God Hears the Cries of the Children

From reports in the Odesa media and also the Ukraine official media outlet the invading forces are scanning social media for information confirming results of there attacks and to adjust their tactics. They have also been posing as representatives of foreign media for the same purpose. With this in mind we will not publish on the website photographs that either identify people or locations, similarly towns, other than those regularly mentioned by the media will not be named. Some names have also been changed in this report.

If you receive a direct copy of our news letters please do not re-publish any part to social media. Thank you for your understanding.

Ukraine’s Missing Children

We are still very disturbed about the Ukrainian children that Russia kidnapped from Ukraine, and Moscow still gloats over the 744,000 Ukrainian children it has stolen from Eastern Ukraine. They have been placed in “Reconditioning Farms” where they are being brain-washed into “good Russian citizens” who will eventually forget their Ukrainian home and parents. This is why we’re doing our best to help the children in the single mother families in Odesa Province around the House of Hope.

Julie’s Trials

Julie sat by the window, mending her son’s shirt, her heart heavy with worry. After fleeing a village, near the dangerous Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, in 2022, her family settled in a small, rundown house in the Odesa region. The war had taken everything from them, and now, with the school about to start, they desperately needed help with supplies for their three older boys. The house, offered to them by kind strangers, was in dire need of renovation, but they lacked the wallpaper and paint to make it feel like home. Her husband, Vlad, worked long hours in the fields, earning barely enough to feed their four children. Every day, Julie felt the weight of their situation pressing down on her, knowing how much they needed but unsure how to make it all work.

One day, Avigail and Andre, from the House of Hope who had been helping them since their arrival, knocked on the door. Simple people with kind hearts have brought essential food and medicine for months. Seeing the worry in Julie’s eyes, Avigail asked, “We know school of sorts is starting soon. How can we help?”

Julie’s eyes filled with tears as she explained their desperate need for school supplies—shoes, notebooks, and pencils for the boys. Though a blessing, she also mentioned how the house needed wallpaper and paint to make it a true home. “We’re doing all we can, but it’s not enough,” she admitted quietly. Andre handed her a Bible, his voice gentle as he said, “We also want to share the Gospel with you. There’s hope in Jesus, Julie. Trust in Him for help.”

Though deeply touched by their kindness, Julie knew the challenges were still immense. They hadn’t yet received the help to prepare their boys for school or fix their home. The need was urgent, and time was running out. Julie and Vlad continue to face these challenges alone. They need school supplies, wallpaper, paint, and, above all, hope. Please pray for this family and consider helping them. Your support could transform their lives, giving them the fresh start they desperately need.

Alice from a village outside Odesa

Alice sat on the edge of her bed, cradling her new born daughter, Sonia, against her chest. The room was dimly lit by a flickering bulb that hung from the ceiling, casting soft shadows on the cracked walls. Outside, the wind howled through the trees. Her two sons, Michael, 13, and Andrew, 7, sat on the floor nearby, playing quietly with makeshift toys they’d fashioned from bottle caps and scraps of wood.

It had been a year since everything changed. At the end of 2022, Alice’s husband had been drafted into the army. They saw each other a few times in those early, uncertain months, and in that brief period, Alice discovered she was pregnant again. But just as quickly as hope had blossomed, it was torn away. Rumours spread through the village like wildfire, and soon Alice learned the truth — her husband had found a mistress near his deployment. He had chosen another life, leaving her alone with their unborn child and two young boys who still believed their father would come home.

Winter had arrived, harsh and unrelenting, with little comfort to offer. Alice’s savings had dwindled to almost nothing, and every day was a struggle to provide for her children. The house they lived in, offered to them out of charity, was small and crumbling, but it was a roof over their heads and a place to keep warm as the nights grew colder.

One chilly autumn day, two strangers arrived in the village. They were unlike the people Alice usually encountered—kind eyes, warm smiles. Their names were Avigail and Andre from the House of Hope, and they carried with them books and spoke gently about hope and love, and as they spoke, something in her heart stirred. She felt an unfamiliar warmth, a flicker of light in the darkness that had enveloped her for so long. When they handed her a Bible, she accepted it hesitantly, her hands trembling as tears welled up in her eyes.

That day, Avigail and Andre shared the gospel with her, speaking of grace and resilience. As they spoke, Alice’s tears flowed freely, a release she hadn’t realized she needed. She felt the weight of her burdens easing, if only for a moment, and she knew, somehow, that she wasn’t alone.

Since that visit, Alice had clung to the Bible they gave her like a lifeline, reading its pages in late at night when her children were asleep. It brought her comfort, yes, but it did not change the stark reality she faced every day. The cupboards were nearly bare. Her body, still weak from childbirth, was exhausted from lack of food and rest. Sofia needed diapers and formula; Michael and Andrew needed clothes and school supplies. There were moments when Alice felt the desperation close around her, a cold grip that threatened to suffocate her.

But then, Avigail and Andre returned. This time, they did not come empty-handed. They brought with them a sense of hope and relief that Alice had not dared to expect. They provided school supplies for her boys—bright notebooks, pencils, and even a pair of shoes that fit Michael perfectly. For Alice and her baby, they brought much-needed medication, diapers, baby food, and a package filled with basic necessities—flour, rice, canned goods, soap, and shampoo.
Alice felt tears of gratitude well up again as she took the supplies from their hands. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”

Avigail placed a gentle hand on Alice’s shoulder. “You are not alone,” she said. “We are here to help you, and we will continue to be here as long as you need us.”
Andre nodded his smile warm. “You have strength, Alice. More than you know. And we’re here to help you find it.”

That evening, Alice sat down at the kitchen table with her children. It was a simple meal, but more than they’d had in days. She watched as Michael and Andrew ate with hungry enthusiasm, their faces alight with joy. Sonia slept peacefully in her arms, a small, serene smile on her tiny face.

For the first time in a long while, Alice felt a sense of calm settle over her, a small but bright ember of hope. Avigail and Andrew had shown her that even in the darkest of times, there were people who cared, who were willing to help her carry the weight. And with that knowledge, Alice felt something she had almost forgotten—a quiet, steady determination to keep going, to fight for her children, and to believe that, somehow, brighter days would come. With your support we can make those brighter days come.

Thank you for the encouragement you are to us, and thousands of needy people through us. Please continue to stand with us in prayer and support for these needs.

Yours in the Spirit of Rescue,

           Dave and Margurita

“The love of Christ compels us.” 

P.S.

Since writing the above newsletter information has been received of the flooding and damage in the Odesa and Chernomorsk region following cyclone Boris". before arriving in the Ukraine "Boris" managed to cause problems in several countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary are suffering from heavy rains, snow and winds. As you can imagine this has added to the existing difficulties and hardships. Please keep the people in the region in your prayers and also the team at the House of Hope as they continue to seek to minister to those in the villages around them.

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