Working The Plan
Our philosophy has always been to equip and enable national leadership in Ukraine and then lead from a position of support and servanthood. We have never attempted or desired a spotlight on the field.
When national leaders are ready to take full responsibility and have secured support, we step back and let them run it. So, our job has always been to work ourselves out of a job and then start over again with the same calling, vision, and enthusiasm.
This is where we are in our ministry right now.
Passing the Baton
Shawn was just recently in Kyiv, Ukraine, meeting with some of our staff. During that time, Vlad Rezmer was declared the Pastor of the Muzichy church plant and took full responsibility, with his team and volunteers, for the church and the children's club there.
They also declared their independence as an adoptive family at Smile House and have great organizations taking responsibility for full support of their home and family.
We have been honored to have had a part in raising these children to adulthood and are proud that they are now moving forward on their own. We will miss working with this precious family, but are looking forward to serving more families and children in the very near future.
New Church Plant Project
We are working diligently to identify a new mission point for a church plant as we have sponsors that wish to continue this effort. We were able to turn our most recent church plant over earlier than expected, so we are excited to begin again in a new area.
Working with local pastors and seminary leadership, we hope to identify our next location and candidate soon. There are many options and opportunities to choose from and we will prayerfully consider them as quickly as possible.
Faith House Update
Construction of our Faith House family home in western Ukraine is accelerating, with final touches being added, including a children's bathroom on the second floor. Tile, fixtures, and flooring are being installed, and paint colors are being chosen.
We are in the final stages of interviewing a promising candidate family to become our house parents at Faith House.
Despite setbacks from Covid and other challenges, we are now back on track and making up for lost time. Please pray for speed, support, and wisdom as we move forward with this important project. Your support is vital as we work to complete Faith House and provide a loving home for families in need.
Orphanage Feeding Project
This is a very old picture, but a reminder of why we started caring for orphans in the first place. Living conditions at the state orphanages have never been very good, and opportunities when the children age out are even more dismal.
In the last 10 years, with the war, COVID, and a faltering economy, conditions have worsened, and we are being asked to refocus on support for the orphans in the system.
Our goal is to launch a nutritional supplement program that will improve the growth, weight gain, and immune function of at least 10,000 children per day. We need to raise around $65,000 to fully fund a 2-year program with vehicles, staff, and monthly operational support.
Generous donors have already invested $10,000 to help us launch this program. Please contact us directly for information about how you can get involved.
Reporting to Partners
Shawn and Amy just returned from a northern run to report back to faithful partners in Ohio and Michigan. These precious people have literally been shouldering this work with us for over 22 years.
Every opportunity that we get to report back to these friends face to face, all over the country, is a huge blessing and joy.
Without God's favor and provision and these partner's prayers and support, we could accomplish nothing. We are humbled and grateful for their love and friendship all of these years. Hoping to be able to see many more of our partners soon.
The Fight Against Human Trafficking
Pray for us on the anti-human trafficking front. We are making final edits to our operational agreements with stateside experts at Coaxion Global and the Cyber Police of Ukraine to help facilitate the purchase of much needed technology and schedule specialized training.
This is a dark world that is getting darker by the minute, and we feel compelled to help.
Children of all ages are being horribly brutalized at a much higher frequency and we are heartbroken and determined to assist. We are not the experts in the field, but we can help get them there and work together with them to help put an end to this terrible problem.
Embracing Change for Mission Success: Exciting developments and New Opportunities in Ukraine.
Changes are hard and transition can be tense, but all of this is necessary to stay focused on our mission, see success, and achieve growth. Exciting things are happening in Ukraine, and we covet your prayers as we navigate new territory.
Many opportunities have already opened up, in addition to our current ministries, and we are excited to see what God is going to do in the lives of these precious children!
We ask that you keep your eyes and ears open for great people who may have a calling to engage in this work to rescue children. We are always looking for sold-out advocates to join us in this fight to be a voice for the voiceless and protectors of the defenseless.
Thank you and God bless each and every one of you!
Please visit Facebook and Instagram pages and You Tube 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
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