Prayer Letter: March 2022

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

We want to thank all of you who reached out to us after the Russian invasion. The Lord protected us as we left to Poland, and He has been merciful to Ukraine in allowing many people to get out of harm’s way. The blitzkrieg that was expected to overwhelm Ukraine and quickly take over the country has stalled as of now. Many of our friends and family were able to leave for safer parts of Ukraine and even into Europe. We’ve been in the middle of the largest and fastest flight of refugees in recent history. We made the difficult decision, along with my in-laws, to head back to the States for a time until we can evaluate the situation and where we can go next. The situation in Eastern and Central Europe is chaotic now, and many refugees are still in transit and unaware of where they will end up. If we are not able to return to Ukraine soon, then we will pray about finding a place as close as we can where we can minister to and witness to Ukrainians. We also don’t want to abandon believers in Russia and Belarus who listen to the radio and read the Bibles and literature we send out. Many in Russia and Belarus are opposed to the war, and don’t have any choice other than watch their soldiers go off to kill and die, and their countries close. We will likely not be able to send any more Bibles into Russia, but want to at least put up material on the internet and YouTube for people to listen and read.

A couple of blessings to mention: Naomi is pregnant, with the baby due in August. That influenced our decision to go back to the States and stabilise until the baby is born. They are both healthy and doing well. We would appreciate prayers for both of them. Also, a month before the war, I was able to receive my Ukrainian green card. That is a huge blessing, because even though the door is closed for now to go back, I will be able to return without going through paperwork and visa renewal. If you know of a church that would like to have us in during our time in the States, or if you know of a place that we can stay, please let us know. We are traveling back without the usual itinerary and planning that we normally would on furlough. We would like to continue recording audio preaching and teaching for the radio, which is needful now. One main goal during our time in the States is to work on proofreading the Ukrainian King James Bible. The brother who translated it into Ukrainian is in a safer part of the country for now, but he is getting up in years. He is working constantly on getting the text as close as possible to the King James, and correcting some of the early drafts of the text. Our job is to compare between the English and Russian, and make sure the Ukrainian is as close as it can possibly be. During our time in Ukraine, we completed proofreading the New Testament with the exception of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. Please pray for this task. We would like to get tracts, John/Romans, and the full Bible ready for printing either upon our return, or in Europe where they can be passed out to Ukrainians there.

There are still churches in Ukraine trying to do what they can for people there. We’ve been in contact with a few who have ordered literature from us, and many have either moved out of their cities, or are continuing to witness to people around them. If you would like to pray for some specific people and needs, let us know.

We thank you again for remembering us in prayer. Our flight is on March 6th, so we would appreciate you all praying for our safe flight and travels in the States. Although we hate to leave Ukraine, we are glad to be able to see our friends and family and prepare for what the Lord has for us next. Remember us and the people of Ukraine especially now. Lord bless you all.

Love in Christ, David, Naomi, and Philip Lohman