Nativity of Jesus Christ

Dear brothers and sisters from the PIEI organization, we greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By the Lord's mercy and grace, we have reached the end of 2025. This is the fourth year of this senseless war, which has brought so many tears, problems, and suffering to the Ukrainian people. Recently, the infrastructure has been bombed, and even in our region, power outages are frequent. But we thank the Lord for everything, for He has been with us thus far and has cared for us through these difficulties and problems.

1. Earlier this month, we held an evangelistic outreach at the home of a sister, a member of our church, who invited her relatives and neighbors to her home. We were there with a missionary brother from Romania. We had a blessed fellowship in the Word of God, and at the end of this outreach, this sister's husband, the owner of this home, surrendered his life and heart into the hands of the Lord. We rejoice and bring glory to the Lord.

2. Together with the church, we celebrated the Nativity of Jesus Christ. It was a blessed feast, where everyone prepared and glorified the Lord God. The children especially prepared a blessed program, glorifying the Lord Messiah through hymns and poems. We rejoice that unbelievers also came to this Nativity feast, listened to the Word of God, and glorified the Lord Jesus Christ with us. We pray for these people, that the Lord will test their hearts for repentance.

3. After the Nativity, together with the church, we held prayer meetings every day until the end of 2025 on various topics. The most pressing need and topic is the war in Ukraine—so many troubles, wounds, and problems for the people of Ukraine.

4. Thanksgiving

- We thank God for miraculously guiding us throughout 2025 and preserving us from all evil. We thank the Lord for answered prayers. We prayed for this man who recently repented, along with his wife and the church, for a long time, because he was deeply attached to the Orthodox faith. Glory to God that he understood the Word of Truth.

5. Prayer requests:

- Let us pray for our country, Ukraine, that the Lord have mercy on us and bring us the long-awaited peace in Ukraine, the peace that all the people of Ukraine are waiting for.

- We also pray for four people who repented: three brothers from Tarasivtsi and one sister from Vanchikovtsi. That the Lord protect them from all evil and that they grow ever more in the knowledge of God.

- Pray for me, so that as often as I open my mouth to preach the Gospel, the Lord will strengthen me with His Holy Spirit.

At the end of this year, we are very grateful to you, brothers and sisters from the USA, for all you have done for us. For your support of our ministry, for your prayers for us and for Ukraine, and for your financial support. This year has been difficult, but you have been a source of comfort, support, and help to us. We thank the team from the United States who had the courage to come to Ukraine during this difficult period of war and who have provided us with great service before God. For the coming year, 2026, we wish you peace in your souls, joy in Christ, happiness in your families, and many more blessings from our Lord God.

With love and peace to you, the Gortopan family.

Evangelistic ministry with children

Dear brothers and sisters from the PIEI Ukraine mission, I greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I praise God because we feel Him always near us; even in difficult circumstances, we see His support and encouragement for us every day.

1. We've had an evangelistic ministry with children from our village since the first of November. This is a very useful and good ministry, where the children study God's Word, which is taught according to their understanding. The children met every Saturday of this month. A young brother from the church led the children in various games and Bible contests, where the children strived and learned more about Scripture.

2. There was a missionary brother in our church with his family from Romania and three other families. He spoke of them as the fruit of repentance after their missionary service. All their teachings were about missionary work, and we were also taught that each of us can be a missionary to those around us. Very good instructions for our church. And they gave good examples of their missionary service.

3. The wife of this missionary brother had a good time with our sisters at prayer services. She told them about their sisters' ministry and gave them good examples of their ministry and service to the poor and needy children. This was an encouragement to our church, and we must continue to fulfill all of this so that the Lord's name may be glorified among people.

4. Also in our church was a pastor from Zaporizhzhia, a war zone. He and his family were there. There were seven of them together. Our church supports this pastor, and he spoke about his difficult ministry. He serves both in his church, where he is a pastor, and in the surrounding area as a missionary. There, in the frontline zone, he serves soldiers with humanitarian aid and food. Several brothers from his church serve as chaplains to the soldiers.

5. Thanksgiving

-I thank God for these visiting brothers who, through their examples of service, have encouraged our church in missionary work.

-I always thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine, for your support, both material and prayerful, which encourages us in our missionary work here in Ukraine.

6. Prayer requests:

-Please pray with us for the children who heard the Gospel message this month, so that in due time the seed of Truth sown in their hearts will bear much fruit.

-We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine, that the Lord will act and help us bring long-awaited peace to Ukraine.

-Pray for me, too, that the Lord will grant me health, as recently I have developed high blood pressure. And that the Lord will grant me zeal, love, and spiritual strength to serve Him.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine, for serving God with us, supporting and assisting us in our ministry. We live far from you, but we serve God here together, and this is one of the reasons we constantly pray for you, just as you pray for us. Glory to God for all things. You are a great blessing to us from our Lord, and from our family, please accept our heartfelt Christian greetings. We wish you a happy and joyful celebration of all the holy winter holidays. May the Lord bless you all with health and peace in your hearts.

With love, the Gortopan family.

Visits of the church in Vanchikovtsi

Dear brothers and sisters, we greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord for His mercy and protection, for His care for us every day and for His miraculous help this month.

1. Our church had a large outreach with a brother from Romania. We continually pray with our church for our country, Ukraine, and help the people and soldiers in areas where fighting is taking place.

Brothers from the Romanian Association and brothers from our church traveled to the front lines several times this month. There, they cooked food in a field kitchen for a couple of days and fed the soldiers. There, the brothers had the opportunity to share the Word of God with the soldiers.

2. Every Sunday afternoon, we gather at the church in Vanchikovtsi. Brothers from our church and people from the village of Vanchikovtsi also attend this service. We are glad that one young man often comes to this service. This is a good ministry, and our church supports us in prayer. We pray for the people who live in this village, that the Lord will touch their hearts to repentance.

3. Thanksgiving:

-We thank God for the good circumstances He gives us in our area, and we have such opportunities to help those living in areas where military action is taking place.

-I thank the Lord for you, dear brothers and sisters from the USA, who support us with prayers and financial support. You are a great help and blessing to us.

4. Prayer Requests:

-Together with the church, we decided to organize a week-long outreach next month, with a brother from Romania. We will go door-to-door sharing the Word of God with these people. We are praying for this outreach. Pray with us. This is a great ministry, and we need your prayerful support.

-Every Saturday in November, we planned to outreach with children from the village. Please pray for this ministry, that the Lord will touch the hearts of children who will listen to God's Word.

-We will also pray for the missionary work in the village of Vanchikovtsi.

From the bottom of our hearts, we, as a family, are grateful for all your help and support in the ministry here in Ukraine. You are a support and a blessing to us. We pray for you and wish for the Lord's hand to guide you in the ministry you carry out. May the Lord be with you there in the USA and with us here in Ukraine.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.

Thanksgiving day

Dear brothers and sisters of the PIEI mission, we greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through grace and God's mercy, we have lived through the first month of autumn, and again we have seen God's hand blessing us and His mercy renewed every morning of our days. Glory to God for all things.

1. Missionary service in the neighboring village of Vanchikovtsy, the Lord blesses. We organized a thanksgiving day with the children of this village. There were 20 children who heard the gospel for children. They were told that all the blessings we receive on this earth are given to us by God, and we must thank Him and glorify the name of God Almighty. And together with the children, we glorified and thanked our Lord for His mercy and grace.

- We also celebrated a thanksgiving day in our church for the harvest, for the Lord's care for us, and for all the blessings we have received from His holy hands. We prepared a special program so that all who wished to thank God could do so through singing, poetry, and prayers of gratitude before the Lord God. We are very glad that unbelievers who listened to God's Word also came to this worship service. We pray for them.

2. There was also a blessing of children. A young family brought their child for a blessing. We, together with the church, prayed over this child and entrusted him to God's hands, so that in the future the Lord would care for him, protect him, and bless him. Our Sunday school children had prepared a program for this family to congratulate them. Glory to God for this service.

3. Thanksgiving

-We always thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters from the USA, for supporting us and supporting our missionary ministry here in Ukraine with your prayers and finances. We thank God for the peace and tranquility in our region during this war in Ukraine. Thanks to this, we can serve those who are and live in the frontline zones of Ukraine where fighting is ongoing.

4. Prayer requests:

- Let us pray for those who have heard the Word of the Gospel in various circumstances this month.

- We also pray for the future of our country, for an end to this war that has brought so much destruction and tears for the lives and families lost.

- Pray for me, that the Lord will bless me with wisdom from on high, so that I can zealously share the good news of Christ and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And to you, brothers and sisters from the United States, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine, we thank you very much for your prayers for us and for your financial support for our ministry as we navigate through difficulties and various challenges at this time in Ukraine. We pray for you that the Lord will reward you a hundredfold with His abundant blessings. We love you, pray for you always, and wish you much peace and joy in Christ.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.

The funeral service in our church

Dear brothers and sisters from the PIEI organization, I greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise God that only by His grace the Lord has helped us to this place and miraculously cares for us.

1. We continue, together with the church, to pray and help those places in Ukraine where there are battles. This month, our volunteer brothers were in two cities of Ukraine: in Zaporozhye and in Kherson. Glory to God for the fact that He miraculously protected them both when they were away and during their stay in a place where it is very dangerous due to the arrival of constant missiles and drones, and the Lord protected their return home.

2. We had a funeral service in our church. There was an opportunity for us to preach the Gospel both at home before the funeral service and during the day when there was a funeral. There were a lot of unbelievers who listened attentively to the Word of God. 3. Together with the church, we had a financial donation for one poor man from our village who needed an eye operation. This operation was beyond his means, and so we helped him raise the necessary amount for this operation. We wish that these deeds would also speak of Christ's love to the people around us.

4. Thanksgiving:

- We thank God for good opportunities to preach the Gospel to people.

- We thank the Lord for protection and defense in the services in the Field of the Lord.

- We thank the Lord for you, dear brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine. For your prayers and for your material support for us, the servants of the Lord, where we are.

5. Prayer needs:

- Let us not stop praying for our country, for peace in Ukraine, because we expect in the end for the Lord to be glorified.

- Pray for those who heard the Word of the Gospel this month, that the Lord would test their hearts for repentance.

- Pray for me, that the Lord would strengthen me in this ministry that I serve people here.

On behalf of our family, we are grateful to you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you do for us and wish you joy and peace in Christ Jesus to accompany you every day and every hour of your life. We pray for you and wish you abundant blessings from our Lord.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.