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We woke today at Tanya and Misha’s place with a bright blue sky above our heads. After a tasty breakfast it was off to church. It was a spirit lead service this morning, meaning that other than a few songs and the sermon’s, (sermon’s meaning three pastor’s came up to share this morning, including Sig.).Nothing else was scheduled. People young and old came forward to read poems, scripture, sing songs all of them volunteering to come and worship. It was a wonderful time of worship.
After lunch we packed our overnight bags and started heading towards Kyiv, with a scheduled stop in the Zhytomyr area to serve alongside another church who have a powerful ministry working with individuals who have lost loved ones in the war. Sorry to say that the church was packed with folks who have lost loved ones in the war. Each Sunday afternoon they get together in small groups to talk and share about their feelings and emotions that they are going through. They have five small groups going running at the same time, depending where the individual is in the grieving process, will determine which small group the individual will participate in. After an hour in the small groups we gathered in the main sanctuary to hear Sig speak on the book of Job and sang a few songs. We were also able to bless everyone there with a hygiene hamper. We handed out 176 hampers. It was a blessing for the team to be able to participate in this ministry, even if it was only for a couple of hours..
Part of their ministry also involves hosting retreats. They invite individuals from the small groups to a 4-5 day retreat in the province of Zakarpatska (western Ukraine), very close to where Chad and Mary live. Where again they focus on all aspects of the grieving process, (emotional, spiritual and physical). They told stories of how participating in these retreats has made a life changing impact in the lives of those who participate.
By five o'clock we were on the road to Kyiv and spent a wonderful night walking in the main square and supper at the Ukraine Kitchen restaurant. Chad and Mary's friends from Kyiv joined us for the evening.
