This was the Mirhorodskij family: Anton and Tatiana, Timur, Artur, and Victoria. Anton, an EMF 4:14 worker from Kharkiv, spends most days using this vehicle (bought by EMF’s Ukraine appeal funds) to take humanitarian aid to villages near the front-line, sharing the gospel with the folk he meets there, and evacuating people who are too near enemy fire. Anton knows all about enemy fire. He has been right in the thick of it.
But for just a few days in late September, Anton took his family far away from air-raid sirens and explosions. He and Tatiana drank in the encouraging teaching on Philippians in the peace of a campsite in western Ukraine, hugged others and were hugged, cried quite a bit, and laughed just as much. Their children enjoyed a kids’ programme and a bouncy castle, and slept peacefully.
Anton was just one of the 50 or so gospel workers and pastors at this conference, which EMF’s Volodia Kostyshyn had helped organise with enthusiasm and emotion. Wives and families came along, making this a special family time.
Fellowship, worship, fun, and solid Bible teaching. Freebook bundles … a very rare treat!
An abundance of prayer. Tearful thanks to believers in other countries who are still standing with the Ukrainian church.
Was it worth the hours and hours of generally uncomfortable travel to get to a conference which, after all, lasted about a day and a half? Oh, YES!