How are you doing? Did you ever pray unceasingly for a while for something and then saw how God answered your prayers beyond your wildest dreams? This story that I am about to share is perhaps that bright spot during the war that is truly miraculous.
Russia and Ukraine are very closely linked. From a practical standpoint, it means that there are a lot of Russians living in Ukraine and there are a lot of Ukrainians living in Russia. Some of these Ukrainians fled the country after the civil war broke out in 2014. One of our church members fits that category. He came to Russia after 2014 but his sons from his first marriage stayed in Mariupol. His eldest son signed a contract with the Ukrainian army in early February, and then, as you know, the war broke out.
Addressing the church in those early days, I emphasized that we are not just praying for peace, but we are asking God to save lives of civilians and soldiers on both sides of this conflict. That was not some theory. By then a lot of our church members were praying specifically for these two young men that were caught in the middle of some very heavy fighting. At one point communication with them was lost and no one knew what was happening to them for over a month.
We as a family prayed daily for their safety. I could not help but look at my two sons and think what I would be going through as a father if my boys were trapped in hell on earth. And then suddenly we got news that the boys were alive. Someone got out of Mariupol and was able to contact the father. Several weeks later they both made it out of Mariupol and came to Moscow. The eldest one was sent from the frontlines home for a couple of days. That saved his life. The battle quickly moved into the city, and he never rejoined his regiment. The fact that these two young men, their aunt, and their girlfriends survived this carnage is a miracle in and of itself.
But God also cleared the way for their return to Moscow. They were not captured. They were not detained. The younger has since moved to Switzerland, seeking asylum there. But the older one is still in Moscow and I see him in church almost every Sunday. God answered our prayers and spared their lives, so we pray for their salvation now. Would you join us in this prayer?
From Russia with Christ’s love,
Constantin on behalf of me and Alexandra Lysakov
PS Here is a video for a Russian song in Ukrainian language about Mariupol and it's siege. I am not taking sides by sending this song. Beware of a graphic nature of this video. It is almost raw footage of war. It just shows in a very condenced manner the scope of the fighting in the city and what these two young men, their girlfriends and their aunt survived before they made it to Moscow. At the very end of this video the footage from 2014 is shown which gives the background to the prolonged nature of this war. The song is also filled with Christian allusions given that Mariupol is the city of Mary.
Please join us in praying for God:
- To bring peace to Ukraine and Russia.
- To bring these two young men and their girlfriends to saving knowledge of Jesus.
- To bless our youth and kids camps that are starting in a couple of weeks.
GIVING THROUGH ICC-E (INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN COMMUNITIES OF EURASIA):
You can donate to the Lysakovs’ ministry via ICC-E by check or autopay from your bank (see address below), or with your credit card via the ICC-E web site http://icceurasia.com/
Website: http://icceurasia.com
Email: icc.eurasia@gmail.com:
Mailing Address:
ICC-Eurasia
P.O. Box 34035
Bethesda, MD 20827-0035
Phone +1 (301) 514-7433
