CITA Holds Events for IDPs in Western Ukraine

The missionaries of the Christ is the Answer Ministries organize events for the internally displaced persons from Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in Rivne and Ternopil.

About a hundred people from eastern and southern regions of the country united into one large Ukrainian family at a picnic in Rivne.
Excellent weather, an entertainment program, delicious pilaf cooked on fire, snacks for children and calm communication for adults.
As a friendly family, Ukrainians sang songs to the guitar, shared stories about God’s help in difficult situations, and also received hope and comfort from God’s Word.

“My soul rejoices when I see happy people. It was a pleasure to minister to people by organizing the picnic specifically for the temporarily displaced people residing in Rivne. I myself experienced the horrors of the war and am an internally displaced person, so I really understand how these people are feeling,” said Taras Sen, Ministries Director.

“Let such events be organized more often to raise awareness of the fact that we are all humans, we are all equal and we all need communication, friendship, finding a common language and helping each other,” said Oksana, a guest at the picnic from Rubizhne, Luhansk region.

“I really liked this event, very pleasant and friendly atmosphere, the children are delighted. For me, the most important thing is that the children can relax, get distracted, because my son often asks when we will return to Kharkiv. Here he had an opportunity to communicate with other children. We are very grateful, and if possible, we will be happy to receive such an invitation to such events again,” shared Anna from Kharkiv.

“I wish there were more events like this, because it is difficult for us, internally displaced persons, to be homesick, but this picnic has dispelled all sadness. I think that today no one even remembered their worries. I am very grateful! We saw people who really serve God,” Emma from Mykolaiv expressed her appreciation.

Ukrainians are also uniting in Ternopil. During the war, this city has already received, according to official data, 25,000 temporarily displaced people.

Missionary Andriy Vasenda with his team is involved in helping such people at the House of Bread church.
Meetings for TDPS started here in March 2022 and are held twice a week in two formats.
The general church service covers up to 150 people. Before the start, people can choose what they need from things and get a food package. At such church services, people hear God’s Word, testimonies, and sing Christian songs together. This format of the meetings helps to support people.

For a narrower circle, up to 40 people, there are meetings aimed at fellowship in order to get to know each other better. In this format, people easily share their stories and have an opportunity to build long-term relationships.

In two months, the CITA team in Ternopil held about 25 meetings, covering 600 families or about 2,500 people.
Due to the large influx of people, ministers have to register those who wish to attend such events in advance.
“We do not just want to help people with products, there are not enough resources for everyone. Therefore, a decision was made by the churches in Ternopil to help the IDPs with finding work, to help them realize where they have relocated. We are aware that people need to develop further, continue to support the economy of Ukraine, and move forward, so we offer them possible job options. We ourselves are interested that the temporarily displaced, our fellow countrymen could realize themselves in our city,” commented Andriy Vasenda, a CITA missionary from Ternopil.

The Christ is the Answer Ministries was created for one global goal which is to spread the Gospel and bring the Kingdom of God throughout the Earth, using various outreach tools and ministering to people.

Press center of the Christ is the Answer ministries.