In 2010, I met Evgeniy when he visited my neighbours. Once he helped my neighbors restore documents, it was a very long and difficult process. But I was very impressed when Evgeniy did not take any payment for his work. After a while, I went into the store with my two small children, and they started crying and asking me for candy. I didn’t have extra money, so I refused them. When I left the store, Evgeniy met me in the yard with a packet of candy and asked permission to treat my children. Again, I was surprised by this act. For 11 years, I did not meet him again. One day, my (already grown children) came and said “mom, we were invited to the church, for a meeting with teenagers.” I was not against it, although I myself did not believe in God. Over time, I noticed how my children looked forward to every Saturday, with a desire to prepare, and run to church. I also noticed how happy and talkative they were when they returned from church. 

When our village was occupied by Russian troops and we saw a lot of military equipment on the streets, we were very afraid. We were all very scared, then my children (eldest son and daughter) said “mom we need to pray.”  And then, for the first time in my life, I began to pray, repeating the words of the prayer of my son. After the prayer, he invited me to read the Bible and I read God’s Word for the first time. The fear did not disappear, but some strange and pleasant feeling was inside me. In the first months of the war, everything disappeared from the store shelves, there was no money, there was no medicine in pharmacies either. One day, my son Vitaliy came and said, “Mom, people from the church can help us.” I wrote a list of the medicines we needed, and after a while they gave us all the necessary medicines and money. After some time, they again gave us medicine and money for life. I was very impressed. In the first months, it was very important and essential help for us.

Due to the fact that this summer our children were deprived of going on vacation to the sea near where we live, the local church arranged a camp for the children in order to make the children happy somehow. My children were part of the team organizing the camp. I was very proud of them. On the day the camp closed, the children invited me to church and I came to the house of prayer for the first time in my life. The way I was met, the attention of people, the attitude, the atmosphere, all this pleasantly impressed me. The following Sunday, I went to the meeting alone. A week later I went again. And then I found out that in addition to Sundays, the church also holds classes for women, a prayer meeting, and a meeting where the Bible is read and explained. I decided to attend all these meetings. I have been attending each of these meetings for two months now. I have learned so much about God and faith in Him. I have many good new friends. And the most important thing, at one of the meetings, I asked the sisters, “You all talk about the pastor, but where is he?” who is he?” They explained to me that due to the threat to his life and the life of his family, (during the war) they had to leave the occupied territory. I asked to show his photo. When I saw him, I shouted “I know him, he gave candy to my children many years ago!” I was also told by the sisters in the church that he and his family gave you medicine and money. Now I go to church with an even greater desire to see them one fine day and thank them.

The missionary report of Pastor Evgeniy

Ukraine

Missionary Pastor Ministry