Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words…
Please pray for our teams who are going out every day to far out places to bring food, medicines and hope to the needy.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
Category: Ukraine
Some thoughts from Ira Kapitonova (Kyiv)
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
Psalm 17:6-7
There are some random things I remember from the first weeks of the invasion. Those are not important things, but they speak volumes to me. For example, because of many supply chains being broken, in those first weeks of the war, you had to hunt for bread because it was hard to come by. Ironically, that was our biggest craving, so I remember how happy we were when we could finally find yeast in the store. It was a true treasure. We smile at this memory now, but I know that, unfortunately, for many people it is still their reality.
And I know that after our victory, many years later, there will be things or words that pull at the strings of our hearts and trigger the memories you weren’t even aware of. Who could have thought that we would be the generation to live in times of war? And who knows how many generations it would take to heal from this trauma?
So we keep on trusting God and asking Him for His justice.
From your presence let my vindication come! Let your eyes behold the right! (Psalm 17:2)
Today was marked by powerful ammunition explosions at the military airfield in Novofedorivka in occupied Crimea. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said it “cannot determine the cause of the fire, but once again reminds of the rules of fire safety and the prohibition of smoking in unspecified places.” The New York Times claims that the attack on Crimea was carried out by Ukrainian-made weapons. Whatever it was, it raised the spirit of many Ukrainians as that airfield was used for air attacks in the south of Ukraine.
However, Russia is known for retaliation, especially when its pride is wounded. Please, pray for special protection for Ukraine and our victory to stop this evil.
Today’s picture was taken by me back in 2010 during our vacation in Yevpatoria, Crimea. The 200-year-old vine grows in the inner court of a Karaite Kenesa (Karaites, along with Crimean Tatars and Krymchaks, are the indigenous peoples of Ukrainian Crimea). I dream of the day when we would be able to go there again.
Today’s picture was taken by me back in 2010 during our vacation in Yevpatoria, Crimea. The 200-year-old vine grows in the inner court of a Karaite Kenesa (Karaites, along with Crimean Tatars and Krymchaks, are the indigenous peoples of Ukrainian Crimea). I dream of the day when we would be able to go there again.
Thank you for your continued prayers, so many are dependent on them.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
The list of atrocities committed by Russia continue to pile on. Several reports, including a statement by Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, claim that Russian troops forcibly detained and transported 121,000 children from the shelled city of Mariupol to the Russian city of Taganrog in an attempt to accelerate them through the adoption process.
As long as the war continues, it will pose a serious security threat to orphaned children. The preservation of their legal identification is paramount, as is their connection to the children and adults they were living with before the war.
Please pray that many of these children will be reunited with parents. Pray that no more children will be forcibly detained.
There are a number of children’s and family camps being run in Ukraine and the surrounding countries. Many of these are orphan children, please pray for these camps.
The families that are now separated from each other and the above mentioned forced separation are some of the most evil parts of this war. Please pray for these families and children.
Pray for the Kindergarten initiative in Poland, there are now six kindergartens that have been established allowing the children to learn and socialize. Also allowing their mothers to find jobs to support themselves in Poland. Pray that more of these would be established and continued support of these initiatives.
Thank you for your prayers,
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
Ukraine’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that at least 140,000 residential buildings had been destroyed or damaged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February, leaving more than 3.5 million people homeless.
There is at least one person who is going to do something about fixing that…
Anya Schlegle with her husband are the leaders of our Kyiv base. It was Anya who gave life to the vision of providing temporary housing to the people who lost their houses during the Russian onslaught on Kyiv. The villages that were in their way were devastated.
Listen to Anya as she describes the progress of the vision to provide these temporary shelters.
So, we are moving forward with the homes project. I love it!! It feels like a big YWAM outreach. 8 teams so far committed to come from U.S., 3 teams from Germany (YWAM Hurlach, YWAM Nuremberg), 2 from Romania (YWAM Cluj), YWAM San Diego and of course Ukraine (all YWAM locations are coming together). More teams are lining up to come in, even as far as Australia!
This is bigger and deeper than construction!
So many prayers come our way, people are getting excited to put their hands and feet to bringing Hope. We are definitely preparing hearts and paths for God to remain in the homes and in the lives. We will fill these homes with Hope and Kingdom presence.
We have 70 families lined up already to receive these shelters. And many more are on the waiting list as we don’t want to overpromise. Working closely with village councils – they are providing accommodations and cooking for us. They are so grateful, they will work with us as we get the project accomplished. We see Gods favor everywhere.
We are getting 50 foundations out it the next 2 weeks. August 23rd the teams will arrive.
We love the idea of the panel homes as we are seeing some bigger families with bigger needs. For example, the family of 7 children and a grandma now are living with different neighbors scattered around the village. We will be able to modify it, so the family stays together.
The homes will be very warm and of great quality. Although we hope that it’s a temporary solution only for a year, looking at the country’s economy we foresee, that people might have to stay in them longer. The quality of the homes will sustain through this coming winter and much longer. We want families to have a home, furnished, warm with needs covered.
Florin, YWAM Homes of Hope Romania, has ordered panels and furniture to bring from Romania for 50 homes. We want to be ready on the ground in Kyiv for 30 homes – building and furniture.
Thank you for praying and giving toward this project. Pray for safety for these teams that are coming. Thank God for the leadership of these villages for their generosity in housing and feeding these teams. Pray that we can get hundreds of these homes repaired and built before winter.
To volunteer, contact: teams@ywamkyiv.org
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
Psalm 13:5-6
Today Russian troops shelled the area near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) twice. They seriously damaged a high-voltage power line, nitrogen-oxygen station, and the combined auxiliary building. There are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances. Fire danger is serious. It means a nuclear disaster can happen anytime if the Russian troops are not careful enough.
Is it something new? No. The city of Enerhodar (and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant) has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022. Over the past few months, they have turned the NPP facility into their ammunition depot (which means a high risk of detonation and explosion), and they were interfering with the management and staff of the NPP. A few times, Russian missiles aimed at Kyiv or another region of Ukraine flew really low over the NPP, putting it in danger. It is one more weapon of terrorism, a nuclear one this time. We are literally sitting on a powder keg, and we are fully aware that the risks of Russia using a nuclear weapon or causing a nuclear disaster are not negligible.
What should we then do? I believe we should pray, trust God (for His interference and protection is vital in this situation), and keep on living.
The enemy (both our immediate physical enemy, Russia, and the spiritual enemy) wants us to be paralyzed by fear or anxiety. The enemy wants to steal our joy. He wants us to feel dead while we are still alive. And we must resist it.
I read a post by Ostap Slyvynkyi (https://bit.ly/3bvavKF), a Ukrainian poet and translator, in which he shares that he struggles with rejoicing because it feels wrong. It feels as if it’s something that needs to be postponed until “when the war is over.” I’ve heard similar ideas from many of my friends, and that’s how I often feel. However, Ostap also shares his conversation with a woman who had to leave her home in Kostiantynivka ( a heavily shelled town in the Donetsk region) and move to the West of Ukraine.
She said, “People often ask me how come I have so much joy? Why am I so happy? Sometimes they ask me this with some accusation. And really, I have nothing and no one left, except [my son].
But then, one day, I got a revelation – if the enemy had taken away everything I had, I shouldn’t let them also take away my days. So I stopped thinking, “just wait a little bit, and then we’ll win, and life will be back as usual.” No. Our life happens now, and there will be no do-overs. And our victory will not come as an awakening from a horrible nightmare when you say, “I’m fine, I’m home.” No, it won’t be this way because it wasn’t a dream, and “home” is no more.
That’s when I decided I would do everything in my power for our victory, but I refuse to give the enemy any day of my life. There won’t be a day when I lay flat and pity myself. No, I will rejoice out of spite. Yes, there’s joy in spite of everything and out of spite for the enemy.”
To me, these words are spoken by the woman who has lost everything except her life-asserting resilience and dignity. They were an encouragement to me, and I hope they urge you to rejoice in the Lord despite the circumstances so that the enemy wouldn’t be able to take away your will for life. May the hope of God’s promise be our light even in the deepest darkness.
Thank you for your prayers…
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministies Team
Y Update – August 4
A survey conducted by the IOM last month showed that 15% of Ukraine’s population has been displaced. At the same time, 5.5 million people who were previously displaced have returned home, most to Kyiv city and region, as well as Kharkiv, Odesa and Chernihiv regions. The organization said many of the people who have been displaced are facing economic hardship. It said that 60% of those who were employed before displacement have lost their jobs and as many as 9% have had no income since the outbreak of the full-scale war in late February.
With the approaching colder months, many are worried about their living conditions, the IOM said. As many as 44% said they needed help with repairs and more than one fourth feared needing to leave their current accommodation due to insufficient heating ahead of winter.
Because of this growing housing need for this approaching winter, Y Ukraine have started building temporary housing for those who lost their homes. There are many elderly and mothers with children who desperately need shelter. In order for our projects to be fulfilled, we are needing teams to come and help construct prefabricated simple homes.
If you can send a team to come and help for a couple of weeks, please private message me for details. Also, finances are needed to purchase the building materials. We have a wonderful opportunity to provide shelter for those who need it. Please pray about how you may be involved in our endeavor either by sending teams
Teams in Europe Volunteers
teams@ywamkyiv.org
Dear Friends,
I apologize for the delay and the absence of prayer letters thee past few days. We are presently having a small vacation and have been out of town and out of range for internet.. We’ll be back to normal next week.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
Ukraine’s grain starts moving. (N.Y. Times)
The Razoni, loaded with more than 26,000 metric tons of corn, sailed out of Ukraine’s blockaded ports today — the first such ship to sail since Russia’s invasion.
There are 16 more vessels ready to bring grain to world markets under a deal signed by Russia and Ukraine. But experts warn that a global hunger crisis still looms.
Russia’s blockade since its invasion sent global grain prices soaring and brought the threat of famine to tens of millions of people, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Wheat prices have since eased, but experts think they are likely to rise again, in part because of other factors, including the prices of energy and fertilizer.
“The issues affecting food markets have not been solved,” said Ehsan Khoman, who manages emerging-market and commodities research for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. “There is still a shortage.”
Aid officials say that the scale of the global food crisis — years in the making and fueled by wars, climate shocks and the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic — is so immense that no single event will reverse the situation.
As many as 50 million people in 45 countries are on the brink of famine, according to the U.N.’s World Food Program. In the 20 worst-hit countries, the situation is likely to worsen substantially by the end of the summer, it said.
Still, the departure of the ship was a first step toward getting 20 million tons of grain to the world market, generating export revenue for Ukraine. The Razoni left the port of Odesa, from where it was led out of the mined waters by a Ukrainian tugboat. Its crew, mostly Syrian seamen, headed for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.
This is a report for praise, the Ukraine war does not just affect Ukraine, it affects the whole world. Let’s thank the Lord for this release of grain to feed the hungry.
Pray that these ports will remain open!
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
Marie (Kyiv)
Time doesn’t stand still in war.
Many say the war has put their lives on hold. But it is not true. Time is the one thing we humans cannot control, and it recklessly moves on.
The war has become our classroom, teaching us the vocabulary of explosions — we can easily distinguish between the sound of a missile hitting and the air defense working. It took months until I heard the sound of the Ukrainian air defense for the first time; it is a sound that makes me feel glad. In the first few weeks, everything aimed at bringing death and destruction just hit its target.
The war has brought down barriers between our houses and the nation. Many literal walls have fallen due to shelling, and even more invisible ones. When I go to the nearby supermarket, it feels like coming home. Knowing everyone by name and hugging as one would hug an old friend — that can only happen when going to work became a question of life or death.
This war taught us to do what is close to our hands. People are in danger? Evacuate them. They are hungry? Feed them. Their houses are damaged? Fix them. There is nothing noble or special about these tasks. Is this worth having invested years into my education and following a missionary calling? — God doesn’t want partnership with us but ownership of us.
This war has brought God from dusty churches into dirty bomb shelters. From memorized prayers right into peoples’ hearts. God’s Word sustained me from the inside without even picking up a Bible. I woke up from dreams talking to Jesus face to face. Knowing those were no dreams.
Ukraine’s battered soil has brought forth beautiful flowers. It is a miracle to me that this land being hit so recklessly finds in itself the strength to let new life bloom. The sunflowers remind me of what I thought would be my last time in a supermarket, on February 25. We stood two hours in line to get two loaves of bread. The whole store was empty. I thought: that’s it. From now on, there will be nothing more. The last thing left in the store were seeds – for cucumbers and tomatoes. I considered buying them. I thought, maybe by summer, they would yield us something to eat.
Spring came, summer came, and the sunflowers testify that life always wins.
Consider it pure joy, when you face trials of many kinds. – James 1:2
Thank you for your continued prayers,
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
Anya (Kyiv)
I am the most tempted right now to go into my secret room with God. Make Him my personal Saviour, my personal Shepherd , my personal Comforter and my personal friend. This is my comfortable place – I know a God of that room. It’s easy to trust the love, the plan, the future with that God.
But when I take that same God to the arena of the World, the Kingdom, particularly Ukraine. It becomes so much harder. Looking at the reality – sufferings of people, evil that is out of hand, and continues, helplessness to stop it all!! I don’t want to live in this world, not knowing who is the God of this world. He is the Creator with a plan.
I want to know how to have relationship with MY God in THIS WORLD.
I hear all the time “I don’t know how to pray about this situation”. Many Christians genuinely want to pray for us and with us.
This is how I pray:
I bless our ARMY with strength: “For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.” Romans 13
I pray for PEOPLE IN SUFFERING “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. “ Gal.6:2
I pray in SPIRITUAL REALMS not against flesh and blood, standing against evil that is fighting the spread of the Kingdom of God
I pray for OUR LAND to be filled with HIS KINGDOM – we are a free nation, but not empty – filled with the King’s presence.
I pray for the WORLD LEADERS including Ukraine – I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 1Tim.2
HOPE is more than faith for me right now!! Hope is more real than ever. I hope for the people, hope for provision, hope for 100 homes, hope for victory, hope for all my prayers making a difference
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
With less news about the fighting in the East it is easy to forget that the war is still happening and that the problems of war are still there, including the many people who are fleeing the areas that are under attack.
A Russian checkpoint in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region has become the only relatively safe way for Ukrainians to try to leave southern occupied areas for Ukrainian-held territory. Hundreds of vehicles lined up, unable to cross.
“Evacuations from the occupied territories is the biggest problem.” People were attempting to leave the occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk through the checkpoint at Vasylivka, with some having been on the road for seven days, sleeping in their cars. “Today, more than 5,000 people, over 1,200 cars have gathered there.”
“People can’t even go and buy food for themselves. The only condition under which the Russians allow people to go to buy food in the city is to leave all the documents (passport, driver’s license etc) with them and then collect them after returning.” Of course this creates tremendous stress wondering if they will get their documents returned.
People are seen sleeping in their cars and tents and crowded into a gas station in high summer temperatures. Some people are sleeping in the open.
Please pray for safe evacuations for these families to leave. Also pray for provisions as they wait to leave the check points. Pray for our teams who continue to travel further and further into these areas helping with evacuations and bringing food and aid to these people.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
