Dear friends,
Just a couple of days ago I came back from a mission’s trip to Lviv, Ukraine. It has been a great trip, challenging in many ways. Many of you helped me significantly to put together all the funds needed for this trip and many of you were prayer shields and supporters in the Spirit. If you keep reading you will find out that both finances and prayers were playing a huge role during our trip. It is impossible to express the mystery work that God has been doing in our hearts during our adventure in Ukraine but it is my pleasure to share just a brief description of what was our stay about and a couple of thougts. This year I am working part time as one of the women coaches in the Internship program that Josiah Venture is running for youth leaders in Czech. The whole trip was part of this program. The goal was obviously to confront the students with a different culture, different ministry, different ways of spirituality but the same God working through his people in different places. This year one group went to Croatia, another to Romania and our group of eight people to Ukraine. We went to Lviv, which is a quite large city with more than one million people, and joined the ministry of New Life Church. We came to this church thanks to Ben and Kristy Williams – two JV missionaries who are part of this church helping to equip young leaders in Western Ukraine. New Life Church is known as „Prison Church“ because of a great ministry they do in different prisons (children prisons, adult ones, prison hospitals) in the region. Many members of the church are former prisoners who came to know the Lord, started a new life and carry on the ministry themselves. The church also serves orphans and children from broken homes. Besides that they have been working for a couple of years on rebuilding an old factory into a church building. We had a chance to prepare programs (songs, skits, games) for kids in orphanages and prisons, to visit mentally disabled, to provide food supplies to adult prisoners in prison hospital, to give testimonies anywhere we were and to work on the church building construction. It was a big lesson in flexibility – we didn’t always know what kind of group we will meet on the given day, how much time we will have together and what program would be the best. Things were changing on the way. It was a great teambuilding experience and we were definitely growing in relying on the Holy Spirit and on others in the team. Most of us have never been confronted with serious illness or death, with mentally handicapped or prisoners (murderers, thiefs…). All of us experienced how precious and unique is the Gospel in the middle of such a dark and hopeless place as a prison hospital where people are deprived of their freedom, health and dignity. We only had a few minutes in each of the cells. There wasn’t anything more important to say than to talk about the love, forgiveness and salvation that Jesus Christ can give to those who come to Him.
Also, one of our cars ended up with broken torsion bars [which basically means it was impossible to drive it anywhere]. It was a french Renault Scenic [which is obviously not made for Ukrainian roads and potholes] and it seemed impossible to find the spare part and have it fixed. Three of our group had to stay 5 days longer waiting and praying. We were seriously considering selling the car and coming back by bus. Thanks and praise to our Lord that we finally got the right part [from Warsaw, Poland!], had enough extra money [almost exactly] to pay for it and still were able to support New Life Church with a financial gift. It would fill the whole page to describe the whole process of trying to fix the car. Just know that your prayers for us and finances were appraciated in heaven and on earth.
Hardships and challenges usually bring most fruit in our lives and I am definitely very grateful for all experiences we had in Ukraine. It has been truly transforming for our group to join the Ukrainians in their ministry and see their courage and faith while they are serving in the most needy and hopeless places as orphanages, mental institutions, hospitals and prisons.
Grace and peace to you in His love
Lucka Rehorova

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
[Matt 25:34-40]