Prayer for children
 
Russians damaged every seventh school in Ukraine.
"If we talk about the destroyed educational infrastructure in Ukraine as a whole, then only more than 200 schools were destroyed, and more than 1,600 schools were damaged. If we translate this into relative figures, then every seventh school in Ukraine was damaged. And this definitely causes the lack of children's access to education.” At this moment in Ukraine, about 900,000 children are studying remotely.
 
No child deserves to live in such a hostile environment. Please pray for safety and the ability to continue their education in the midst of war.
 
Pray for these children, pray for their mental health as well as physical. Pray for our teams that are reaching out to these kids particularly in the remote villages. Pray for an end to this war and the return of these kids to school and normal life.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Yulia Kolesnikova
Here is a short summary from the ministry in Lukashivka with local youth. Our team going there every month and building relationships with people in the village. We hope that the Youth Centre will be restored and these people will have a place to gather and learn more about God. 
 
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, this village were highlighted to us. When we saw the destroyed Orthodox church in the first days of the liberated Lukashivka, as a symbol of the broken lives of many people ... broken, but liberated! How much grief these people experienced and did not lose hope and opened their hearts to faith in the One who is next to them, even in those terrible circumstances. Hope and faith are what our team brings, every time we visit these incredible teenagers who are open to communication and relationships with us and God who guides us.
 
The last few times, together with the local youth, who are just turning their hearts to Christ, they went to the homes of poor and injured people and brought them hope and love in the form of food packages, medicines and prayers for healing and salvation!
 
After listening to the stories of these incredibly courageous people who want to continue their relationship with us and God - this is exactly how the Church of Jesus Christ should be planted. Our last time we visited the local children, whom their parents lovingly brought, despite the severe frost, to celebrate Christmas. After receiving wonderful gifts and Bibles in their native language, people were incredibly grateful for this time. The local youth are very grateful for the restoration of the roof and windows at the local old school, where a youth center is planned, which they, together with us, plan to renovate this spring.
 
Pray for our teams who continue to bring hope to these wartorn places in so many different ways. Pray for the youth of Ukraine who are growing up in the midst of incredible evil and yet in the midst of such kindness and love being shown to them.
​
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Ira Kapitonova
I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O Lord, I will make music.
Psalm 101:1
 
I had several conversations over the past few days with people of different ages, professions, or family statuses. Yet, there seemed to be a common struggle for all of them (and me included) — general fatigue, occasional brain fog, a feeling of uselessness or apathy. No, we all can cope with these feelings most of the time. We pull ourselves together and do our best at work or with our family, but we seem to lose it when we are left with ourselves, one-on-one with our thoughts.
 
Oh, how I long for a day when we will finally be able to be vulnerable, when we'll be able to cry our eyes out for all the losses we've encountered (loss of dreams, loss of opportunities, loss of loved ones), when we'll finally be able to let out the breath we seem to be holding since February 24, 2022.
 
Resilience is our only option today, but how I long to exchange it for vulnerability!
 
Can we also be resilient in prayer? It’s times like these that the perseverance in prayer really counts. Thank you for your prayers, pray for the Ukrainian people, pray also for Russia that they too can know freedom.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Ira Kapitonova
The Lord reigns;
let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth quake!
Psalm 99:1
Our morning started at 5:43 a.m. Our air defense forces sent out a warning of missiles being launched by the Russian strategic bombers. We moved into our apartment hallway and tried to go back to sleep.
 
It was around 7 a.m. when we woke up from a few loud explosions, coming one after another. It worked better than an alarm clock, getting me completely alert.
The air raid was over at 8:15, so I could finally leave for school. I noticed how busy the street was – you could see children going to schools or preschools, their parents going to work by car or public transportation, people walking their dogs, and young mothers taking their babies out for a stroll. It looked so serene and ordinary that it was hard to believe there were explosions an hour ago.
 
We all had a little extra grace ready for each other today, knowing the morning was tough. We also secretly hoped the morning attack meant no air raid during the day, but we were wrong. Between noon and 6 p.m., we had two more air raids for a total of three and a half hours.
 
However, everything I shared above can be described as an annoyance or inconvenience, maybe a scare. But there were those this morning for whom it meant the death of a loved one or the loss of home. Russia targeted the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions with missiles of different types. 72 civilians were injured, eight more were killed, and hundreds became homeless. Residential buildings, non-residential premises, private cars, and a sports complex in Kyiv. The entire section of a high-rise building, multi-story residential buildings, a school, and other civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv. It feels like we are running out of even anger at this wickedness.
 
Pray for these cities today. Kharkiv is where our teams have targeted for ministry at this time. Pray for protection and for the Holy Spirit to minister to the people in these areas as the teams bring Hope.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Teams
 
Today's picture is an illustration by Maria Loniuk based on a video fragment showing a couple watching their destroyed apartment building being consumed in flames. Eight people have been reported killed, including an 8-year-old girl, but more might be trapped under the rubble.

Ywam Kyiv
Ywam Kyiv, an interesting training "Waves of Hope 'Together", took place, where employees and volunteers, united by one desire - to bring hope to our country.
 
It was indeed a time Together - in prayer, learning, communicating and playing. By building relationships, we ourselves received hope from God. All of us are united by the desire to serve Ukraine - build houses, make camps for children and teenagers, conduct evangelizations. Yet our primary purpose is to show God and His love to people.
We believe that He has great plans for the restoration of Ukraine.
And we are grateful to everyone who supports us.
 
Pray for Ywam Kyiv, it is such a wonderful and dedicated group. Many of them stayed on even at the very beginning when the city was under eminent attack. They continue to go out to the frontline villages as they are liberated and they have brought hope to thousands. Pray for these new initiatives.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Ira Kapitonova
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
Psalm 98:2
Today is the Ukrainian Unity Day.
Over the centuries, Ukraine had been divided between different empires. It gained its attempt at independence after WWI when former empires were weakened. That’s when the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UNR) and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic (ZUNR) were established. For a while, they existed separately and tried to find where they fit in the new world order. In 1918, the Ukrainian People’s Republic finally proclaimed its independence, and on January 22, 1919, they declared a Unification Act, converging the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic into a sovereign state. Ukrainians, previously divided by the borders of former empires, could finally become one. Unfortunately, the newly established state turned out to be too weak against the new enemies, and Ukraine lost its independence, its land divided between the Soviet Union and Poland. For decades, the Unification Act was the driving force for an independent, unified Ukraine, and its independence was finally restored on August 24, 1991. Yet, the fight for our independence (and existence) continues now.
 
God loves the nations, He sets their borders, in heaven there will be a tree that the leaves will be for the healing of the nations. Can we pray for the nation of Ukraine as they celebrate this special day and pray that one day it will be a united independent nation again.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
 
Today's picture — the activists raised the flag of Ukraine in Crimea. "We unfurled the flag on one of the peaks of the Crimean mountains, Pakhkal-Kai, to show the unity of the Ukrainian people because Crimea is Ukraine! Today, the symbol of Ukraine flies over the mountaintop of Crimea, and very soon, we will decorate the entire peninsula with blue and yellow flags. Happy Unity Day, Ukraine!" the activists of the Yellow Ribbon Movement wrote.

Ira Kapitonova
O you who love the Lord, hate evil!
He preserves the lives of his saints;
he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 97:10
Our brain is fascinating. Sometimes, a faint smell or an accidental image can take you to the depths of your memories and discover something you never thought was meaningful to you.
At other times, your mind would try playing tricks on you, making up stories to replace the sad reality:
 
Your friends are living across the ocean now? That's because they decided to take an extended vacation there (not because they had to seek refuge from war).
You are looking up protective gear for your friend? Oh, you must be confused. It should be protective gear for a computer game character. It can't be for real!
Your friends are making trench candles? It must be some sort of fun craft, not a necessity. Trenches? In the 21st century? In Ukraine? No, it's something from World War I.
I had something like this going on in the back of my mind last week. Almost two years into the full-scale war, and it's still hard to comprehend that it is happening. May we never get used to it! May it never become normal to us!
 
It’s hard to imagine that to day in the 21st Century there are thousand of soldiers in trenches being warmed by trench candles, but it is reality. Can we pray for them.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
 
Today's picture — soldiers trying to keep warm by the trench candles. Photo by Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov.

Yarik, Ternopil
Hello friends . Soon we will have a new ministry for disabled veterans - YWAM TAXI . There is a big need here to take people in wheelchairs to different places: from home to rehabilitation, moving from hospital to hospital, taking them from hospital to park or restaurant, take them from hospital to home, etc.
We are looking for people who what to be part of this ministry.
Today we are hoping to pay deposit.
Van is in Netherlands at the moment. 
Total coast for van with taxes and customs around 15000€.
 
Can we pray for Yarik and his team in Ternopil as they continue to move into different ministries that meet the current needs of the people. They continue to bring hope in so many different ways. Pray for this need to be met.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
 
To give to this need: Go to ywamslavicministries.org

Ira Kapitonova
The Lord reigns;
he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed;
he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established;
it shall never be moved.
Psalm 93:1
When the full-scale war began, we were constantly wondering if we were safe enough in the village or had to move closer to the border. Once the Russians were kicked out of the north of Ukraine, I could breathe easier and felt more at peace about my friends who stayed in Kyiv, even though I was wondering how they survived the missile attacks and blackouts. However, many would say (and we ourselves see it now) that life in Kyiv feels almost ordinary now, with a few significant peculiarities.
 
At the same time, some cities keep being shelled every day because of their proximity to the enemy. How do people survive there? Is there life? How is it possible? I kept wondering about it, and a couple of days ago, I came across a Facebook post by Olena Pavlenko about life in Kharkiv, which is located about 30 km (20 miles) from the border and is shelled from the Russian territory daily.
 
Olena paints a pretty somber picture, saying that Kharkiv is now a city of severe and weary people who lack sleep and have high anxiety levels. She says she noticed more people buying and consuming alcohol as it seems to be their only way to get some stress-free rest (which, of course, isn't an effective long-term solution, but I guess it's hard to keep the long-term impact in mind when your life can be cut short any moment).
Olena uses an image of Kharkiv as a city of clenched teeth because people who stayed there do so out of their resolve — public transportation drivers, cashiers, journalists who record shelling aftermath, volunteers who fix military equipment and send aid to the frontline, and all those who have nowhere to go and those who stayed to care for them, those who don't want Kharkiv to become a ghost town.
 
One of the common adjectives used to describe Kharkiv is "made of reinforced concrete (ferroconcrete)," I think it also applies to the people who stay there.
I've been to Kharkiv only once, more than ten years ago, but I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to visit it again. Please, pray for Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, and smaller towns mercilessly shelled or attacked with drones.
 
Pray for the people of Kharkiv.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministsries Team
 
Today's picture is of a residential building in Kharkiv that was damaged during a missile strike a couple of days ago. Photo by Yan Dobronosov.

Ira Kapitonova
Though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
but you, O Lord, are on high forever.
Psalm 92:7-8
 
Today, I came across a speech by the UK Defense Secretary, and it has a very sobering message. You can read the whole transcript here - https://t.ly/wFUI2.
Pretty much since the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukrainians kept repeating that it is pointless to worry that providing military aid to Ukraine would lead to World War III as it is already taking place, so we must act decisively and fast against this evil. The world leaders were reluctant to accept this new reality. Finally, almost two years later, the British Defense Secretary told the harsh truth.
Here are a few key takes from his speech:
— But now is the time for all allied and democratic nations across the world to [...] ensure their defence spending is growing. Because, as discussed, the era of the peace dividend is over. In five years’ time, we could be looking at multiple theatres involving Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.
— 2024 must mark an inflexion point. For Ukraine, this will be a year when the fate of their nation may be decided.
— Putin believes the West lacks staying power. And since the future of the world order is at stake, we must prove him wrong. Rewarding his war with victory would only increase the risk of escalation. Not only because he’s hell-bent on rebuilding the Russian empire. But because it would signal weakness to other would-be aggressors.
— Britain understands that the battle in Ukraine is existential, it proves there is no such thing as an isolated conflict. And that to shore up the international order, we must be able to act globally.
— So, we find ourselves at the dawn of a new era. [...] Moving from a post-war to a pre-war world. [...] And the foundations of the world order are being shaken to their core. We stand at this crossroads – whether to surrender to a sea of troubles or do everything we can to deter the danger. I believe that, in reality, it’s no choice at all. To guarantee our freedoms, we must be prepared. Prepared to deter – the enemies who are gathering all around us.
 
I can't say that I was happy to read these words, but it's encouraging to see that, finally, we are on the same page, and there is a common understanding of threats. I pray that other countries will have the courage to come to similar conclusions. It's easier to ignore bad news, yet it's responsible to face it.
 
Can we pray for our world leaders today, that there will be an understanding of the times and wisdom how we should live.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team