Born in the Soviet Union, Vitaliy Smolin is a third-generation, born-again, evangelical Christian. His father was a Gideon brother and pastor. His grandfather spent seven years in a Siberian concentration camp because of his Christian testimony. A U.S. citizen raised outside Sacramento, CA, Vitaliy nearly died at the age of 26 and, as a result, dedicated his life to Christ.
In 2009, Vitaliy and his wife, Nataly, received the call to go to Ukraine, and by August of that same year, they had left everything they knew and moved their family of five across the globe to Ternopil.
Bio source: https://www.calvaryvv.org/index.php/about-us/get-involved/missions/smolin-ministries
To learn more about Vitaliy’s incredible efforts, please follow him on Facebook.
Vovchansk, Ukraine, source: kh.dsns.gov.ua
After fleeing Ukraine during the early days of the war, Pasha and his family found temporary refuge in Germany. There, he suffered a serious injury, requiring costly treatments and a prosthesis. “This is my pain,” he wrote at the time, “but my heart aches more for Ukraine.“
Last year, Pasha returned to his homeland, only to find his house in the Volchansk district completely destroyed. Rather than give up, he stayed—and began ministering to the people who remained.
In Ivano-Frankivsk, more than 70 public school educators gathered recently for the “Light in Education” conference. One of them, Iryna, is part of the Ukraine for Christ mission. Together, they studied the Epistle to the Romans, learned how to share personal testimonies, and trained in trauma care for students and fellow teachers.
Iryna is asking for prayer and support as she continues:
Her passion for equipping others with tools for faith and healing is a powerful testimony of God at work even in the darkest seasons.