Psalm 13:5‭-‬6‬
Today Russian troops shelled the area near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) twice. They seriously damaged a high-voltage power line, nitrogen-oxygen station, and the combined auxiliary building. There are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances. Fire danger is serious. It means a nuclear disaster can happen anytime if the Russian troops are not careful enough.

Is it something new? No. The city of Enerhodar (and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant) has been under Russian occupation since March 4, 2022. Over the past few months, they have turned the NPP facility into their ammunition depot (which means a high risk of detonation and explosion), and they were interfering with the management and staff of the NPP. A few times, Russian missiles aimed at Kyiv or another region of Ukraine flew really low over the NPP, putting it in danger. It is one more weapon of terrorism, a nuclear one this time. We are literally sitting on a powder keg, and we are fully aware that the risks of Russia using a nuclear weapon or causing a nuclear disaster are not negligible.

What should we then do? I believe we should pray, trust God (for His interference and protection is vital in this situation), and keep on living.

The enemy (both our immediate physical enemy, Russia, and the spiritual enemy) wants us to be paralyzed by fear or anxiety. The enemy wants to steal our joy. He wants us to feel dead while we are still alive. And we must resist it.

I read a post by Ostap Slyvynkyi (https://bit.ly/3bvavKF), a Ukrainian poet and translator, in which he shares that he struggles with rejoicing because it feels wrong. It feels as if it’s something that needs to be postponed until “when the war is over.” I’ve heard similar ideas from many of my friends, and that’s how I often feel. However, Ostap also shares his conversation with a woman who had to leave her home in Kostiantynivka ( a heavily shelled town in the Donetsk region) and move to the West of Ukraine.
She said, “People often ask me how come I have so much joy? Why am I so happy? Sometimes they ask me this with some accusation. And really, I have nothing and no one left, except [my son].

But then, one day, I got a revelation – if the enemy had taken away everything I had, I shouldn’t let them also take away my days. So I stopped thinking, “just wait a little bit, and then we’ll win, and life will be back as usual.” No. Our life happens now, and there will be no do-overs. And our victory will not come as an awakening from a horrible nightmare when you say, “I’m fine, I’m home.” No, it won’t be this way because it wasn’t a dream, and “home” is no more.

That’s when I decided I would do everything in my power for our victory, but I refuse to give the enemy any day of my life. There won’t be a day when I lay flat and pity myself. No, I will rejoice out of spite. Yes, there’s joy in spite of everything and out of spite for the enemy.”

To me, these words are spoken by the woman who has lost everything except her life-asserting resilience and dignity. They were an encouragement to me, and I hope they urge you to rejoice in the Lord despite the circumstances so that the enemy wouldn’t be able to take away your will for life. May the hope of God’s promise be our light even in the deepest darkness.

Thank you for your prayers…
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministies Team

Y Update – August 4
A survey conducted by the IOM last month showed that 15% of Ukraine’s population has been displaced. At the same time, 5.5 million people who were previously displaced have returned home, most to Kyiv city and region, as well as Kharkiv, Odesa and Chernihiv regions. The organization said many of the people who have been displaced are facing economic hardship. It said that 60% of those who were employed before displacement have lost their jobs and as many as 9% have had no income since the outbreak of the full-scale war in late February.

With the approaching colder months, many are worried about their living conditions, the IOM said. As many as 44% said they needed help with repairs and more than one fourth feared needing to leave their current accommodation due to insufficient heating ahead of winter.

Because of this growing housing need for this approaching winter, Y Ukraine have started building temporary housing for those who lost their homes. There are many elderly and mothers with children who desperately need shelter. In order for our projects to be fulfilled, we are needing teams to come and help construct prefabricated simple homes.

If you can send a team to come and help for a couple of weeks, please private message me for details. Also, finances are needed to purchase the building materials. We have a wonderful opportunity to provide shelter for those who need it. Please pray about how you may be involved in our endeavor either by sending teams

Teams in Europe Volunteers
teams@ywamkyiv.org

Dear Friends,
I apologize for the delay and the absence of prayer letters thee past few days. We are presently having a small vacation and have been out of town and out of range for internet.. We’ll be back to normal next week.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Ukraine’s grain starts moving. (N.Y. Times)
The Razoni, loaded with more than 26,000 metric tons of corn, sailed out of Ukraine’s blockaded ports today — the first such ship to sail since Russia’s invasion.
There are 16 more vessels ready to bring grain to world markets under a deal signed by Russia and Ukraine. But experts warn that a global hunger crisis still looms.

Russia’s blockade since its invasion sent global grain prices soaring and brought the threat of famine to tens of millions of people, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Wheat prices have since eased, but experts think they are likely to rise again, in part because of other factors, including the prices of energy and fertilizer.
“The issues affecting food markets have not been solved,” said Ehsan Khoman, who manages emerging-market and commodities research for Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. “There is still a shortage.”
Aid officials say that the scale of the global food crisis — years in the making and fueled by wars, climate shocks and the economic devastation of the coronavirus pandemic — is so immense that no single event will reverse the situation.
As many as 50 million people in 45 countries are on the brink of famine, according to the U.N.’s World Food Program. In the 20 worst-hit countries, the situation is likely to worsen substantially by the end of the summer, it said.
Still, the departure of the ship was a first step toward getting 20 million tons of grain to the world market, generating export revenue for Ukraine. The Razoni left the port of Odesa, from where it was led out of the mined waters by a Ukrainian tugboat. Its crew, mostly Syrian seamen, headed for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon.

This is a report for praise, the Ukraine war does not just affect Ukraine, it affects the whole world. Let’s thank the Lord for this release of grain to feed the hungry.

Pray that these ports will remain open!

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team