The House of Hope the continuing challenges & victories

Our Dear Friends,
Thank you for your powerful prayers and kind support for the orphans and families living in the House of Hope. They battle against the fear of constant bombing and the discouragement that their beloved country is being devastated. They realise that the peaceful, happy lives they once lived will not be back in their lifetime, and possibly not their children’s lifetimes.
Many thousands of young Ukrainian children who were kidnapped by Russian forces from summer camps have not seen their families for more than 4 years. I can only imagine the grief and hopelessness in their parents’ hearts when they look at their children’s empty beds and face another Christmas without their children’s happy laughter. They must say, “Will I ever see my children again? Will I ever hug my child again and hear them say, ‘I love you’?” And what about the children – developing hardened hearts and warped minds if they are not brought home with proper counselling? Please God, I want to see them rescued in my lifetime.

Truly a House of Hope

This is the busiest and most exhausting time our teams have had in the four years of this devastating war. The House of Hope is needing repairs and maintenance, but it is crowded with people whose homes have been destroyed by the bombing (Odesa is being bombed excessively at present). Many of these are single-mother families who don’t know if their husbands or grown sons are ever coming back. The constant fear, along with the early arrival of the colder weather, is taking its toll, and the sick need a lot of care, physically and mentally.
People’s homes are worn out or damaged, but their gratitude is overwhelming. Our leaders bring them to Jesus and gather them for prayer and worship and minister the Word of God to them and encourage them as much as they can. In Odesa province, believers gathered to sing praises to God for His care and protection.

Alice and her Children

Alice lives in a quiet village surrounded by open fields and dusty roads, far outside the city of Odesa. Life has weighed heavily on this young mother’s heart. Not long ago, she lost her father, the one person who always stood beside her, especially when the days were hard.

Now she faces every challenge alone. There is no one to help raise her two children, to watch them, to share the responsibility or the fears that come at night. She longs to find work, but she cannot leave her children unattended, and opportunities in a remote village are scarce. Every day she faces the same question: How do I keep going?

The house she owns needs full reconstruction. It is a shelter, but not yet a safe place. Sometimes, she looks around and wonders how she will ever manage to fix what is broken — both in the house and the life they are living.

But even in the heaviness of grief and uncertainty, Alice does not give up. When the exhaustion catches up to her, she hides her tears so her little ones will not see the fear behind her brave smile. She wakes up each day and keeps going, simply because love leaves her no other choice. Her strength is not loud, but it is fierce — the kind of strength that rises again after every setback.

And God sees her. He sees every quiet sacrifice, every whispered prayer, every step she takes into an uncertain future. And He is not finished writing her story.

Andrew and Lily

In a quiet, simple Ukrainian village, where days can be painfully long, lives a father named Andrew. His past is not hidden — there was a time when alcohol was his escape… and his cage. Each day slipped into the next, and he was losing himself along with what mattered most: his daughter, Lily.

She watched her father through the haze of those years. The man she loved was disappearing behind closed doors and empty bottles.
Then, at a turning point only God fully knows, Andrew looked at his life, at his daughter’s eyes filled with fear and longing, and he decided the story would not end like that. He fought his way back. Day by day, through tears, shame, courage, and grace, he stepped away from the darkness that once ruled his life. He chose sobriety, and he chose to be a father again.

Now, we meet a man transformed. His eyes are clear. His smile is genuine. There is hope inside his home. He is a single parent doing everything he can — taking any work that comes his way, small jobs with hard labour. It isn’t much, but it is enough to keep food on the table and dignity in his heart.

And Lily now sees a father who shows up for her. A father who protects her, provides for her, and loves her with a love redeemed from the ashes of his past.

Their life is still fragile, the future, uncertain, but they walk it together with gratitude and faith leading each step.

Leah’s Suffering

Nadia has weathered years of sacrifice for her family in their modest home outside Odesa. Her daughter, Leah, is young, just learning the rhythms of motherhood herself. Leah gave birth to a beautiful baby, filling their home with laughter and hope, and for a moment, it seemed like joy had finally found a place to stay.

Then everything changed. When the baby was only four months old, Leah’s body started to fail her. Intense pain. Fear. Emergency hospital visits. Doctors were making decisions faster than she could follow, requiring two life-saving surgeries.

Her recovery has been slow, filled with careful steps and whispered prayers. And just as the family began to breathe again, the doctors discovered a hernia at the site of the earlier operations.

Leah tries to stay strong. She holds the baby close, even when her own body aches. Her smile sometimes trembles, but she smiles anyway. Meanwhile, Nadia carries the silent weight that mothers never stop carrying — fear for her child, and now for her grandchild too.

They cling to faith in the long nights. They hope for healing in the long waiting. They face every challenge with courage that no one sees — except the One who never looks away — and we are honoured to stand beside them, to witness their perseverance, their tears, their victories, and their unwavering love.

These are the stories we encounter. These are the lives we are honoured to walk beside: people whose stories rarely make headlines; parents who keep fighting because someone depends on their strength. They are quiet warriors who have stared down darkness and refused to surrender, unspoken heroes of unseen battles, resilient in faith and hope.

Young Refugee in Norway worried about his parents in Eastern Ukraine

Sasha, our manager, sent this urgent message, “I have just been talking on the phone with a young man in our group. He comes from the small city, Eastern Ukraine. When this young man left for safety in Norway, his parents stayed to take care of the elderly, sick grandparents. Now, Russian tanks have broken through the ‘front line’ and are only 30 km away from their city. He is worried that he may never see his parents again. The parents cannot leave because of the handicapped grandparents.”

Please pray that God will intervene in this coming advance and distract the Russian tanks, stop the onslaught and preserve all the people there.
I was in England during October and planned to visit Norway to check on the Ukrainian refugees and orphans we’ve evacuated to Trondheim and Molde. However, I was advised not to go, because they have had a new COVID-type outbreak in these regions. Even Sasha, our manager, and his wife, Vera, are very sick at this time. The medical expenses have gone up and increased our budgets considerably. Please pray for the health of our workers and also these refugees.

However, the spiritual awakening they are experiencing is abounding, with the young people gathering in public places and singing praise songs to God. The local folk are joining in and hearing the Ukrainian youngsters sharing their testimonies of fleeing the war and thanking God for their safety. The locals are visibly touched, and the youngsters offer them refreshments, share the gospel with them, and lead them to Christ.

We thank God for all He has done, His protection, wisdom given and leading and give Him the glory, through Him all things are possible for those who love Him.

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.

Budget for the Month

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]