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40 articles tagged “ukraine”.

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Clockwise from the top: open-air preaching in Lviv (2006); a final picture before leaving for the airport (March 17, 2001); the first issue of my newsletter, Ukraine Report.

25 Years in Ukraine

Joshua Steele · March 18, 2026

Today marks exactly 25 years since I arrived in Ukraine to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary. I felt I could not let this day pass without expressing my gratefulness to the Lord and to the many friends and family who have walked with me through this journey.

Even in the midst of war, God gives happy moments when we are reminded of His faithfulness!

We Survived!

Joshua Steele · March 11, 2026

It’s been a minute, but yes, we’re still here in Ukraine! Sometimes it’s hard to be a missionary and keep up with telling everybody how it’s going. We’ve fallen behind on reporting, so today I’m posting a whirlwind tour of the past several months. A more detailed newsletter is in the works, but in the meantime, here’s what we’ve been up to and what God has been doing in our ministry.

Many of our readers will recall Carpathian Mountain Outreach (CMO), an annual short-term missions initiative we began back in 2006. After 13 projects spanning 17 years (2006–2023), the time has come to sunset CMO. Today, we are announcing our next major initiative in discipleship and evangelism: Ukraine Gospel Outreach (UGO). Please take a few moments to read this update and discover what we have planned and how you can get involved. The harvest fields have never been whiter.

Announcing Ukraine Gospel Outreach

Joshua Steele · August 31, 2025

One of the fundamental principles we taught our CMO teams was this: methods may change, but the message remains the same. That message — the Gospel of Jesus Christ — transcends cultures and languages, remaining constant across the centuries, and offering salvation to anyone who believes. As Christians, our calling is to take this good news to the world, whether at home or abroad, and challenge our listeners to repent towards God.

Bible Course, Books to Press, and a Birthday Girl!

Kelsie Steele · July 29, 2025

Here’s a peek into our last few weeks. First up, Bible First Online has been getting some TLC! Designed to help students know God through His Word, the Bible First Lessons and the Bible First Online web application have been a core part of our ministry for years.

Speaking into the Struggle

Kelsie Steele · July 6, 2025

Last week we experienced the largest missile and drone attack on Ukraine since the beginning of the war, spending most of Saturday night/Sunday morning in our hallway. We are thankful for God’s protection; our area was not hit, though explosions could be heard throughout the night. After catching only a couple hours sleep, Joshua delivered the Sunday morning sermon! Church carried on as normal, even though many of the members were up through the night.

Before the Curtain Closes

Joshua Steele · April 23, 2025

Our team of four barely fit into a mid-size Ford van, which we had packed from floor to ceiling with supplies: bread, aid boxes, rice, and cases of the Bible comic book Good and Evil. After hours of travel from Lviv in the west, passing through Zhytomyr and Kyiv in the north, we entered the flat, open plains of Ukraine’s southern regions. Gone were the urban centers and smooth highways; in their place, we found a scene reminiscent of some dystopian Hollywood movie.

When is Daddy Coming Home?

Joshua Steele · April 7, 2025

“When is Daddy coming home?” This is a question all children ask, and it points to a promise all good parents make. Kelsie and I have said it countless times to our children “Mommy and Daddy will always come back.” Yet, no matter how we long to reassure our little ones, we know that our power to fulfill that promise is limited. Tragically, there are times when life takes away our promise, times when a parent can’t come home.

Late in 2024, our team had the incredible privilege of traveling to some of the areas in Ukraine hardest hit by the war. Amidst minefields and bombed-out homes, we spoke with people who have endured unimaginable loss. The image above was taken on the final day of our trip when we had the opportunity to preach the Gospel and distribute aid to a large group of Ukrainians in the city of Zhytomyr.

The November Project

Joshua Steele · February 24, 2025

It all began with a phone call from Ben Sargent. Ben serves on our board of directors with Euro Team Outreach, and for some time, we’d been planning for him to visit Ukraine. The goal had been to brainstorm and plan future ministry projects. But now Ben had a new idea. “Josh, when I get there, I want you to find me an interpreter and a vehicle to take me close to the front so I can preach the Gospel. I don’t care if something happens to me; I’m ready to go!” That’s one reason we’re so blessed to have Ben on our team. His enthusiasm and vision keep us going! As we spoke on the phone, I thought fast and made a few suggestions. After our conversation ended, I knew who I needed to call: Oleksandr Ilchenko.