Children Growing Up in the House of Hope

Christmas has come and gone, and I am grateful for another year with all its promises and challenges. One of the Bible verses that I am very aware of in all that I do is: “Train up a child (or teenager) in the way they should go, and when they are older, they will NOT depart from it.”
This past weekend I was thinking about how, at age 18, I received Jesus into my life. I clearly remember sitting in a little church in Durban, South Africa, and at the end of the service, an invitation was given to raise a hand if we wanted to receive Jesus into our hearts. I was the only one who received Christ that evening, but I knew enough to understand what was being offered by Jesus – forgiveness of sin and God’s gift of eternal life.

Through the years I have had many friends and colleagues give their lives to the LORD, some even in their much older years. We know that as followers of Christ, he calls on us to change, to become more like him, and I have seen many fall away from serving the LORD as a result. A part of difficulty is that the older we are, the more we become set in our ways, our opinions and beliefs.
That is why Jesus calls us to accept Him ‘as an innocent child’. It is more difficult to have to first unlearn things, than coming as a fresh, unspoiled child to Jesus, with no preconceived ideas and opinions.

That is why I want to remind us that ‘our little ones’ – the House of Hope children – are at that innocent age now, and what a blessing it is for them to know Jesus personally (not just about Him). I wanted to send a little reminder of the gems we have right there, and to be aware of the precious opportunity that many of my older friends missed out on. May this year for you be specially blessed by the hand of the Lord.

We are seeing that foundation in the Ukrainian and Latvian orphans we have supported over the decades. One advantage they have over others in being young disciples of Jesus is that there was very little glitter that could distract them from the way of righteousness. Some have passed away from childhood diseases or as a result of the war, but most have gone on to be solid Christians, now in foreign countries. I remember saying to them, through our leaders there, “You’re not going as refugees, you’re going as Missionaries, just like the Jews in Jerusalem after the Day of Pentecost, going into all the world and preaching the gospel.” They are serving Jesus in the strange, unfamiliar cultures and are now part of a spiritual awakening in their areas. They are bright shining lights in Norway and Germany and have been a remarkable influence for Christ in their high schools and to the local populations of their areas.

And the extraordinary truth is that when God touches young people, He shapes the future. He rewrites a generation. He transforms the worldview, the resilience, and the spiritual identity of those who will carry faith into decades to come.

This has been the result of God’s grace and your prayers and support. We stand in awe of what God has done among the youth.

This just came from our manager at the House of Hope: “Please pray for us. Over these last days the electricity has started going off again. At first there’s a little heating and hot water, and then it’s gone — because the generators can’t provide it. At least we still get enough power to warm up food. That alone already feels like a mercy. But honestly, the bombing and shooting here never stops — day and night.

Just about two hours ago I was in Chernomorsk nearby. I was already driving out of the city on the main road when suddenly, right behind me, there was a loud blast — an explosion. Everything shook. Nobody understood what had happened. People just kept driving. Later I saw the news: ballistic missiles from the Russian drones had hit the port of Odesa. These are Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. It’s like this all the time. Drones in the evenings and more drones at night. This past Saturday I was preparing for Sunday service in the House of Hope there was the sound of gunfire and missile explosions around us all the time. It has become a fixture in my mind - shooting, shouting, and explosions.

We’re exhausted. Completely worn out. We have barely any strength left. Life has turned into constant calculation — trying to catch a small window each day when you can clean, do laundry, take a cold shower… and then everything shuts down again. The rest of the time you just wait. You endure. You survive. We’re doing everything we can — but we’re running out of strength.”

So, we thank you for standing with us. Thank you for supporting a work that is not simply about comforting the broken, but about forming a generation.

UPDATE

In the last few days, since receiving the above report, a local news source reported on an abnormally cold period of weather. Roads and pavements in Odesa covered in ice. Maintenance crews went out to clear the roads and some of the pavement areas, and despite this, 900+ people were injured through falls on the ice. These conditions prevailed alongside the constant drone attacks.

Also Reuters, the news agency, published a video report "The Kyiv family, with its pets and pigs, defying Russia and the cold". This video clearly shows how many families are contending with what is happening in the Ukraine at this time. Click here to view the video (this link will take you away from our web site)

Many Ukrainian refugees living in Norway today are carrying an invisible weight: uncertainty about the future, fear of losing their right to stay, and mounting financial pressure. Although they have been granted temporary protection (up to five years) and their residence permits have been extended, these permits remain provisional and conditional.

This causes problems when employers learn that a person’s residence permit is only valid for a limited period. The hesitation that follows means that the temporary protection status becomes a barrier, even for highly motivated and qualified individuals. And at the same time, government support is being reduced. Decreased financial assistance and stricter access to services leave many struggling to cover basic needs such as housing, food, and healthcare.
Across Europe, including Norway, governments are now working to revise and reshape legislation concerning Ukrainians under temporary protection. Under Norway’s new proposal, everyone with temporary protection would be required to reapply and seek individual protection status. At the same time, it is emphasised that if such an application is denied, there would be no right to reapply.

The uncertainty this creates seeps into everyday life. Simple plans — a school year, a rental contract, a training course — are overshadowed by the question: will we still be allowed to stay? Children who have put down roots and made friends are facing a potential emotional upheaval.
Through all of this, the community has become a lifeline. Gathering, sharing burdens, praying, and supporting one another give strength where official answers are lacking. For many, these moments are not just comforting traditions; they are the places where people remember that they are not alone. In lives marked by uncertainty, prayer becomes an anchor, and faith becomes a rock. Without that love, that fellowship, and those prayers, many feel they would have already collapsed under the weight of it all.

Simon and Olivia

Simon and Olivia had planned an ordinary life for themselves, serving the Lord, reaching out to people, and building a family, but war overturned everything. They fled Ukraine with their whole world wrapped in blankets and uncertainty.

When they reached Kristiansund in Norway, it became a place of temporary safety, but not yet a place of rest. They were grateful to be alive, but the trauma lingered.

In the middle of all this, their youngest daughter, born in Norway, was diagnosed with Down syndrome. They loved their child instantly and completely, and yet they were afraid — afraid of the unknown, of whether there would be enough, of how to carry one more challenge when they already felt at the edge. In their despair, it even felt as if God had left them, and hope seemed very far away.

Their older daughter, Mary, only two years old, watched everything with wide eyes. She only knew that her parents’ faces sometimes looked sad and that her baby sister needed gentle touches. In her small way, she became a thread of light in their days, pulling them back into the present with her laughter and simple demands of attention.

Just when their strength felt the most fragile, someone reached out and invited them to our refugee meeting in Trondheim. It was a simple invitation, easy to decline, and they almost said no. The thought of sitting in another room, hearing another stream of information, meeting more new faces — it all felt like too much.

It was different. God was at the centre of everything that was happening there. It was deeply relevant to their lives and their pain, soothing, and deeply practical. Faith was not an escape from reality but the strength to walk through it. People did not just talk about love but lived it — helping with forms, explaining systems, holding babies so tired parents could breathe for a moment, and praying simple prayers full of compassion. In that place, Simon did not feel like a burden. He felt like he was family.

We talked and prayed as they decided to move to Trondheim, holding on to that small spark of hope, believing God for miracles — for housing, for work, for school, for strength. And slowly, gently, they began to believe that their story might not be only about loss but also about regrowth.

Today, in Trondheim, Simon and Olivia are able to reach out to those around them, helping those walking the same hard road. Their life is still not easy, but now their struggles are wrapped in purpose. The pain did not disappear — it was transformed into compassion. They often say with quiet conviction, “The best thing we can do today is keep serving Jesus.”

Thank you again 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. We appreciate you immensely.

Yours in the Spirit of Rescue,

           Dave and Margurita

“The love of Christ compels us.”

If you would like to donate to help these needy families and children, please use link above to make a safe donation by credit card or PayPal.

May the glory of your name be the center on which our lives turn.
Manifest your kingdom realm, and cause your every purpose to be fulfilled on earth,
just as it is in heaven. Our Beloved Father, dwelling in the heavenly realms,
We acknowledge you as our Provider of all we need each day.

Matthew 6:9-11 [TPT]