The month of November turned out to be deeply painful for us. For Ternopil, the tragic events of November 19 became a terrible anti-record (since the beginning of a full-scale war) resulting in a large scale of destruction and significant casualties among the civilian population. And this is great pain and sadness. However, we cannot forget that the enemy has been doing such heinous things almost every day in many other cities of Ukraine. And accordingly, the scale of pain is not limited to local events. I would not like to go into these terrible details now - there was more than enough of this in the news coverage. But I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your empathy, your support, and your prayers. We really needed it; we felt it and still do.
THANK YOU!!!
As for our church ministries, here are some highlights from November…
We continue to have support groups for those who are away from home. Last time there were fewer people than usual due to seasonal diseases and other external circumstances. However, not only did the quality of communication not decline—it actually improved. People had more time and opportunity to express themselves. It also enabled discussion of more topics. I truly admire Olya's creative ability to set the right atmosphere starting with preparing gifts and decorating the table as well as continuing with creating necessary conditions for sincere and trusting communication during the meeting itself. The positive atmosphere among the group participants following each meeting consistently demonstrates this.
We continue to serve people with His word. This usually occurs during regular Sunday services and prayer meetings. We also hold weekly meetings to study the Word of God with a smaller circle of people or those interested in deepening their understanding of the truth and growing in it.
We continue to support the service by helping those in need. The volume of requests for assistance has remained consistently high, with November seeing the greatest number of new contacts compared to any other month this year, all of them coming from front-line areas. We strive to respond to every request as much as possible, though some can only be partially addressed.
In November, we helped over 100 displaced families with food, hygiene supplies, medicine, and other essentials. In addition, more than 20 IDP families with small children received special packages for babies from us.
We continue to support the family of the wounded soldier Sasha in every possible way.
By our good tradition, I am attaching several relevant pictures to this letter.
Thank you for your care, love, and support! We have been constantly lifting you in our prayers.
May the Lord bless you!
In our Lord’s love,
Oleksandr Kolosha
