Please pray! Pray for Ukraine!

Pray that May 9 will not be an escalation of the violence in Ukraine

Pray for the pastors and believers who chose to stay in their cities to serve Christ regardless of the outcome.

Pray for Ukrainians who have been displaced by the war.

Pray the for MTW Ukraine Crisis Response Team based in Krakow and for wisdom to adjust our crisis response to the changing needs.

Please pray for the defeat of Vladimir Putin and the end of the extreme violence in Ukraine.

Pray that Western Governments would act wisely but effectively on Ukraine's behalf.

Pray for Ukraine's president and his family - protect them and give them courage.

We serve at His pleasure and with your prayers and support.

Important Links:

Voice of Ukraine - which seeks to respond to the crisis by mobilizing resources and prayer for Ukraine. We are asking for you to give of your financial resources and consider ways that you can tangibly help. Please click on the link! It is desperately needed!

https://voice-of-ukraine.com/

Ukraine Crisis Church Fund - was set up by MTW to help the present and future needs. Almost $6,000,000 has been provided! Thank you!  

https://voice-of-ukraine.com/finances-and-donation/

For the King,

Dal & Beth

We have been asked by many what life has been like in Krakow working to support the MTW Crisis Response Team? My reply is that it's an interesting mixture of living these movies: The Truman Show and Groundhog Day. You need to have seen these movies to understand :-). Each day is much the same as people with needs continue without much respite. Added to the repetition of each day is the constant sense of anger and disgust with the Russian assault on the innocents of Ukraine and dismay for the lack of substantive help from Western governments. Much help has been expressed in words and Ukrainians are waiting for the substance of those words to materialize. We are not on the front line of this war here in Poland, but we seek to bear the burdens of those who have been. I am reminded acutely that Jesus was described by the prophet as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. May we cling to His grace during this season of sorrows and grief.

Beth and I continue to support the efforts to place Ukrainians primarily in Europe. These are vulnerable displaced Ukrainian families which have left their homes and loved ones to move westward, away from the carnage of Russia.

We work primarily with Masha Shepherd, displaced MTW missionary from L'viv, as she serves as the case worker interfacing directly with Ukrainians who are primarily women and children. Our daily routine starts with an 8:30 a.m. briefing with Masha when she updates us on new families coming into our 'pipeline', each with their own case number. We update the Google docs live sheet with the new family and information. We then go through each case (family) updating the progress - where the family is currently, what city they are from in Ukraine, languages spoken, composition of the family, pets traveling with them, desired placement in Europe, etc. Each case is given a color coding helping us to see the urgency of a specific needed placement. Beth inputs this information into our live database.

Masha is talking with mothers in the Shelter in Krakow. Her role is to assess their needs and to help explain the next steps beyond Krakow. From here, the families are assisted with transportation to a host in Europe. She loves people well.

After the morning briefing, I go to work seeking to place families somewhere in Europe. We have a database that willing hosts have filled out on our website, Voice of Ukraine and I have developed a network of 'Point People' throughout Europe and North America who represent a group or network of potential hosts - churches, friends, etc. These point people are invaluable as I circulate the information about our families to determine the best match.

This process is repeated over and over - never in a straight predictable line. It's a difficult thing to make the decision to leave, moving further from home and loved ones. Our Ukrainian families are dealing with many things - trauma, war scars, loss of loved ones, separation from husbands and sons who are fighting on the front lines, loss of their homes.... We walk beside them with them with this value before us: How would we want others to treat our wives, daughters and grandmothers?

Here are two families getting ready to leave the Shelter in Krakow to go to Villach, Austria. The grandmother (standing) shared her story which was posted on Voice of Ukraine.

We also have families with acute medical needs as they move westward. We are currently working with a family whose 21 year old son needs dialysis every other day. The needs are great, but the people are precious in their unique and private brokenness.

Pictures above are of vans being packed with supplies from churches in Toledo, Spain (left/top), and unloaded in Krakow (right/bottom). The story of the Spanish coming to Krakow is posted on Voice of Ukraine.

As people are brought out of Ukraine, so also supplies are taken into Ukraine and brought to our church in L'viv. From there, other caravans move supplies further east where the needs are greatest. Special requests have come from the surrounding area near Kyiv formerly occupied and pillaged by Russian troops. The rebuilding of what has been destroyed will take years. It has been a joy to see the Body of Christ mobilize for Ukraine.

Along with helping with the placement of displaced Ukrainians, Beth is also involved in helping set up the 'Help Center' (picture above) which complements the Shelter with a place where families can go for the kids to play, for meals, use of the WiFi, and simply to relax. The grand opening of the Help Center was billed as 'Brazilian Night'. A room with donated clothes from our church in Krakow is also available for those in need.

Beth also is helping with the finance side of the Krakow operation and I administer the website, Voice of Ukraine. Check it out! We are busy, without doubt, but it is a blessing to us to be able to help.

Important Links:

Voice of Ukraine - which seeks to respond to the crisis by mobilizing resources and prayer for Ukraine. We are asking for you to give of your financial resources and consider ways that you can tangibly help. Please click on the link! It is desperately needed!

Ukraine Crisis Church Fund - was set up by MTW to help the present and future needs. We thank the Lord for over $4million has come from God's people. Thank you!

Please pray! Pray for Ukraine!

Pray for the pastors and believers who chose to stay in their cities to serve Christ regardless of the outcome.

Please pray for the defeat of the Russian forces and for justice to be brought to Vladimir Putin for the slaughter of civilians - men, women, elderly and children

Pray for Ukrainians who have become displaced

Pray the for MTW Ukraine Crisis Response Team based in Krakow. Pray for their children that they would find rest at night and not be bound by fear. Pray for grace and strength beyond measure for our team members as they serve.

Pray that Western governments would act wisely but effectively on Ukraine's behalf.

Pray for Ukraine's president and his family - protect them and give them courage. Thank God for the leader he is in guiding Ukraine's response.

Beth and I are humbled by your support and prayers

and we are grateful to our Lord for the privilege of serving.

For the King,

Dal & Beth

We are going to Krakow, Poland!

What have we been doing since the first bomb fell?

- We have been serving as part of the MTW Crisis Response Team based in Krakow, Poland. While here in Colorado, we have assisted MTW Ukraine leadership by developing a website called the Voice of Ukraine (https://voice-of-ukraine.com/), which seeks to respond to the crisis by mobilizing resources and prayer for Ukraine. We are asking for you to give of your financial resources and consider ways that you can tangibly help. Please click on the link! It is desperately needed!  

- We have been helping by providing support by contacting donors who have given to the Ukraine Crisis Church Fund set up by MTW to help. (https://voice-of-ukraine.com/finances-and-donation/)  Our goal is $2,000,000 and to date $839,728 has been contributed by God's people. Thank you! These funds will be used by the MTW Ukraine Team to meet the challenges of our Ukrainian brothers and sisters - short term needs and longer as well.

- I have been networking and building a database of places to house our Ukrainian families, mostly wives, children and older folks from our churches in Ukraine, who have fled the carnage. Our first preference is to find places in Europe, but we are also receiving offers from the US through the Voice of Ukraine, Needed! sign up form (https://voice-of-ukraine.com/needed/). We are not able to respond to the general mass exodus of 1000s of Ukrainians, but we are focusing our resources to our own family, believers and families from our churches in Ukraine and networks and providing them a more long-range approach by walking with them in a way that reflects our values as Christians. Can you help?

We are also leaving this coming Friday to join our MTW Ukraine Team in Krakow, Poland, which has become our command center to respond to the crisis. The MTW L'viv Team essentially has relocated to Krakow basing with a partnering church and has transitioned to becoming the a Crisis Response Team and operating in Krakow as well as continuing to go back to L'viv to facilitate efforts there with the church members who have remained.

We have been asked to join this team in Krakow so that we can lend our support to this effort by continuing what we are currently doing and whatever else we an do to support the team. We view this as an 'indefinite short-term' deployment. What this means is that we're not packing all our things becoming residents of Poland. We will stay as long as we are needed and as we are able.

Please pray! Pray for Ukraine!

Pray for the pastors and believers who chose to stay in their cities to serve Christ regardless of the outcome. Pray that Christ would be made known during this disaster.

Pray for Ukrainians who have become refugees in a matter of days. Pray for the children who are seeing and experiencing what no child should endure. Pray for the thousands (millions?) of women who have said goodbye to their husbands taking their children to seek refuge.

Pray the for MTW team in Krakow and in Romania to be able to minister to those in need and comfort the brokenhearted. Pray for those missionaries who themselves were forced to relocate and yet continue to serve though the threat of war around them. Pray for their children that they would find rest at night and not be bound by fear. Pray for grace and strength beyond measure for our team members as they serve.

Pray for us as we continue to serve in support from afar and as we tie up details to leave Colorado next Friday to join our team in Krakow. Pray that the Lord would strengthen us and give us sleep. Pray that we would not be overwhelmed by the plethora of needs or paralyzed by the news of war that seems to fill every minute.

Please pray for the demise of Vladimir Putin whose evil acts will place him among the notorious of history. Pray that his inner circle would turn against him and end his insanity.

Pray that Western Governments would act wisely but effectively on Ukraine's behalf.

Pray for Ukraine's president and his family - protect them and give them courage.

Beth and I are humbled by your support and prayers

and we are grateful to our Lord for the privilege of serving.

For the King,

Dal & Beth

After sensing the majesty and greatness of the Lord last night during a walk and gazing at the Rocky Mountains (pictured above), I read these words of David this morning:

‘But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;

let them ever sing for joy,

and spread your protection over them,

that those who love your name may exult in you.

For you bless the righteous, O LORD;

you cover him with favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5)

This is a hopeful prayer asking for rejoicing and joy even though there is the need for the Lord’s protection. In the midst of concerns from without, there is a desire to position one’s heart under the blessing and favor of the Lord. David's prayer reveals the real tension of walking by faith in trust while at the same time seeking to assimilate and negotiate the ‘monsters’ of life that would, without God's help, turn this paradigm of trust upside-down.

As we continue to move toward returning to live and serve in Ukraine in March, we are faced with the real tension of trust in the Lord while assimilating and negotiating the threats of a potential invasion of Russian forces and the unknowns that this would bring. Our MTW colleagues in Ukraine and our national partners have been living in this real tension day in and day out for some time. After talking with colleagues in Kyiv recently, we were updated on their plans and protocols if Russian forces again were to invade, and war ensues. And yet, we learn that 'life on the street’ seems to be the same as usual and ministry continues under a ‘qualified’ norm. How could this be the case, we asked? The answer was that since 2013/14 the Ukrainian people have been living with Russian forces encamped on their borders and though fear could paralyze, life must continue.

Please pray!

That the Lord would use this time of unknown and concern to open hearts to the Lord and the gospel of grace.

That the Lord would give grace and wisdom to MTW colleagues in Ukraine, especially to Mel and Martha Pike and Alister and Sarah Torrens in Kyiv, with whom we will be directly working, as they contemplate future plans and contingencies if Russian forces do invade.

Pray for our national partners, especially Pastor Ivan Bespalov and his family in Kyiv, as he faithfully continues to serve the Lord during these troubling times.

Please pray also for Beth and Dal as we pack and put our things in storage in Colorado and consider what to bring with us. There are many, many details that need to be deliberated, decided and executed over the next weeks. We appreciate your prayers more than you know!