100% of Your Donations Continue to Support Ukrainians in Need SELCU Pastors Serving Ukrainians Since March 2022, Lutheran Church Charities has been working cooperatively with pastors of the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU) to provide humanitarian relief which combines the clear proclamation of the gospel.  In spite of the tragedies inflicted upon Ukraine by Russia, there are some joys to report from the Synod of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Ukraine (SELCU). SELCU Pastor Oleg Schewtschenko, assigned to the congregation in Odessa, is currently in Marsberg, Germany, visiting his spouse Victoria and sons Nathaniel and Dominic. The family photo shows the reunited family. Although he holds a German passport and could have left Ukraine at the start of the conflict, he chose to remain in the country to assist the SELCU congregations and the Ukrainian people. Pastor Schewtschenko writes: “207 days away from my boys; 207 days without hugs; 207 days of prayers: ‘Protect and let our father come to us.’ What a joy of reunion after [traveling] 2,605 km!”
 It was in March of this year that he bade farewell to his family at the Ukrainian-Romanian border. He has missed many family events in the intervening months. In August, on the occasion of his older son’s birthday, he wrote the following: “Happy and Blessed Birthday, dear Nathanael Martin! Another happy and sad day. Joyful because today you are a whole five - and you are again a year older than your little brother. And it's sad because we're still far from each other. Nathanael, I fondly remember our trips. You really like to sit next to your dad, and you do not miss the opportunity to sit behind the wheel and even switch the speed, and you want to drive on the fifth gear very fast. You have incredible attention and visual memory. I appreciate how attentively you listened to stories from your favorite books and especially from your favorite Children's Bible. You love the railway (ICE) so much; even your toy cars must all be lined up - like lights, one by one. Miss you so much, love and prayers. I'm so happy to hear that you pray every day for dad and ask God [that I] meet you. God hears every word!” We rejoice with Pastor Schewtschenko as he spends some quality time in Germany, where his sons once again get to ride with their father, eat meals with him, and pray with him. Soon he will return to Odessa, Ukraine, to continue the important work there. Your Donations are Immediately Helping Ukrainians in Need!
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