Breakthrough In Ukraine
New open doors, new employees and new partnerships equal greater opportunities to serve those in need in Ukraine. Thank you for your faithful support and prayer as we walk into 2026 with bright new vision for a much bigger future.
Expansion and Upgrades at Camp Willow Park
Your partnerships have resulted in the rescue, healing and restoration of tens of thousands of traumatized and displaced children and families in Ukraine over the last four years. We are constantly striving to improve our services as we learn more about conflict induced trauma, protection and movement of refugees and how to integrate the Gospel into every operation we perform. This past year, our camp facilities were maxed out and standing requests are far beyond what we can currently provide. We simply must expand our facilities to meet the higher demand.
In order to maximize the bandwidth of this beautiful property, we need to improve, upgrade and expand in several areas in order to meet the fire, sanitation, medical, health and safety requirements for the larger numbers. These improvements will enable us to potentially quadruple the numbers of individuals that we serve in this one location and open the facility for year-round use. The upgrades will also give us approvals from local and state authorities to host children, families, orphans, widows and refugees currently under government care. The project has been broken down into prioritized categories and we are already preparing specialists and materials. Contact Shawn for more information about our progress and how you might partner with us.
God Still Calls people Into Service
Now more than ever before, we must hear the voice of God, trust Him fully and take action to fulfill His will for our lives and for those that He has called us to serve. Mission 823 is always looking for those who are surrendered to serve as missionaries or in missions support. This new year has brought us two amazing individuals that have responded to the invitation to join us. Please welcome our new teammates and connect with them to hear their stories, their burden for Ukraine and how you can partner with them to expand and improve the work of Mission 823.
Boni Sordillo
Davonte Brunson
Welcome Boni Sordillo - a veteran combat medic, an ER nurse and experienced missionary, Boni will serve as our Director of Restorative Development, creating and strengthening programs that support the physical, emotional and spiritual development and healing of traumatized children. As someone who once carried the label "orphan", Boni finds deep joy in telling children about their perfect and loving Heavenly Father - the One who knows them, sees them and has wonderful plans for their lives. For Boni, it is a profound privilege to respond to the call of Jesus as He prepares His people and invites them into His service.
Email Boni at boni@mission823.com
Support Boni HERE
Welcome Davonte Brunson - serving children and teens in church ministry for the last several years has helped to cultivate Davonte's heart for missions to the next generation. He will serve as our Assistant Director, specializing in field operations, partner relationships and development. Davonte's passion is deeply personal. At the age of 17, he became orphaned after the death of both of his parents. Through encountering the hope and healing found in Jesus Christ, what once was deep personal trauma became a driving purpose to walk alongside and minister to those facing loss, instability and hardship.
Email Davonte at davonte@mission823.com
Support Davonte HERE
Water Crisis In Ukraine - 30,000 residents have clean water
Attacks on basic infrastructure in Ukraine have left civilians in residential communities without power, lights, heat and water. Millions of people have limited or zero access to clean water. So, in response, Mission 823, in partnership with REUA and other investors, deployed a water filtration plant that produces 100,000 gallons of pure water daily and supplies the needs of 30,000 residents in Oleksandrivka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Thank you for helping us save lives in Ukraine.
Watch the Video HERE!
Churches are Saving Lives In Ukraine
Mission 823 partners with churches to bring much needed relief to those living under daily attacks and under very harsh conditions. Distributing food and water, providing medical supplies and care, conducting rescue and evacuation operations and delivering power generation equipment literally saves people's lives. This faithful congregation in Kharkiv works fearlessly, non-stop, to share the love of God, healing resources for trauma and humanitarian aid. Pray for Pastor Metlov, the church family and the community of Saltivka in northeastern Kharkiv.
Feeding Children Under Fire
Your faithful support fed hundreds of children in the city of Nikopol this last month. Feeding programs like this are critical in areas where power outages, supply chain interruptions and daily bombings make it difficult and dangerous for children to have a stable nutrition environment.
Pastor Roman and his wife, Inna, tirelessly serve in this community and have courageously led their church family through extraordinary hardship, lack of water and electricity, close enemy shelling, drone attacks and landmines. This precious family brings their children to our Camp Willow Park every year.
New Partnerships, New Levels
Shawn, and the rest of the Mission 823 team are building new strategic relationships with business leaders, churches and individuals that are opening up new possibilities for future growth and stability. Most of our support relationships are more than 20 years strong. Now we are asking you to help us make introductions with world changers in your networks. Reach out to those in your sphere of influence and invite them to support the children of Ukraine through Mission 823. You have been helping us save and change the lives of at-risk and traumatized children for over 25 years and we want to say THANK YOU! We love and appreciate each and every one of you and pray God's richest blessing on you and your families.
Prayer Requests:
- Please continue to pray for Amy - she just finished her radiation treatments for her breast cancer this last week. She is doing well, a little tired and some minor discomfort, but that is to be expected and should get better over the next couple of weeks. Please pray for her continued healing.
- Pray for the orphans, widows, traumatized and displaced children of Ukraine, many of whom will come to our camps. There will also be other camps, retreats, seminars and groups using the property for Christian ministry throughout the off-season.
- Pray for Taras (our Ukrainian Director) and Shawn (President of Mission 823). Both of these men need prayer as they do the work of the ministry and expand our impact to the families and children of Ukraine.
- Pray for peace in Ukraine. If the war concluded today, there would still be generations of rebuilding and recovery requiring the support of non-profits like Mission 823. We are here on the ground for the long-haul. Pray for strength, wisdom and resources to continue to grow this great work.
Please visit our Facebook and Instagram pages and our YouTube Channel and share them widely. We need a lot more voices and ambassadors actively participating so that we can have the greatest impact for the people of Ukraine.
Thank you and God Bless You!
Shawn and Amy Sullivan
CONTACT INFO:
Shawn - shawn@mission823.com - ph: 817-313-3656
Amy - amy@mission823.com - ph: 817-773-4758
Office - office@mission823.com - ph: 352-432-8587
Website: www.mission823.com
