Author: Rick Post

In one week, we will be leaving for Ukraine.  After an 18 month pause due to the war in Ukraine, we have decided it is time to return to visit our friends and partners in Ukraine.  Travel is not as easy as the past as we will have to fly to Poland and drive across the border as there are no commercial flights into Ukraine.

We are going on this trip for three primary purposes:

LISTEN

We will spend our time in Ukraine meeting with pastors and friends that we have worked with and supported.  We want to hear how God is working, what challenges they face and what needs that they have that we can help with.  The challenges that they have faced since the escalation of the war in February of 2022 have been enormous.  They have had to deal with people leaving, refugees coming and working to meet the physical needs of people but also the spiritual needs.

ENCOURAGE

We also want to spend time with pastors to encourage them by letting them know that we have not forgotten them and that we want to return to continue supporting and working with them to reach people for Jesus.

TRAIN

This is a hard one for me, but it is also needed.  It is hard to think about training and thinking about the future when they have gone through so much and they live in a world of continual threats and uncertainty.  But we have to prepare for the future!  God is working in Ukraine and people are turning to Jesus for hope in a sometimes-hopeless situation.  We will be leading a conference of church planters and their spouses.  We will spend time helping them to develop a vision for their church and helping equip them for the challenges they will face as they work to reach their communities for Jesus!

We will be spending a little over two weeks in Ukraine.  During this time will be traveling across the country and trying to meet as many pastors and church leaders as possible.  We ask that you pray for us as we travel and meet with pastors and their wives.  Specifically pray for the following:

SAFETY

We are entering a war zone.  There are missile strikes and threats every day.  While we know that God is in control and He is our protector, we still pray for safety as we travel and meet with pastors.

IMPACT

We want our trip to make an impact.  While we often do not know all the meetings and places we will go before we arrive, we know that God has a plan for us and that every meeting is what God has for us.  Pray that God will use us to encourage pastors and that God will be glorified in all that we do.

Over the past year we have been able to send a large amount of money to Ukraine to help our partners in their ministry and to help with the humanitarian needs caused by the war.  Thank you for all who have given to us or other organizations to help Ukraine.  On this trip we hope to learn what the needs continue to be for Ukraine and bring back their prayer requests and needs so that we continue to support them in the future.

Thank you for your prayers and support and we will share what we learn when we return.

If you have questions about Ukraine or how you can be involved, reach out to me at Rick.Post@potentialendeavors.com.

What a year it has been for Potential Endeavors.  A year ago we were planning our trip to Ukraine in March and preparing for meetings that we would be having, and then February 24^th happened.  Russia invaded Ukraine and all our plans changed!  This is the second time our ministry work has been changed – first was in 2020 with Covid and the impact on travel and now the Russian invasion.

With unexpected world change, our ministry plans had to change with it.  2022 became a year of helping deliver resources to Ukraine to support refugees, churches and pastors who were leading the efforts to help their fellow Ukrainians.  We saw friends relocate to the US, others who have had to deal with split families between those who could leave and those who could not, and helping those who chose to stay in Ukraine and fight the evil that was attacking them.

We learned how to move money directly into the accounts of our partners so that they could get the money they needed to help others.  We saw an incredible generosity of people across the US who wanted to help Ukraine and provide assistance to those who have been impacted.

As we headed into the winter months, we saw Russia attack the infrastructure of Ukrainian cities forcing the loss of power, heat and water to millions.  This brought about a second wave of need to provide generators, furnaces and supplies to provide heating and power in new ways.

Through the course of 2022 through the generosity of so many, we were able to send over $150,000 directly to our partners who are working to provide physical aid to the needy and spiritual care for the many impacted by this war.  This aid provided food, generators, medicine, medical supplies and equipment/supplies needed to make the care possible like fuel, transportation, washing machines, etc.

While we love providing assistance for physical needs, the passion of our ministry is to reach the next person for Jesus.  Because the churches in Ukraine have become so generous and are being the hands and feet of Jesus to their community, people are making the decision to visit the church and are deciding to follow Jesus.  Two stories that I want to share from two pastors that we have worked with over the years and churches that we have visited are below:

From Pasha in Uman:  Anatoly, 74 years old.  He has never been to Evangelical churches.  But, three weeks ago, he crossed the threshold of our church for the first time.  He says that he was just walking by the church, and as if someone pushed him to go inside.  Interestingly, he once said that he would never go to church in his life.  But the circumstances of life made his heart softer.  One son died, and the other is now at the front.  And here he is.  Yesterday, January 1, 2023, Anatoly asked God for forgiveness and accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior!

From Sasha in Kyiv:  Yesterday (Christmas), a service dedicated to the birth of Christ was held in the church, 130-150 people attended the service, 30% of whom were visitors. We thank God for the opportunity to testify to people about the good news in these difficult times for Ukraine.

 An incredible start to the year!

As we begin 2023, the generosity continues.  We received a large donation from a church in South Dakota.  These resources are being used to provide humanitarian aid across Ukraine.  We have sent money to groups providing care to the people who live in the war zone, to churches who provide weekly food gifts for the refugees who have moved to their area, for generators to allow churches to be hubs to provide power to those who need to recharge their devices, to churches who have had to expand their facilities due to all the new people who have been attending their churches and all of the new ministry work that is needed to be done.

In addition, we have been providing care packages for pastors who have been leading the efforts to provide care for their communities.  These care packages are meant as a way to encourage and say thank you to these pastors and their families for all they have done to help others this past year.  The package provides basic necessities for the home such as cleaning supplies, food and few treats.  In addition, we provide a cash gift that they can use for whatever needs that they may have.

The cost of each care package is $150 and we hope to provide resources for at least 50 packages.  These packages are prepared by buying the contents from local Ukrainian businesses so it also helps support the economy and jobs in Ukraine.

If you would like to provide a gift box or several for an Ukrainian pastors to encourage and say thanks for their efforts to care for and share Jesus with their neighbors, you can give a gift through Potential Endeavors.  Just note “Care Package” on the donation.  You can give at our website Potential Endeavors, or by check made payable to:

Potential Endeavors

840 Aspen Circle, Little Canada, MN 55109.

Thank you for your generosity and prayers over this past year.  The gifts of many have made a big impact in the lives of many Ukrainians.

Winter is Coming! Ukraine War Continues.  While Ukraine is winning on the battlefield, the impact on the country contuse.

8 million refugees

3 million left the country and 5 million displaced

Over 100,000 dead or wounded Ukrainian soldiers

Thousands of civilians murdered

Homes and villages destroyed

Electrical power damaged across country

No electricity, no heat, no water in much of the country

Daily fears of what will happen next with air raid sirens and missile attacks

This is the current state in the country of Ukraine!

As I am writing this, Russia is firing more missiles at Ukraine’s power grid to cause more harm.  Our friends in Ukraine need help.  Winter is hitting and people are without power which means no heat, no ability to cook meals, charge phones, etc.

As the country heads into winter, the Russian attackers are doing everything they can to make life miserable for civilians.  They are destroying power plants, transformers and infrastructure needed for electrical usage, water, and sewage.  This has caused widespread power outages and fears of freezing in the cold winter months.  As we talked with our Ukrainian friends, there is great fear around how they will survive this winter.  Right now, the power is out at least 12 hours each day and without power there is no heat and no way to cook meals.  Large cities are discussing plans to evacuate people out of the cities because there are issues with sewage and water and the conditions are not livable at the level of service they have today.

As we talk with our partners and friends in Ukraine, they share their needs with us.  There is a great need for mobile generators.

These are used to produce power for heating, light and the ability to charge batteries for phones and other devices.  Generators are not available for purchase in Ukraine, so they must be purchased and shipped from other European countries.  The cost of one generator and to transport it from other country is between $500 and $1000.

The second biggest need to for resources to purchase supplies to heat buildings.  Churches have been places that people are coming to for food and to get warm.  The churches are having to purchase wood for those with wood burning stoves or coal if they have coal fired furnaces.  Others must purchase fuel to run the furnace.  These costs are much higher now as the building are in use round the clock, so they need to heat all day and not just when services are held.

The third biggest need is money to purchase food supplies and clothing that can be given to those in need.  Most churches are providing food packs for the refugees who have resettled in their community but have nothing.  They have no jobs, nothing but the clothes they left with and a shared living space with someone who has taken them into their home or provided a place in a vacant home or building.

We are doing a fundraiser through Facebook for Giving Tuesday.  Facebook matches the first $7 million dollars given, so we hope to be able to get some of that money as well.  We are hoping to raise enough money to purchase at least 20 generators as well as some funds to help some of our church partners with their heating needs.

Thank you for the way you have generously supported Ukraine this past year.  Across the many different non-profit organizations we work with, I know that there has been a large amount of money already sent, but the needs still exist.  Today’s needs are different than what they experience six months ago, but they still need our help.  Donations can be made through our Facebook fundraiser at this link:

https://www.facebook.com/donate/556583139812354/

or given directly to our website at:

https://www.potentialendeavors.com/donation/donate

All money raised will go to support the needs in Ukraine.

We were planning to be in Ukraine right now, but due to the current situation in Ukraine we felt our being there would place a hardship on our partners.  We hope to return to Ukraine this spring to meet with pastors, thank them for their hard work and dedication and try to be an encouragement to them.  We have plans to do a leadership training for 100 pastors and their spouses.  We will try to bring training that will help them as they lead into the future, deal with the trauma caused by the war and as they work to rebuild their country.

Thank you for caring for Ukraine!  Thank you for your generosity and for making an impact in the lives of the people of Ukraine.  And thank you for helping churches be able to care for people’s needs so that they can share the love of Jesus with them.  Our hopes and prayers are that this war will result in seeing hundreds and thousands of people find a relationship with Jesus Christ through the work of His church.  Please continue to Pray for Ukraine!

I am back from Ukraine!  It was a whirlwind trip, but it was so great to be back in Ukraine and to be able to talk to friends face to face and hear how the war has impacted them personally.  The purpose of the trip was to have leaders from the Baptist Union of Ukraine and Converge (formerly Baptist General Conference) meet to talk about the needs of Ukraine during this war and about the potential for ministry partnerships in the future.  This was the first meeting for many of the people on the trip.  I represented Potential Endeavors and the work that we have been doing in Ukraine over the past 4 years.

The trip was different from any trip I have done in the past.  Since there is no commercial air travel into Ukraine, we had to fly to Poland and drive across the border to get to Ukraine.  Our meeting was in Lviv so it was about a 5-hour drive plus whatever time it would take to get through the Polish and Ukrainian borders.  This was the first time I had been in Poland.  From what I saw it is very beautiful.

As we entered Ukraine, we saw the effects of war.  There were many checkpoints along the road and a large military presence.  As we were having dinner on the first night, an air raid siren went off.  We were asked if we wanted to go to a shelter, but our Ukrainian partners were used to the sirens and chose to stay at dinner.  We stayed with them.  After all clear was sounded, we heard that there had been a missile fired towards Lviv and had hit 70 kilometers north of the city.  That was close enough to make me a little jittery wondering if another siren goes off what would I do, especially in the middle of the night.  As we walked around the city center after our meetings ended for the evening, we saw a vibrant city life, but noticed that all the lights on the buildings were off and there was a curfew at 11.

Our meetings took place over two days.  We spent time getting to know each other and then we talked about the work of the Baptist Union in providing humanitarian assistance during the time of the war.  As we began our discussion, the first humbling experience was that 4 of the 5 leaders had their homes damaged by the Russian invasion against Kyiv.  They all lived around Irpin and this was the area that saw some of the heaviest damage.  One even had the invaders staying in their home.  Despite what they had experienced personally, they never allowed it to stop the work of aiding others impacted by this war.

All the resources that have been sent to the Baptist Union of Ukraine have been distributed to the churches across Ukraine that have provided assistance.  Churches would submit their needs to their regional leadership and then the regional leadership would share their needs to the Baptist Union.  Money was distributed based upon need and impact they could make.  It was impressive how they had detailed documentation showing where the money was spent and how it was used to help.  This is important as it builds trust that resources are not being wasted in any way.

The humanitarian efforts were in three main areas:  Evacuation of people from the conflict areas, housing and care for the individuals as they traveled across Ukraine, and support for people as they resettled into new homes in the western part of Ukraine.  Tens of thousands of people were helped by churches as they traveled across Ukraine.

Due to the war, 450 churches are now in occupied territories, 200 have been forced to be closed and 45 churches have been damaged or destroyed in the war.  There are over 140 dislocated pastors who had to leave their churches and resettle in the western part of Ukraine.  The Baptist Union is aiding these pastors as they have lost their homes, and their ministry.  The Baptist Union is providing for their families and helping them to find new ministry opportunities in the communities they have settled into.

One amazing thing I learned on this trip is how the people from Ukrainian churches who have resettled in Europe are working in the churches to do ministry together and share the gospel with others from Ukraine who have resettled in these communities.

As the war continues, the Baptist Union is looking for new ways to provide assistance.  As Ukraine retakes occupied territories, they are using mobile kitchens to go into these communities to provide hot meals for the people who have no utilities to allow them to cook.  Churches have become support centers to provide food, water and battery charging sites.

While the churches are providing for the physical needs for so many, they are also providing for the spiritual needs.  Churches are filled with new people who need spiritual support.  People are suffering from the effects of trauma and how to deal with the loss of all they have and how to start anew.  They need the hope of Jesus in an environment that can feel hopeless for many.

As our time continued, we moved to discussing future ministry needs.  Due to the war and people who have emigrated out of Ukraine, the Baptist Union estimates that it will need 1,000 new pastors to lead churches and ministry in the next few years.  With that need, resources to train and develop future pastors and ministry leaders is greatly needed.  This need fits in with the work that we (Potential Endeavors) have been doing with Vasily Furta is developing mentoring groups in regions across Ukraine.  Before the war we had starting 4 or 5 of the groups and were in the process of starting 10 more.  These groups have been put on hold as the war has interrupted the plans, but we hope to get them started again this fall.  We are hoping that we can partner with churches from Converge to provide resources to help these groups.  In addition, it would be great if we could develop relationships between these young leaders in Ukraine and leaders in US churches to mentor and support each other.  When the war ends and it is easier to travel again, these relationships could result in ongoing ministry opportunities.

As our time together came to an end, we spent time praying for Ukraine, the leaders of the Baptist Union and the potential for future ministry partnerships between Converge, the Baptist Union and Potential Endeavors.  It was a great blessing to be able to spend time together and for me it was a blessing to get to know the leaders of Converge.

Our journey home was not without its adventure.  The lines to leave Ukraine were very long and slow.  Our driver got us to the border crossing area with the shortest line and then was able to get us to the front of the line, but the process of getting through the two borders still took over 3 hours.  As we entered Poland all of our bags were searched, which takes a lot of time with all the vehicles who are going across.

We made it back to our hotel and had an awesome time debriefing our trip together and celebrating how God has brought all of us together and for what we see as the future partnerships that are possible.

I was so blessed to be invited on this trip.  Blessed to spend time with my Ukrainian friends and with my new Converge friends.  I was blessed to see how God is working in Ukraine and how people are finding Jesus in midst of the war.  I don’t know when my next trip to Ukraine will be, but I know that work will continue.  We will continue to raise support for pastors in Ukraine and continue to look for partners to help with the work of the mentoring groups.  We will be ready to return when the doors of opportunity open up.

Continue to pray for Ukraine.  Thanks for all the prayers that were lifted up while we were in Ukraine.  We could feel God’s hand of protection and blessing on us.  The needs are great and when the war ends the needs of rebuilding the damage churches and lives will just be starting.  Pray for new leaders to be raised up to do the work of God in Ukraine and to continue their desire to reach their communities for Jesus.

Today I am leaving for my first trip to Ukraine since the war escalated on February 24^th.  My trip will look different as I am not traveling with Beth, and we are not going to the places we normally work from.  We will be flying into Poland and driving across the land border to Ukraine.

We will be in Lviv.  While Lviv has been relatively quiet from a war damage perspective, there will still be impacts of the war we will feel such as the air raid sirens and the number of refugees that have moved from the east to the west of Ukraine.

I will be traveling with a group of leaders from Converge and we will be meeting with the leaders of the Baptist Union of Ukraine to discuss future ministry partnerships.  Humanitarian needs and support still exist, but we want to be preparing for the future and the spiritual needs of the people.  As some of you may know, Minnesota and other parts of the US have been working in Ukraine for the past 30 years.  There has been work with day camps, men’s and women’s meetings, sports camps and church partnerships.  Most of the work was done in the Cherkasy and Rivne regions and we want to talk about how to expand work across all the regions of Ukraine.

We want to listen to the needs and dreams of the leaders of the Baptist Union and discuss how we can continue to build on the existing partnerships and grow them even more.  God knows what the plans are for the future, but it is up to us to search for and discover those plans for us.  This could look like helping with church plants, developing new leaders, supporting missionaries who are being sent to unreached people groups and doing ministry in existing churches such as English camps, kids camps, etc.

As I leave for this trip, I have three prayers requests:

• PRAY for safety in travel and for our time in Ukraine.
• PRAY for our meetings that we see clearly where God wants us to partner together in the future.
• PRAY for Ukraine.  The war continues.  There are humanitarian needs for the refugees impacted in the war zones.  There are economic needs for those who were not refugees but have seen the economy destroyed due to Russia actions.  There are spiritual needs for those who feel hopeless and need a relationship with Jesus in their lives.