December 2023
Dear Friends,
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you are now preparing for a joyful Christmas. Just a quick update – a couple of our ministry partners have bought the shoes for the “Soles for Souls” and the other ministry partners are almost done purchasing shoes too. One partner asked us if we would approve buying a few needed coats for children too and we gave the go-ahead. I will be sending a few photos in January of these shoes and coats you bought for these wonderful children.
As I mentioned last month, we are having a second outreach to keep people warm this winter. After talking to our ministry partners in Ukraine, it looks like last year everyone who needed a heater or stove oven was given one, so we don’t need a fundraiser for more of these items. What our friends are asking for is to help us by firewood for those families who are too poor to purchase firewood who had a wooden oven put in last winter. Most of the villages in the hardest hit areas of the war still have no water or electricity. I will be updating everyone on this outreach in February.
As a board, we are meeting on January 7th to review 2023 and determine our 2024 budget. Please pray that God gives us wisdom. I am looking to hire a new director of ministry and begin going back to a few regular ministry activities in the upcoming year (orphans and drug rehab are two areas), while also continuing to help our ministry partners with food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, kid’s summer camps, Christmas, and winter outreach, etc. Please pray that we will make right decisions and the Lord Jesus is leading us.
I am going to keep this prayer letter brief, but if you want to help us with firewood to keep people warm this winter, please place on your check or online donation, “wood.” As of December 1, we were still down about $26,000 for the year. I want to thank everyone who has donated toward the “Soles for Souls” Christmas outreach – we have brought in about 2/3 of the cost so far.
I also want convey to you that you are a gift from God to us and everyone in Ukraine with your friendship, prayers, and donations. I thank God you; Merry Christmas and God bless you!!!
In Jesus’ love,
Ron