Breakdown of Peace Talks

Detained at Polish Border

At present we are helping a young girl named Elaine to settle in Norway. Getting her out of Ukraine was challenging. A Polish border officer took her off the bus because she didn’t have proof of funds to enter EU. Now refugees must have an electronic form allowing them to enter AND at least 1,000 euros before EU lets them in. We quickly sent a letter to Polish authorities that she is coming to us, and we will take care of her. She was released the next day.

This urgent message came from Sasha, our manager in Norway:

“I have been on the phone with so many people from Ukraine. Some are in line on the border fleeing, getting my number from others, and asking for directions and help to navigate the system to not only come to Norway but especially Trondheim, because of the spiritual awakening that is happening there. We have been on the phone with local immigration officials trying to see what we can do to make it happen”.

A lot of people are scared that tactical and nuclear weapons are going be used against Ukraine and are trying to get out as soon as possible and as far as possible.

Some can fly through Gdansk, Poland, and we pick them up from the airport, help with paperwork, and put them on the train to Rode, near Oslo, where all refugees must go first to register as refugees. Some people are traveling by bus to Oslo, then by train to Trondheim.

Vitaly, our main driver, is on his way to Ukraine (he should be there soon) to help people get to the borders, and if needed, drive them through with the small van. A group of 50 young people, presumably from a school in Ukraine were found stumbling around a mined forest and were brought out. They were placed with us in Trondheim. We need bigger accommodation to house them.

We’re hoping that the new generator will be coming to the House of Hope soon, as the House still has many people and children in it whose homes were bombed or have fallen apart from disrepair. I'm just so grateful for the local managers and teams on the ground who have worked with us with over the years. they are indispensable for this great work.

And we’d love to have two more vans in Norway to cope with the influx people. We have been using the old van very extensively, but it has developed mechanical problems. Just lately our fuel bills and road tolls have gone up, but that is unavoidable. Ministry must go on, and people must be helped.

We remember two key workers – Igor and Vladimir

We lost Igor, our compassionate driver, whilst delivering food and medicine to the poor in a war zone, and then one of our faithful workers, Vladimir, in December 2023. He was one of the early leaders and maintenance man in the House of Hope and was a man of compassion in reaching out to needy homeless teenagers from the ghettos and counselling them. He was conscripted into the Ukrainian military and was killed in the front line of battle with Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine.

Stories of Rescue and Triumph as told by Sasha

Alex -He was only fifteen when he first arrived in Trondheim. He had come from Ukraine alone. He had only a too-big coat, a threadbare backpack, and a cracked phone screen that held the last photos of home. When he walked in, he was shy, barely making eye contact, eyes swollen with frequent tears. I hugged him. He hesitated only for a second, then held on. That hug lasted moments, and I knew: This boy will be our son, not by blood, but by heart.
Nights were hard; days were confusing. We sat through hours of medical appointments, hunted for a decent apartment, fought to get him support at school, and translated his documents. Slowly, his smile returned, his shoulders lifted, and the haunted look in his eyes began to fade. His language was music. He would sit for hours, playing rhythms on tabletops. We bought him electric drums. The drums weren’t just an instrument. They were a bridge between his pain and purpose.

He started teaching others. He found teens with eyes that looked much like his had been - broken kids, forgotten ones. He would come home flushed with joy, telling us how one of the kids opened up, how another asked for prayer. He wasn’t just healing himself – he was helping others heal.

Alex is only one of many. They come with silent screams, needing someone to listen to them, and love them long enough for them to believe the healing is real.
He also taught us something we will never forget: Love doesn’t fix everything overnight, but it creates a home. And when someone truly feels at home, even the most broken heart can beat again.

Olaf, a 23-year-old from Mariupol, a broken city full of death in Eastern Ukraine. He was once full of energy and hope for the future and was studying IT and cybersecurity. He hardly ever travelled outside the city; he had no need. All he loved was right there in Ukraine - his home, university, his friends, his family. But when the war came, everything turned upside down.

He would often repeat, “Not even in the worst dream could I have imagined what would happen”. His city, his life, his family – all were under attack. Bombs were falling, the roar of shelling filled the air, and his family decided, “We must leave, we need to flee!”

Mariupol was already cut off from the rest of Ukraine. He did not know how he would get out. Fleeing meant crossing the border into Russia, risking his life, and then somehow trying to make it to another country.

He lost everything he owned, except his passport - his ticket to live. He walked through the nights, shivering, hungry and afraid. When he finally reached the first border checkpoint, what waited for him there became a recurring nightmare.

“The Russians… they interrogated us for hours. Stripped us naked and kept us naked, and they would take turns, interrogating and humiliating us. Laughing at us, poking us, making us keep our hands lifted. Leaving us exposed, vulnerable… and then what they did could not be told”. While he was telling it all, he was sobbing. “I thought we would never leave.” When the interrogation was over, they threw him out of the booth naked, his clothes scattered across the pavement.
In spite of everything, he made it out. He made it to Norway. He started over – language training, pushing himself to work, earning a living, getting a driver’s license.

Then he came to Trondheim. He came to church, smiling, polite, tender to people and kids. We would have never thought he carried that much deep-rooted pain. He told us later, “I thought if I keep myself busy, if there would be no time… the pain would go away. But it did not go away. It still hurts”
Then one day, his voice trembled, and he told us, “Every day for months, I thought to myself that the only way to deal with this is to end it. In a way… I reconciled with the thought of dying.”

“But then I met Jesus. I met you, and I cannot thank God enough. But it’s still hard. It still hurts.” We hugged him, and he wept and wept… until there were no tears left. Suddenly he looked different. There was something different about his eyes. There was a spark of life. Jesus had touched him.
Somehow, as we worked with and helped other refugees from Ukraine, we realized that everyone was like Olaf. Everyone had the same pain, fear and brokenness.

Hundreds of times in the last few years we’ve heard people say, “If it had not been for you…” And we would always point them on: “It is all about Jesus.”
The people’s stories. Their pain. Their sobbing. We will never unsee. We will never unhear. We will never forget. Sometimes it feels like a heavy burden weighing us down with never-ending exhaustion. But even with all that…That touch of Jesus in the lives of these people makes it all worthwhile.
You are helping to make this salvation and healing possible in this mad war zone.

Spiritual Awakening in Norway

Amongst everything there is a spiritual awakening in Norway, Sasha and his wife, Vera are pastoring the Ukrainian Young People. They are having Bible studies and worship in their home regularly, and spontaneous fellowship meetings take place in a nearby park, and strangers stop by and ask to join in.

Ukrainian youngsters just stop by their home to visit Sasha’s children, and an unexpected outreach supper takes place, resulting in questions being asked, prayer being requested and many asking how to be saved. Those who are already saved, are learning very practically how to lead others to Christ.

Then a group of youngsters will gather in a local park on a Sunday and start singing worship songs. Strangers will ask if they can join in. Testimonies of God’s provision are being shared, and strangers ask for prayer. The believers then lead them to Jesus. One thing that I always do, is teach new believers how to lead others to Jesus. God’s army of soulwinners is growing very powerfully.

Budget for the Month

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.”

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