January 2026 – The Bible says in Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
From Jeff: Thank you for standing with us and praying for us in 2026! The scripture in Micah 6 is a guide, a reminder, and an encouragement to keep our faith at the forefront of all that we do. Paula and I look forward to a fruitful year and we are so grateful and humbled by your partnership with Mercy Projects. Thank you.
A letter from our co-worker, Andriy in Ukraine
Dear American friends, brothers and sisters in Christ,
My name is Andriy, and I am a volunteer chaplain from Ukraine. My faith in God and love for my country unite me with many friends from various Christian churches and organizations. Today I want to share our story with you and express my gratitude for your prayers and support.
In cities like Irpin and Boyarka, church communities are working tirelessly to support our defenders in their fight for freedom. We understand our circumstances: our soldiers fight because we were attacked. None of us wants to live in Russia; we want to live in a free Ukraine.
Irpin is a town outside Kyiv, where atrocities happened during the Russian invasion in 2022. I recently visited a local church and an NGO there. They weave camouflage nets for the military. During my visit, I brought the booklet “52 Topics for Small Groups,” created by Pastor Omelchuk of Blagodat Church. This booklet helps believers grow spiritually through home groups. I was amazed how our brothers and sisters both support our soldiers and pray for an end to the war.
Our co-worker at Mercy Projects, Grigoriy Bosy, is a dedicated family sponsorship coordinator. At the start of winter, I visited him in his village of Korost.
Korost is home to hardworking, faith-filled people who farm the land, grow vegetables, and raise cows, goats, and chickens. They are deeply grateful to Mercy Projects for your support of low-income families. In autumn, they
share part of their harvest with the church during the Harvest Festival and another part to support our soldiers.
Grigoriy, however, does more than care for families. He serves in his church, and he also builds small wood-burning stoves for soldiers. On the day of my visit, I presented him with a “Volunteer” award in recognition of his tireless work. His son is currently fighting on Ukraine’s eastern front. In return, Grigoriy “presented” me with trench stoves for our soldiers. I also passed on my sleeping bag, a gift from Canada, to his son at the front. Our exchange of “gifts” is an encouragement to keep going to support each other and our defenders. In our country, everybody contributes what they can to the effort.
“The war steals their childhood.”
At the church in the town
of Boyarka, they prepare instant dried soups and also weave nets for soldiers. I was struck by a little boy in the Boyarka church who was cutting ribbons for the camouflage nets. Next to him lay a notebook, an English textbook, and a phone on which he connected to a lesson via Zoom. Why is this so striking?
Our children are forced to study in shifts due to the lack of bomb shelters in schools. One week they are in school, the next week they study online. But their parents must work, which makes home life very difficult. The war steals their childhood and the opportunity to fully study. But, despite this, our children weave nets, raise funds for drones and ammunition, and prepare sweets for soldiers. On Sundays, they attend Sunday school with their mothers and grandmothers, where they study the Bible and pray for their fathers and grandfathers who are defending Ukraine.
I would like to express our special gratitude to Jeff and Paula, as well as to the organization Mercy Projects. Their tireless support of children, low-income families, and children with disabilities is a true blessing. Thanks to their help, many Ukrainian families feel care and hope in these difficult times.
In Ukraine, as believers, we try to support each other as one family. Our faith in God gives us strength. Our actions and your help give us hope. But we cannot do it without you.
Dear American friends, your help makes a difference. Your prayers, your support, and your resources are important to help us stop this war and bring peace back to our children. Our goal is peace and freedom for our children and for the future of our country. We hope and pray you will stay ready to support us in our fight for freedom. We will not give up, but we need you and God’s miraculous help.
Filled with faith, hope, and love,
Andriy, volunteer chaplain from Ukraine