The following messages come from Katya, one of the teachers in Kyiv, Ukraine, whose salary is sponsored by the Board of World Mission. We are incredibly grateful for Katya and her colleagues as they do life-changing work in impossible circumstances. [Faces in the photos are blurred and identifying information is redacted for the safety of those at our partner school.]
February 4th, 2025
Greetings, I want to share good news with you right away. In one of my previous letters, I asked you to pray for a student who could not decide which side to take: to believe in God or to reject him. Before Christmas, she repented, and it was such a joy for all of us (her teachers). So, thank you for your prayers. It is so wonderful to see how God works in the hearts of our students. As for the other student I mentioned, the one who chose to reject God, she had to be expelled, as she violated school rules and incited other students to do bad things. Please pray that we, teachers, can properly influence students and explain the consequences of their choices with wisdom and love. We had two weeks of Christmas break. God cared for me, and I had a real Christmas vacation. My friends invited me to visit Slovenia, all I had to do was buy tickets. It was, indeed, a week of rest and restoration. I am very grateful that God knows how to encourage and restore our emotional and physical strength. On January 8, school resumed. Last week, the 7th and 8th grades went to the Mennonite mission and helped package seeds for farmers in Ukraine. This is a good opportunity for students to see (and experience) how you can help others you don’t know. Also, the senior classes put on a play with their Musical Theater class. It is so nice to see how they reveal themselves and use the talents that God has placed in them. I will include some photos. This is how our first month of 2025 passed. Thank you for being there for me! Blessings to you.
December 22nd, 2024
Greetings,
November 26th, 2024
Greetings to you. Thank you for your prayers. Your prayers and love of God fill my heart with strength and joy despite the circumstances. I often come home and just don’t have any energy, but the next morning, I come to school and am strangely full of energy. As for the students, God is very good to me. I have a good relationship with the students. Sometimes, they are mischievous or do strange things (for example, a couple of students bought gas masks and came to school with them), but they remain so dear and close to my heart. Due to the war, some students’ health has deteriorated: sometimes everything is fine, and then their hands or feet start to go numb, and some have dizziness. Everyone’s nervous system fails in its own way. Adults try to control themselves and filter the information they receive, but it is more difficult for children. But, all the same, they enjoy life and inspire adults. We, as adults, try to be optimistic so that the students can see more kindness and not depression. This week seemed more difficult than the previous ones, as there were frequent air raids, and getting to school in the morning was a certain challenge. Almost all students missed the first lessons, and we started losing power again, but learning continues, and so does life. Last month, my older sister Natalya also started working here with 1st and 2nd-grade children. She is delighted and likes it. Please pray that she does not get too tired physically. Thank you for being there for us and for God caring for me through you. Philippians 4:19 NIV And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
October 19th, 2024
Hello,
Thank you for your encouragement. This month passed quickly, filled with various events. In September, we held an Ice Cream Social that brought together almost the entire school—students, parents, and teachers. It was a great opportunity for me to have some informal conversations with parents.
Thank God, for the first five weeks of school leading up to the break, there were no air raids during the day (though they frequently occurred at night). This allowed us to study in classrooms rather than in the basement. After the break in October, we had a two-day retreat with the upper school. We had a wonderful time playing different games and engaging in small group discussions with the teenagers, helping them to open up.
Through these conversations, I gained a better understanding of the students’ lives and their views on God. It was heartening to hear that most of the girls I spoke with wish to deepen their relationship with God. However, one girl is currently not interested in choosing God, and another is still deciding whose side to take. I ask for your prayers for our students, that they may see God in their lives and love Him with all their hearts.
I also want to share a blessing about how God cares for me, not just in significant ways but also in everyday matters. My sister and I have been praying for the opportunity to buy a car. Although I know it might seem impossible, especially in the context of war, I believe I can share my desires with God. We didn’t end up buying a car, but God performed a miracle when one of my acquaintances offered me the use of their car for a month. This is someone I never expected to help me in such a way. Once again, I am reminded of God’s love and how He responds to my needs in unimaginable ways.
Thank you once again for your prayers for me and for the school; they are a powerful force!
I apologize for the lengthy letter. If there is anything I can pray for you, please let me know. I would be very happy to do so!
September 7th, 2024
Hello, Thank you for choosing to support me. I really appreciate that you became my sponsors in 2022 when I first came to teach. I have some changes this year. A new math teacher joined us, and now I teach only in grades 8-10. Also, I will teach physics in the 9th and 10th grades this year. I am a little worried because I had no experience teaching physics in high school, but I see how God cares and gives wisdom. Such changes motivate me to learn and develop even more.
The last few weeks have been difficult for us here, but I don’t want to talk much about our realities (shelling, air raids, blackouts) because it might give the impression that I’m complaining, but I don’t want it to be so. I generally have some emotional block or it is a protective reaction to our reality. But then I can start crying over something trivial. But in all this, I see God’s love for me. It is so important to understand that in such periods, you are not alone, that there are people who pray for you, take care of you emotionally, and support you financially, even though they do not know me personally. This is God’s grace to me. Thank you. 😊
July 7, 2023
Greetings:)
I am glad that I can finally write you a letter and I apologize for a long break. Every time I sat down to write, I couldn’t find the right words. I didn’t want to focus on sad things, I wanted the letter to be filled with joy, but somehow it doesn’t always work this way. So I decided to describe shortly life as it is). During the past few months we’ve lived in some kind of dual reality: at night there are shellings, explosions, injuries and deaths, but the next morning you wake up, go to work and try to live a full life, as if these horrors didn’t happen. It makes me realize once again how God loves and cares for my family, my friends and me. God cares for us incredibly: my relatives are alive, students and their families are alive and unharmed, despite the fact that every explosion destroys something and kills someone.
June 15 was the last school day. When I think about how we started in September, I can’t help myself from crying from the overwhelming gratitude for God’s protection. It’s hard to believe that we survived the whole school year: explosions, blackouts, lack of water, heat and communication, classes in a bomb shelter, and despite everything, children kept studying. When I remember everything we’ve been through, I’m even more convinced of God’s faithfulness. Unlike me, God is faithful and unchanging, He will lead us through all these attacks with rockets and shaheds. I am grateful for the school year we had despite the war: for the joy, laughter, conversations, anger, gratitude, tears and classes. Grateful for the inner peace regardless of the surrounding circumstances. I am grateful that my incomprehensible future is in the hands of the Almighty God.
I’m grateful for your church, your prayer and financial support. Grateful, that you remain faithful and keep taking care of me, of us… without knowing us personally. May the Lord answer your needs, desires of your heart and multiply your blessings, so that you could see the fruits of your labor, so that you always have support when it’s needed. I wish your church to grow and God’s word to spread through you.
Thank you for praying for us, we can see and feel the power of your prayer.
I’d like to ask you to pray for our team and me personally, so that we could find some time this summer and rejuvenate our minds and bodies. We really need an emotional rest and a physical one wouldn’t hurt either) Please pray for the wisdom to organize free time, for the summer to be spent usefully and for preparation for the next school year. Perhaps that’s all.
Overall, God is good and He cares more than I expect and even more than I deserve.
Thank you again. And if you have specific questions or prayer needs, please let me know. May God bless you.
April 10th, 2023
March 5th, 2023
Greetings,
I thank God that He prolongs life and I can write you this letter and tell you a little about our school life.
Once again, I see that God is good and He takes care of us. The fact that our school is not closed proves it, and we keep studying despite all the forecasts. When we went on vacation on February 10th, we packed extra boxes in case we had to leave the city urgently, as everyone was expecting a second attack on Kyiv. But God is faithful and good to us, we prayed and keep praying that enemy’s plans do not come true and he is put to shame. The holidays are over, and we have started the second week of school. I’m once again reminded of a huge number of people from all over the world who pray for Ukraine. Thank you. Some of our teachers went on vacation with their students to Hungary and were very worried about getting stuck there with kids (it would be impossible to return to Kyiv if the enemy attacked). God was good, they returned to Kyiv safely and their fears did not come true. The school continues: yes, we do go down to the basement during air alarms, but we always pray for these alarms not to happen. Thank God we didn’t have blackouts in Kyiv for three weeks, and it positively affects the mood. Thank God, children remain children (despite the war) and find adventures anytime, their childhood continues and it’s wonderful. Sometimes it feels like I get used to all these terrible events and I question myself: “Lord, is my heart getting hard? Or are you just protecting me from reacting too emotionally?” Sometimes I get to thinking that I got used to the war and it scares me. That’s why I pray for my heart to remain soft and compassionate. At times I don’t know if I’ll wake up the next day. I can honestly say that God teaches to trust Him, to live in the moment and treasure every day, not focusing much on our past or future. Every day I thank God for protection, for my family, for having everything I need for life, because it’s an actual miracle to have a job during war. I’m grateful for God’s protection over students and their parents. Grateful for an opportunity to teach – it’s God’s gift both for teachers and children. Grateful for your continued financial support. Grateful for your faithful prayers. Prayer is a real thing that I feel every moment, it keeps my spirit cheerful. May the Lord answer every need you and your church have. I pray for you and thank God for you.
May God bless you!
February 3rd, 2023
Good day,
I am glad that I have an opportunity to write to you. I’m grateful for this life and for people who became dear to me, because God united us. Thank you for supporting us both financially and especially spiritually. Thank you for your prayers and your part in our lives. Thank you for mediating and leading the way – it inspires me and gives me strength to move on.
I’m happy that we were able to continue our studies after the holidays, despite all the circumstances. Thank God for the school and for children, they are the ones who make you feel useful and needed. They help me to get a little distracted from all the bad news. They also motivate to keep living, instead of anticipating the unknown).
I have mixed feelings about the last month: we had winter holidays at school and continuation of Christmas holidays in Ukraine, but the terrible war news didn’t allow us to enjoy that time as we used to. There were moments when I actually wasn’t sure if I’d wake up the next morning. If God decides to take me away, I just pray it will be quick and painless. But Lord is faithful, He shows His grace and extends our days on earth. In such moments I realize even more that He cares about me personally: my feelings, my needs, even if it’s not important in general, I am important to Him.
Today, our high school students went to help pack seeds for the villagers. I see God’s mercy in this trip, because He teaches us to take care of others in these difficult times, and not just focus on ourselves.
There is nothing extraordinary in our lives, no big news (except for the war), we just keep living our normal lives as much as possible.
Maybe you’ve got some specific questions? I’d be happy to answer.
And, please, let me know your prayer needs.
I’m grateful to have you in my life. May the Lord bless you abundantly)
Follow up on Feb. 5th:
Regarding seed packaging: it’s a project headed by one Christian Mennonite mission, they buy different seeds (onions, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.) to pack and distribute among Ukrainian villagers. Both grown-ups and kids can contribute to this project. It’s a great opportunity for children to learn how to serve others, to feel that they are a part of something big and just get away from daily routine. The sorting warehouse is located in Zhytomyr region (it’s a 2-hour drive from Kyiv). The mission wants Ukrainian youth to get involved in the project, so they offered our students to come and help. Kids were pretty tired by the end of the day, as they had to work the whole day. They were also so excited and happy to spend their time helping others. Later these packages with sorted seeds (along with some Christian literature) will be distributed among the villagers for planting.
December 29th, 2022
Greetings,
Merry Christmas! Thank you for your support and prayers.
I want to encourage you and share a little how God answered our prayers recently. That week, when I wrote you last time, I was asking God to show me useful things that I can teach my students and encourage myself. God gave me an idea: to make sort of an Advent, but much simpler. In the middle of the storm we still want to have grateful hearts, so we started our lessons practicing gratitude. Every day I asked my students to write three things they were grateful for and one thing they can do to be useful. They found it hard at first, but it got easier with each passing day. Kids thanked for simple things, for example: for electricity, for not getting stuck in an elevator, for lessons held in a classroom, not in a basement, for water and food, for the Ukrainian armed forces, for their families and many other things. It’s so great to see them noticing simple things, things they didn’t pay attention to and took for granted. After some time, girls started telling me that boys had changed for the better, and boys simply wrote on “the useful” cards: “not to tease girls today and to act normal (which is quite a challenge)”. God is encouraging me through such situations. At the end of each day I read those notes and thanked God for starting this tradition.
The last day before Christmas holidays everyone prayed for the day to be calm, without missile attacks, so that we could have a wonderful time. The air-raid alert started half an hour before the festive program and we went down to the basement. We couldn’t imagine having a celebration in there. I suggested that we should pray for the air-raid sirens to go off, so that we could have a celebration all together with parents and relatives upstairs. Honestly, I didn’t believe it would work. The air-raid sirens never last less than 40 minutes, and we had only 30 minutes before the start. I just knew I had to be an example for my pupils and that our God is the God of the impossible. We prayed, and 5 minutes before the start of the Christmas program we were told that “the air alarm is off.” It was a true miracle!))
I just wanted to share with you a bit of good news and tell you how valuable your prayers are)
May our Lord reign, may He embrace your church with His love the way you need it.
Thank you greatly for your love and care. Blessings!
December 5th, 2022
Greetings from Ukraine)
I would like to start my letter by thanking you, because your prayers and care are a huge blessing for NG, Ukraine and for me personally. Nowadays every prayer turns into power that helps us keep moving forward and rely on God. And these are exactly the prayers that James in 5:16 wrote about: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (KJV)
In short, the past month was emotionally difficult for me. Sometimes we had only 3 hours of light per day, because the Ukrainian energy system was damaged. It was psychologically depressing to move around the city in darkness, as if Kyiv turned into a ghost city. But God remains faithful and encouraging: these circumstances force me to focus on Him, to notice things to be grateful for, they reveal true values of my heart and what it’s attached to. Does my happiness depend on the level of comfort, or will I rejoice despite the surrounding factors? Thank God that our school works even in such conditions . The parents are happy that kids keep studying, socialize with each other and live a normal life as much as it’s possible right now. Please, pray for my spirit to be filled with God’s peace and joy, so that I could share this joy with people around me. I also need wisdom to work with my pupils. Thank you
I was wondering if you could share payer needs that you or your church have. I would be happy to pray for something specific.
May the Lord bless you and keep you!
October 29th, 2022
Hello,
Thank you for your letter! I bring my apologies for sending emails so rarely. I promised to send you pictures with kids .
Last week God blessed us with a middle school with an overnight retreat.
It was a blessed time to communicate and at the same time an opportunity to get to know our students better, get to know more about their values, life views, and problems. Kids are ready to open their hearts and share what they are going through. Thanks to this retreat, I saw a few challenges for myself. There are some kids who do not believe in God yet and I understand that giving them an argument “it’s a sin” or “God does not like it” would not sound like an argument for them and make them obey. That is why I’m praying for wisdom on how to reach these kids and demonstrate advantages of Biblical values and show God in practice.
Thank you for your support, care and prayers for Ukraine and our school, we need it and do appreciate it!
I don’t even know how many people exactly are praying for me. But I can say for sure that I feel it. God provides His peace even when it’s loud outside and it seems it’s time to start feeling fear and panic.
May God bless you and your Church and take care of all your needs!
Thank you!
Katya
October 17th, 2022
Hi! Sorry for sending the letter so late.
I’m currently in Kyiv, I haven’t moved anywhere since the war started. I thank God for staying here, despite the war. I believe I am where I need to be.
Here is a bit about me:
I am 35, I have a mother (my father died when I was 4) and two older sisters. I’m from Odesa region (southern Ukraine) and I came to Kyiv to study after graduating from high school and stayed to work.
I graduated from a technical university (I might write you about numerous God’s miracles during my years at the uni, but, may be, some other time 🙂 After a while, I decided to change my professional activity and entered a pedagogical university to become a physics and math teacher (it was childhood dream). While studying, I started tutoring and giving private lessons. Then one family asked me to tutor their daughters (who needed help with the entire school program) and I worked for them for 3 years. I kept tutoring more children, and decided to give free group algebra and geometry classes at my church. I kept doing it until winter of 2022. When the war started, almost all my students moved abroad or simply stopped studying. Only 2 kids stayed and we had classes from time to time. That’s when I started volunteering for with children with disabilities, helping them with mathematics (thus I was able to distract them a little from the war and help a little with math). At the end of May, I began to pray that the Lord would take care of me (so I could get a job to pay rent and cover living expenses) and, I wanted to be useful for Him. I told God all this and I was open to His actions in my life. In July a girl from my church asked me if I didn’t mind her suggesting my candidacy to the management at this school. I had heard a lot about it and all the feedback was positive. I said ok, because I saw how God was answering my prayers. Anyway, I was worried about my English, because it was one of the requirements. I filled out the questionnaire, we talked with Maggie and she said that I’m cut out for this job and that I can learn English later. That’s how God took care of me in terms of work and the ministry. Therefore, I believe, I am at the right place. I pray so that I could show it in actions and not just in words. Blessings.
P.s. In these photo: I and my mom; I, my mom and my sisters.
I haven’t taken a photo with the students yet, I will send it next time.
October 7th, 2022
Greetings! My name is Katya. From this academic year, I have started working at the school as a middle school math teacher. I have been analyzing this past month and I thank God for His help in building relationships with my students. I truly hope to be useful to them, but not only for my knowledge of mathematics, but also for showing them God with my life and attitude.
I want to thank you for your open and caring hearts. I’m especially grateful for supporting me. Sometimes, you don’t even realize how incredibly God takes care of you through someone you have never met or seen. I want you to know that you serve and influence many people, people that you don’t even know! May it be encouragement for you. May the Lord take care and meet all your needs.
It’s my first time writing such kind of letter, so if you wish to know more about me, our school, our students or anything, please let me know. I’ll be happy to answer your questions:)
