Tag

Family

103 articles tagged “family”.

Digging In — Looking Ahead to the Long Haul

Joshua Steele · June 4, 2022

It has now been over 100 days since Russia invaded our home — the beautiful country of Ukraine. We’re all ready for this nightmare to end, but reality is not as simple as we would like. In this episode, we’ll share our thinking about the long-term implications of the war for our family and ministry. We’ll update you on several key fronts, and we’ll close out the episode with an informative synopsis of the military situation on the ground in Ukraine.

Serhii Chepara, his wife Natallia, and their two children: Frantsishka (lower right) and Yulian

Voices from Ukraine: Serhii and Natallia Chepara

Joshua Steele · May 16, 2022

Today we’re pleased to introduce a new series on the podcast called Voices from Ukraine. In each episode of the series, we’ll be interviewing people in-country who are serving the Lord and striving to support the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom. In today’s episode, we’re excited to bring you the story of Serhii and Natallia Chepara. You’ll hear Serhii share his experiences in his native Ukrainian language, with Kelsie translating into English. Natallia will talk about their long weeks of separation as she and the children evacuated to Germany and adapted to refugee life. Finally, you’ll hear the heart-warming conclusion as their family is reunited in a small Carpathian village. This is an episode you won’t want to miss!

What a blessing to reunite with our dear friends from the church in Lviv! These ladies are heroes. In the midst of war and evacuation, they are faithfully sharing Christ with their fellow refugees in Poland!

On the Road Again

Joshua Steele · May 2, 2022

As we enter the third month of Russia’s war against Ukraine, I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 16:9: “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Despite the sorrow and tragedy of war, God continues to lead and bless His people. In this episode, we’ll tell you all about our recent trip to Poland where we visited a large group of our displaced Ukrainian friends from our church in Lviv. We also have updates about a new printing of the Good and Evil Bible comic book, our ministry to Ukrainians in Slovakia and more.

The website alerts.in.ua publishes a live air-alert map of Ukraine showing which oblasts are currently under threat of aerial bombardment. This is the map we saw in the early morning hours of April 18 when multiple Russian missiles struck our city.

All Over the Map

Joshua Steele · April 20, 2022

Evacuation life for our family has proven to be anything but boring! In this episode, we’re excited to share our most recent stories with you, including another trip back into Ukraine, new doors opening for ministry to refugees in Slovakia and Poland, family news, and, sadly, a report on Russia’s latest missile strike in Lviv.

Abigail and her teammates gear up for a 12-hour night shift at the border distributing food and supplies to Ukrainian refugees entering Slovakia.

Back to the Borders

Joshua Steele · April 8, 2022

For the first time since our evacuation, Joshua made a trip back into Ukraine to our home in Lviv. Hours before his planned arrival, Lviv was hit by Russian cruise missiles! Meanwhile, our daughter Abigail volunteered for a week with a team distributing humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees entering Slovakia. She joins us in this episode to share her story! We also have news about a new van for our family, as well as several prayer requests, especially regarding our health.

Moving day at our new home-for-now in Žilina, Slovakia

Expanding Fronts

Joshua Steele · March 25, 2022

God is continuing to open doors here in Slovakia, and we are seeing good progress on several fronts. In this episode, we’ll talk about our new apartment, some good relationships that we’ve been building with Ukrainians, an exciting evacuation story from Kharkiv, and Joshua’s upcoming trip back to Lviv. Additionally, we have some good news about a new van!

Typical apartment buildings in Chernihiv, Ukraine
Photo by Max Tereshchenko on Unsplash

“Save us”

Joshua Steele · March 15, 2022

A few days ago, I received a sobering text message which consisted of only two words: “Save us”. That message was sent by someone trapped in the city of Chernihiv, currently besieged by the Russian invaders.

As we crest the last hill, we finally see the crossing area come into view. What a welcome sight!

Our Journey

Joshua Steele · March 5, 2022

On March 1, 2022, our family completed our crossing from Ukraine into Slovakia. This has been a difficult journey, but as always, God has been more than faithful. It’s been a few days since we posted news of our progress, so in this (admittedly longer) audio update, we’d like to bring you up to speed. We’ll talk not only about what has transpired, but about our current position in Slovakia and our plans the future. Thanks for listening!