Hello family and friends,
Sveta and I are safe. The skies are clear this morning. At about 5 AM this morning, Russia invaded Ukraine, hitting a number of cities in Ukraine, including a place in Mykolaiv, about 5 to 7 miles north of us. Sveta was in our district this morning. People were in a very long line at the ATM and grocery store. Intercity buses have stopped, and many other things are happening. You can see it all on the internet news.
I will keep you informed as things change. Understanding who Putin was and is will suggest that he is living in soviet mentality times. He is trying to return to at time that has proven unacceptable by the world.
Life moves forward, faith in God grows, and unity in Europe strengthens. Although I am a resident of Ukraine, my involvement must remain focussed on the MUCH mission. At this point, all of our programs continue, out of harms way.
We will let you know if anything charges. Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!
Mark’s Moments
Twenty years have come and gone since I first moved to Ukraine. Eighteen years ago MUCH was created. A lot has happened during that time. It all happened in Ukraine. MUCH will continue to grow in Ukraine, serving the children in need, setting the example for the nation.
Over the past three or four months, pastors from churches in other countries have been inviting us to visit their church. This was a surprise to me. Of course, I didn’t understand it. When God called me to Ukraine, I didn’t understand that either. God is showing me that these churches in developing countries are in need of encouragement and direction. God is calling me to take MUCH to the nations. What does that mean?
There is a church in the Philippines that connected with us two year ago, directly before COVID appeared. The pastor shared about his ministry to orphaned and undernourished children.
Through our conversations, we discussed children with disabilities, and the massage therapy program. He sees a great value to have a massage therapy program for the children, and he sees value in massage therapy for adults dealing with the stress of poverty.
Another pastor who is inviting us to come to his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, also found me on LinkedIn, a job related social network. When we discussed the multiple values of massage therapy, he explained that there are many people not receiving treatment for disabilities in the cities and villages. The cities are filled with poverty and stress.
As God is unfolding the vision for the nations, Sveta and I are developing information that we can share via email and WhatsApp. I anticipate that this communication with any country will require at least one year to develop. From today, COVID and other things happening in Ukraine will determine our travel opportunities. The travel time will be one trip to one country per year. The difference is that the churches, not MUCH, will finance the massage therapy programs initiatives. Sveta and I will visit to initiate and enable the people to start the program. We don’t expect to reproduce our program in one year, that which took eighteen years in Ukraine. We do believe that we will move things forward much faster, though.
Thank you again, sponsors! Your contributions to the Christmas fundraiser is changing lives as you read this letter. Two warm homes, and massage treatments for many children are a reality because of your gifts. God Bless You!
Blessings of love and healing,
Mark and Sveta
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