Bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ

Dear brothers and sisters from the PIEI organization, we greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. By God's mercy and grace, we have survived another month and praise the Lord for His care and support in all our ministries for Him.

1. At the beginning of the month, our church received a difficult and painful case. A young woman, 23, who lived with her family abroad in Belgium, died. She was brought and buried in her native village, Tarasovtsy. She left behind her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, a motherless orphan, and her husband. This was difficult news for our church. We organized both a pre-funeral service and a funeral service where the Word of God was preached to many people, especially many unbelievers who listened attentively. We pray for these people. We also pray for the daughter and husband of this sister who has gone to be with the Lord, that the Lord will comfort them in their suffering and the pain of loss. This funeral service was held in our church building.

2. In April, we celebrated, together with the church, the bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ—a time when we remembered the great work and miracle God performed for all humanity: salvation through the Son of God and through His shed innocent blood on the cross of Golgotha. Glory to Him for His mercy and grace to us sinners. It was a wonderful worship service in our church, attended by many unbelievers. Everyone who wished participated in the praise with singing and poetry. Children also participated in a special program glorifying the Risen Lord.

3. There were also guests from the United States who evangelized the children from our village. There were about 70 children from the village. We pray for these children, that in due time they will be tested by the Word of God for their repentance.

4. We continue to gather in the village of Vanchikovtsi every Sunday afternoon. I am pleased that our brothers from Vanchikovtsi are young and love to study God's Word. They are zealous in sharing the Gospel with others. We are also glad that another young man repented this week, praise God.

5. Thanksgiving.

I am very grateful to God for the youth from Vanchikovtsi who are so zealous in sharing God's Word with the people of this village.

- I am grateful to the Lord and for you, brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine. For your support and for your help in our ministry here where we serve God.

6. Prayer requests:

- Let us pray with us for this ministry in Vanchikovtsi and for the young families who zealously serve in this village. Because of these families, in three of them, only the husbands are believers, and their wives have not yet come to the Lord. We also pray for these wives, that the Lord will test their hearts to repentance. We pray that this senseless war in Ukraine will end and that we will be able to freely give thanks and glorify the Lord.

We will also pray for the children who heard God's Word this month, that the Lord will test their hearts when the time comes for them to know Him.

We are grateful to you, brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism, because through your support in your prayers for us and through your help for us, we feel your love for us. And we have this love for you, so we can support you in prayer before God for you. And we, on behalf of our family, wish you abundant blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ and much success in your ministries before God.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.

Good news for children

Dear brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine, we greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I offer glory and gratitude to God for feeling His support and His help in all the ministries we participate in.

1. When guests come to our church, we are very happy to use them in service for the Lord. We had two brothers from Romania, and we had the wonderful opportunity to hold a service on the topic of "Questions and Answers from the Holy Scriptures."

- Then, we, in our church, had an evangelistic outreach on Sunday. The Word of God was preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, and we pray that this Word will be for the edification and salvation of those who heard this blessed Word of God.

2. At the beginning of March, our sisters from the church, together with all the sisters from all over Ukraine, had a day of fasting and prayer and a meeting on the topic of "A Heart for My Country." Our hearts are filled with compassion and concern for the state of our country, Ukraine, and all our hearts stand in the gap in prayer before God for Ukraine, for its healing and salvation. Everyone entrusted our needs to the Lord's hands and we all await salvation from His hands. There were also collections for those in need in our region.

3. Our sister, Marina Bokancha, works as a kindergarten teacher in Tarasivtsi. Last week, she organized Bible Week at the kindergarten. This was a great opportunity to share God's Word with the children from the Children's Bible. She introduced these Bible lessons to each kindergarten group. At the end of these meetings, the children were given gifts on behalf of our church, and cards with Bible verses were prepared for the children's parents. Everyone responded joyfully to this Bible meeting.

4. Thanksgiving:

-I thank God for all the opportunities we have had this month to proclaim the Word of God.

-I thank the Lord for you, dear brothers and sisters from the United States, who serve with us here in Ukraine, through your prayers and your support in helping us.

-I thank God for our fellow volunteers who often travel behind the front lines with humanitarian aid for our defenders. Our volunteers not only bring them food but also proclaim the Word of God to them, pray for them, and encourage them.

5. Prayer requests:

-We will pray for all those who heard the Word of God this month, that the Lord will test their hearts for repentance.

-We continue to pray for long-awaited peace in Ukraine.

-Pray for me too, that the Lord will help me proclaim the Word of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, zealously, with wisdom from above. And to you brothers and sisters from the United States, from my family, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for all your help and support in our ministry here in Ukraine. You are a great blessing to us. We pray for you and wish for the Lord to protect and watch over you in all the ministries you do for the Lord. May the Lord be with you wherever you are, and may He be with us here.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.

Two funerals in villages with small churches

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

Another month has passed, and we have seen the hand of the Lord blessing us in His service, and we praise and thank God for all He does for us.

1. Together with our church, we do missionary work in Vanchikovtsi. We have a service every Sunday afternoon. It is of great significance to us, and a great joy to the church, that a young man who has been attending this church for a long time has repented. He loves the Word of God and studies it, so at each of our meetings he has many questions, to which we answer him from Scripture.

2. I attended two funerals in villages with small churches. In Kotilevo, I preached at the pre-funeral service. In the village of Forosna, where there is also a small church, there were more of us, where we preached both at the pre-funeral service and at the funeral. Many unbelievers and relatives of the deceased were present, listening attentively to the Word of God.

3. We continue to pray, together with the church, every week for peace in Ukraine. February 24th marked four years since the beginning of this full-scale war in Ukraine. We gathered on this day and prayed together with the church. All churches from Ukraine also gathered and cried out to God for help and peace in Ukraine. We believe and know that only God can transform all the dire circumstances in Ukraine into long-awaited peace.

4. Thanksgiving

-We thank the Lord for answered prayers.

-We always thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters from the USA, who support us in your prayers and financial assistance.

5. Prayer Requests

-We will pray together for those who have heard the Gospel and that they will repent this month. We pray for this war in Ukraine to end, a war that has brought so much grief and suffering. Only God can help us bring this long-awaited peace to Ukraine.

Pray for me too, that the Lord will bless me with the power of the Holy Spirit, so that I can preach the Holy Word to all people in need of repentance.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, brothers and sisters from the USA, our partners in evangelism here in Ukraine, who serve God with us. Through your help and support, you are always there for us when we are going through needs and troubles. We pray for you and for the ministry through which you serve the Lord. May God bless you, our dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.

Two social outreach efforts

Dear brothers and sisters, we greet you with the love and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. I praise our Lord because I always feel Him near, even when difficult times arise. We see His mercy and care over us every day, glory to Him.

1. The first wonderful event held since the beginning of the year was an evangelism outreach with children. The theme of this meeting was "The Coming of Jesus Christ into Our World." Many children from our church, as well as children from the village, attended. We had a wonderful time studying the Word of God, glorifying the Lord Christ through hymns, playing games and Bible contests that actively engaged them in learning the Gospel, and at the end of the meeting, each child received a gift.

2. We also attended a funeral in our church. The evening before the funeral and the day of the funeral were true evangelism outreaches, where many people heard the Word of God. Our deceased sister had unbelieving blood sisters for whom she always fervently prayed for their repentance. We pray for these people who heard the Word of God.

3. Together with the church, we organized two social outreach efforts.

- One sister from our church was undergoing a major operation, and our church provided financial support for her surgery.

- We also helped a sister from the Fagadău church in a neighboring village, who also underwent a major operation and incurred significant expenses. We hope that these acts of faith will speak of God to the unbelievers who live in the families of these sisters we helped.

4. Thanksgiving

- I thank the Lord God for you, dear brothers and sisters, who are a great support and help to us in our ministry in Ukraine.

- We thank the Lord for the good circumstances we have to evangelize the people.

5. Prayer requests:

- Pray with us for this war in Ukraine to end. We're having a difficult winter because we only have electricity for 5-6 hours out of 24 hours. The rest of the time, we live without electricity. May God help us.

- Pray for those who have heard God's Word, that the Lord will test their hearts for repentance.

- Pray for me, that the Lord will bless me and that I will always have suitable words from the Holy Spirit on my lips for those who listen to me.

On behalf of my family, we wish you, and all the brothers and sisters from the United States who serve with us, health, joy, peace in your hearts, and many blessings from God. We sincerely thank you for your support, your prayers for us, and your help. We love you and pray for you.

With love to you, the Gortopan family.

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.