Partner Updates

Wednesday, August 24, marked the sixth month of Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine. Though to ask any person on the streets in Lviv, Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Buccha, or Rivne, it is war, a campaign of pure evil, and a daily torment against their spirits, minds, and bodies. For much of the summer, people had been lured into a false sense of relative safety as Russia focused its efforts on the east and south along the Black Sea. However, on August 24, Independence Day, Russia reminded everyone in Ukraine that it still desires to crush them. Here is a snapshot of the day:

· A civilian passenger train east of Kyiv was bombed, killing 33 people.

The Outreach Foundation has been supporting the Counseling Center of the College of Theology and Social Sciences (CTSS) in Warsaw. This center was birthed during our visit in June and since then they have seen over 500 psychology professionals, social workers, and pastors take part in their training program. The following story comes from Rev. Dr. Larry Michael, Pastor for Adult Ministries at South Highland Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, who is an expert in grief, has written two books on the subject, and led seminars in England, India, and Ukraine. He has joined the counseling training team of CTSS and will be part of this process through the end.

An Urgent Medical Appeal from the Main Blood Bank for the Kirovohrad Region

Earlier today, we received an urgent appeal from the hospital our partners in Lviv are working with to provide medical assistance to victims of the war.

The following update comes from the College of Theology and Social Sciences, our partner in Warsaw, Poland. Since the war began in February, this partner has been an example of refugee work done well, and we are pleased to be partners with them.

As of July 23, Poland has taken more than 4.95 million Ukrainian refugees.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, The Outreach Foundation has partnered with Beni Husarciuc, a staff member of Cru in Romania, to provide medical and other supplies for relief efforts in Lviv that our friends in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church are providing. In June, a friend of Outreach joined Beni on one of his supply runs into Ukraine. What follows is a personal account of this visit that provides insight into the ways God is utilizing friendships developed over many years to come alongside people in Ukraine during the current crisis. For security purposes, we are withholding the identity of our friend who visited Ukraine.

Just as I was dropping off to sleep, the sound of an air raid siren blasted into the night. It was such a foreign sound that it took a minute for the meaning to sink into my tired brain.