuated, including children in State-run orphanages.
One specific State-run orphanage, however, is located in a “no-man zone.” The children in this institution have been living in the basement since the invasion first began, and due to certain government regulations, they cannot be evacuated.
Thankfully, the kids are well-protected, and our team regularly delivers food, water, fuel, medicine, and other supplies. We’re exploring the possibility of evacuating these children to western Ukraine. Please pray that God would make a way to move these children to a more secure location.
Q: Are evacuation roads still open? Are these routes safe?
Yes, the primary evacuation routes in the north and south remain open.
Our team has sources who provide real-time intel about which routes to take and which to avoid. This huge blessing has helped our drivers make deliveries and evacuations as safely and efficiently as possible.
Q: How is Lifesong combatting trafficking as women and children cross the border?
By having trusted staff on both sides of the border, each woman and child who crosses the border is accounted for as soon as they reach Poland and taken to a secure location to begin integrating.
Q: What does Lifesong’s ministry in Poland look like?
Our current partnership with an evangelical church in Warsaw (a long-standing partner of ours) has enabled us to serve hundreds of displaced Ukrainians so far.
Our team is focusing on the following three areas:
- Legal assistance: Helping refugees complete necessary paperwork.
- Immediate need assistance: Providing safe places to live, food, medications, and other basic needs, like getting plugged into a local church.
- Transportation: Offering rides between different cities in Poland, as well as neighboring countries.
Long-term, our team plans to acquire land to be used as ministry sites, helping displaced Ukrainians learn languages and job skills, as well as determine their next step: to continue to another country, remain in Poland, or rebuild their life in Ukraine once the conflict ends.
Please pray for Ukraine and specifically:
- For our sick team members’ health and energy to be restored.
- For parents to care well for their children, even in this wartime.
- Many in Ukraine are dealing with deep grief. Ask God to bring His comfort to each one.
- For the strength and safety of the soldiers.
- For the war to end!
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Update: March 8, 2022, 6 PM CST—
Praise God, the Lifesong Ukraine team remains safe.
Even while Chernigov and Kharkiv lie in ruins—two cities that are home and mission fields for many of our Lifesong staff members—the team is voluntarily risking their lives to continue meeting needs in and around hot zones.
Their main focus involves making the dangerous drive back and forth across Ukraine—evacuating civilians west and taking critical resources back east.
Each day, our team is evacuating over 100 people from combat zones to more secure locations in the west.
And each day, our team is delivering water, food, toiletries, medicine, basic clothing, and fuel to more than 1,000 people across four different locations in the east.
Words can’t express the admiration we have for our courageous Lifesong staff and church volunteers on the front lines identifying needs and carrying out this distribution.
We are ministering to people’s physical needs first and also working with their souls by pointing them to Jesus as our Savior.DenisDirector of Lifesong Ukraine
The U.N. reports that Poland has already taken in 1.2 million refugees—a number that is only expected to grow. To meet the needs of displaced Ukrainians, we are actively setting up a refugee care facility with our trusted partners in Poland.
And even in the midst of this chaos, God is showing tiny glimmers of joy and grace. Today, on International Women’s Day, the women on our team received a bucket of tulips.
Please pray for Ukraine and specifically:
- For the continued safety and courage of our drivers and front-line staff and volunteers.
- That operations in Poland would fall into place and thousands of displaced Ukrainians would be reached.
- For the Gospel to be shown visibly through the actions and words of our teams on the ground.
- For wisdom, protection, and peace!
- That God would be glorified and made known through this crisis, and bring it to a peaceful resolution.
Denis shares, “Thank you for your tremendous support, love, and care in times like this! Stand in this fight with us, for humanity and for God’s plan to be unpacked.”
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Update: March 3, 2022, 3 PM CST—
Opening the Doors Wider
Denis, Director of Lifesong Ukraine, was able to hop on another call with our team and share some encouraging updates and ministry plans. Listen along:
First and foremost, we’re thankful to report all the children and families we serve, as well as our staff, are currently safe.
While orphaned and vulnerable children remain at the forefront of our ministry, most of our traditional ministry avenues aren’t options in the current conditions. To continue bringing Gospel-centered care to the most vulnerable in Ukraine, the ministry is pivoting and refocusing on three main areas:
First, securing ministry sites and locations so they’re adequately protected and supplied. Every day, two metric tons of food and medical supplies are being distributed from our food banks among ministry locations, combat zones, and anyone in need.
Second, delivering relief resources to those who remain in combat areas, like Chernigov and Kharkiv. There are some from the ministry who have chosen not to evacuate so they can continue serving people in cities by delivering food and resources.
And third, evacuating as many as possible from combat zones to western Ukraine and across the border. Our team is blessed to have previously established relationships with churches and contacts in Poland. As millions of Ukrainians pour into Poland, it’s our desire to link arms with our Polish brothers and sisters to bring relief to those who have been displaced.
Please pray for Ukraine and specifically:
- For those who remain in cities to stay safe and meet needs whenever possible.
- For our team to wisely and effectively distribute the resources they’ve been blessed with.
- That our team would have clarity and wisdom as they plan how to best care for refugees and the displaced.
- For children around Ukraine who don’t have a loving adult in their life to help them through this crisis.
- That God would be glorified and made known through this crisis, and bring it to a peaceful resolution.
Keep us in your prayers. We know it’s not our fight. It’s God’s fight.
DenisDirector of Lifesong Ukraine
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Update: March 2, 2022, 2 PM CST—
Now is the time to be good Samaritan! And we are all united to serve others!
Bogdan Lifesong Ukraine Team Leader
Where there are many needs, there are many opportunities to serve. The Lifesong Ukraine team is uniquely equipped to serve the vulnerable and hurting—it’s what they’ve been doing (and doing well!) for the last 20 years.
As the conflict continues, here’s how the team is meeting needs—
Evacuation. Our team is working to move more people in Kharkiv and Chernigov to safer locations in western Ukraine.
Shelter. While most have traveled west, a few team members have chosen to stay in Kharkiv to continue serving those who can’t evacuate the city. They’re offering displaced people secure shelter along with food and other resources.
Refugees. Our team is actively planning how we can set up operations across the border, starting with moving some staff into one of Ukraine’s neighboring countries.
(At the time of writing, over 650,000 individuals are displaced, and that number is expected to increase exponentially.)
No one is more vulnerable than a child without a safe and stable family. Beyond helping orphaned children, our goal is to preserve families and prevent more children from becoming orphaned. Lord willing, providing resources and shelter to the displaced will keep many families together.
Please pray for Ukraine and specifically:
- For those who remain in cities to stay safe and meet needs whenever possible.
- For children in State-run orphanages to be cared for and to feel God’s peace.
- That our team would have clarity and wisdom as they plan how to best care for refugees and the displaced.
- For a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
- That God would be glorified and made known through these events.
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Update: February 28, 2022, 10 AM CST—
God hears, God cares, God acts.
While there are still many needs to bring before God (see below for current prayer requests), we can already see the evidence of your faithful prayer. This morning, Denis Poshelok—director of Lifesong Ukraine—shared an update. Watch his message:
Praise God—all Lifesong staff and all of the children we serve are safe. There are bomb shelters and basements organized at each Lifesong ministry site, complete with food and backup fuel to last up to one month.
Our team, their families, children from the transition program, and any others who were able took shelter in secure locations between two cities: Chernigov and Kharkiv. But as the conflict raged on and moved closer by the day, our leaders realized the best course of action was to evacuate to a safer location in western Ukraine.
Yesterday, between two caravans, a large group made the nearly 30-hour drive and all arrived safely in their new shelter until further plans are made. We are preparing further evacuation strategies for everyone who is in direct danger or feels uncomfortable staying.
While supply chains are broken, God is using our connections via Lifesong Farms to help us get food and supplies. The team purchased enough food to provide food drops to over 100 crisis families, adoptive families, and orphanage graduates! They were beyond thankful to God for this provision.
Praise God for helping our team access vital resources and for the existing relationships He is using.
At the end of the day, this entire crisis has created a huge wave of need. Lifesong is leading the movement and serving both the displaced and those who will remain in the country during the crisis and will continue to after the crisis.
Denis PoshelokDirector of Lifesong Ukraine
Please pray for the following needs:
- For swift and safe evacuation from high-conflict areas.
- That our team can provide shelter and food to those who are suffering around them.
- For strategic planning of our God-given resources and supplies so we can be prepared to serve many more.
- For the 400,000+ displaced and refugees. Pray that our team could learn how to best serve them.
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Update: February 25, 2022, 10:45 AM CST—
Earlier this morning—around 5 pm in Ukraine—our team received a brief video call and update from Bogdan, team leader of Lifesong Ukraine. Hear what Bogdan and those sheltering with him have experienced thus far:
Please pray for the following needs:
- For peace surrounding our team and those we serve, specifically in Chernigov.
- For the safety and comfort of children still in State-run orphanages.
- That food and supplies to last while our teams take shelter.
- That God would give each one in Ukraine “a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (1 Timothy 1:7)
A few photos recently shared by our team:
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
Update: February 24, 2022, 9 AM CST—
Would you pray for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine?
Wednesday night, Russian forces invaded Ukraine. The current attacks near the Ukraine-Russia border are about a 30-minute to 1-hour drive from Lifesong’s ministry sites.
All of the children and families we serve, as well as our staff and their families, are safe at this time. Our team prepared for this invasion by gathering food, water, fuel, and supplies, and they continue gathering supplies today.
We are enacting contingency plans and moving our staff, families, and youth to the safest locations we can, wherever possible.
Our hearts are heavy with what is happening. Would you pray for Ukraine? Please pray for:
- Wisdom and discernment for government officials and decision-makers.
- The children and families Lifesong serves to experience God’s unconditional love and peace.
- The continued safety and protection of vulnerable children, staff, volunteers, and families.
- Peace in and surrounding Ukraine.
- God’s glory through the heavy challenges.
We find encouragement in the words and mindset of Denis Poshelok, Director of Lifesong Ukraine. He recently wrote, “God is in control. In times like this, people are more open to the Gospel and are searching for answers that only He has. It’s an ideal time to serve people and point them to Christ. Our fight is a spiritual one, and we trust God will lead us through all this, as He always does.”
Thank you for your commitment to supporting and praying for God’s work in Ukraine!
The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
PSALM 9:9-10
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Host a Prayer Meeting
Gather community members, church members, your family, your small group… for a time of updates and concentrated prayer. Share the latest video update from our team (above) and pass out this list of verses. Pray through the verses as a group.
Organize a Day of Prayer & Fasting
Spread the word to your local church and commit to 24 hours of corporate fasting and prayer.
Stay Updated on Current Prayer Requests
Continue to check in with trusted organizations in Ukraine to see the most pressing and urgent needs. Pray for these needs specifically!
Financially Support Brothers and Sister in Ukraine
The financial needs for food, fuel, safety, and housing through Lifesong Ukraine will be very significant. Beyond immediate needs, the financial needs for rebuilding will also be immense. You can partner financially by giving a gift here.
Thanks to TMG Foundation and key partners, all of our fundraising and administrative costs are covered. 100% of your gift will directly support vulnerable children and families in Ukraine.