Southern Region missionaries at work in Kherson

In March, missionaries from Nova Odesa, Mykolaiv Region, ministered in one of the local churches in Kherson to provide spiritual guidance and moral support. 

According to Viktor Pavlyshyn, a missionary and pastor of the church in Nova Odesa, Kherson is empty and ruined, with few people and cars, and many destroyed houses. The elite neighborhoods closer to the Dnipro River are completely destroyed. 

During the preaching there was a constant thunder of gunfire, sometimes so loud that the ground shook under our feet, but the people got used to it. They listened attentively to God’s Word on the theme “We are all in the hands of the Lord” from the book of Revelation 1:13-16:  

“Many were crying, and I tried to keep everyone’s attention on the Word. I asked questions when I spoke about the prophets, deliberately pausing before a prophet’s name as if I had forgotten it. People told me that was how we connected, and I was diverting their attention from the explosions. 

The church is alive, active, and many young people are coming. Many church members have left, but many new people have come. 

They greeted us very warmly, people liked the singing of our sisters, they were moved because they felt God’s touch, which they needed so much. After the service, many people came up to us and told us about their problems and experiences and invited us to come again. Of course, we were happy and want to visit them again.  It’s so good that in such a difficult time we can be an instrument in His hands and fulfill His will.

“To be honest, I was afraid to go to Kherson because of the constant shelling, but the Lord gave me courage and the trip was a blessing. When you talk to people who have been through a lot, their energy and optimism is inspiring. 

I especially liked the story of one brother, a deacon in a local church. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion and during the occupation of Kherson, almost all the church members left, and this brother was left alone. 

The Lord gave him the strength and courage to continue the ministry because many people came to him in need of help and comfort. 

He remained faithful to God’s calling. Today there are many people in the church, young people, everyone comes to hear the Word of God and receive peace,” said Inna Titova, a missionary from the Mykolaiv region. 

Christ Is the Answer missionaries are actively working in Mykolaiv and the region: they help the needy, people with disabilities, conduct children’s ministries in the hinterland, visit hospitals, prisons and nursing homes.

Christ is the Answer Ministries Press Center.