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A Christmas Project of Hope



Ira's father has contracted colorectal cancer and is in desperate need of immunotherapy treatment to augment chemo, just as with Troy.  This in the midst of ongoing war with destruction and interruptions of power and utilities that happen at any time. The facilities are meager to say the least and most of his care must be done at home by his wife literally in “field” conditions. Here’s a bit of Ira’s story . . . I came to God when I was an atheist in my sixth year of university, through the ministry of CRU staff. It was a deliberate and very serious decision — a complete shift in my way of thinking, from someone who used to mock the Christian worldview to someone who began to see her calling in helping students discover Christ. Very soon I made the decision that I wanted to become a full-time missionary and joined the team that was launching a new ministry in Dnipro (which is now on the frontline of battle). I had the honor of serving there for 11 years and witnessed a great impact on students — salvations, growth, and seeing students themselves become missionaries. For the past five years I have been living and serving in Kyiv as part of the leadership team of the student ministry, helping teams and developing leaders to guide the ministry in other cities.  I see how enormous the need for workers is right now, especially during  the war, when people are suffering and open to God. Ministry in Ukraine is difficult but at the same time incredibly fruitful. At night we hide in bomb shelters, sleep on the floor or on chairs, and during the day we serve people — even when there is no electricity.  The immunotherapy medication he needs for five infusions costs $4500. That sounds unbelievable to us having looked at the bills for Troy’s treatment, but that is really what it costs in Ukraine! Donate below to help us with this.

Sasha and Tania Mamonov—Transportation to Serve People



We have known Sasha and Tania for many years. They are faithful Ukraine for Christ staff workers and God is using them at various levels of ministry. Sasha has been a key leader in our mentoring and training programs for leaders, and Tania is part of the team that handles the development and training of our staff and leaders, and is a counselor for our staff. In Sasha’s own words . . .I am presently part of a humanitarian ministry team focused on serving people who have been affected by the war--internally displaced persons (3.7 million) and military families. I communicate with and train churches that utilize our humanitarian resources to preach the Gospel to these people. I also assist my national leader with various other projects related to interacting with other organizations and communities. Sasha and Tania need a vehicle Why would a vehicle help us?  In February, after thousands of kilometers of driving in our ministry, the engine in our car completely broke down, and we were forced to sell it. Every week both Tanya and myself have many meetings with people, in many areas of Ukraine and a car is essential as the massive shelling and bombardment of Ukrainian cities make it very difficult to travel by public transport and trains. Having a personal car would be a huge help for our ministry in this regard. We would like to purchase a comfortable, used car in good condition, a model year 2020 or newer, so that it will serve us well for a long time.  For example, one of our staff members is offering us the opportunity to buy such a car (a Nissan Qashqai) for $18,000. We are open to something similar, depending on the total amount of money we manage to raise. We admire their faith and tenacity in the midst of the incredible challenges of this horrible war. As God leads you, would you help Coralee and me to meet this need for them? 

The Yellow Box Project: Continuing, Expanding, and Bearing Fruit . . .

This project was born in the heart of our staff, began with a small number of a few hundred boxes and this Christmas season the goal is to distribute 10,000 boxes!! Each Yellow Box contains 7 kg (16 lb) of basic food items: flour, sugar, oatmeal, sunflower oil, canned food, coffee, tea, candies and cookies along with the message of the Gospel for $20! Each recipient receives 4 boxes during the course of a month. "We share the Good News each time we deliver a box." These meetings take place in local churches in the form of discussions and support groups. In this way, Ukrainians have the opportunity not only to hear the Gospel and receive food assistance, but also to integrate into the local church and find a community of After thousands of kilometers of driving in our ministry. “We have seen that the Yellow Box project is the most effective of all our small groups. Discussion is very important for people, because they can open up, speak out, share their pain, and hear the Gospel. The groceries are of high quality. Over time, we all become friends, the recipients of the Boxes join the meetings of the church. It is easier for people to come to a church when they already know people. Today, we have an average of 200 people at the service, 80% of them are internally displaced persons.” --Ruslan Bazhnytskyi, pastor of “God's Family” church, Chernivtsi, UkraineWould you consider trusting God with us to provide for 200 of these boxes?=$4000

Thank you for being a part of bringing life, hope and peace to the people of E. Europe!