Sharing God's Word in Ukraine 

At the beginning of 2022, our partner Biblica completed a typesetting of the Gospel in Russian and was working with a Partner ministry in Ukraine called Steiger International who were planning to use this in their outreach across Ukraine.



We all know by now what happened on the 24th of February when Russia invaded Ukraine and the country was plunged into war. 5,000 copies of the Russian Gospels were delivered to the Steiger team but their focus had changed as their team was responding to the humanitarian needs of their nation. Gospels were being given alongside food parcels. Many were being used in frontline regions as teams were bringing medical supplies. Valerii from Steiger tells of how nursing staff were moved to tears when they received the gospels because the young soldiers who were coming to the hospital units were asking for Bibles.

Valerii from Steiger - who included copies of iWitness Mark in aid packages sent with teams to the city of Bakhmut in February - commented on Facebook recently: ‘Today we sent medicines to the hospital, which distributes them to the frontline and battlefields. The nurses burst into tears from the amount of medicines, but we also told them that we brought them two boxes of the Gospels, and instead of looking at the medicines, they opened up the box with the gospels, took it in their hands and said: “this is what we need the most, because so many soldiers ask us for this".

...instead of looking at the medicines, they opened up the box with the gospels, took it in their hands and said: “this is what we need the most, because so many soldiers ask us for this"

In addition to this, back in September 2022, 12,000 copies of iWitness Mark in Ukrainian were printed which our partners helped to distribute. Thousands of these went to towns and cities in the Eastern frontline.

One partner working in one of the Eastern cities close to the Russian-occupied territories has reported that ‘while many have fled the region but among those that are left there has never been as much hunger for God’s word. The teenagers ask to meet, and we use this gospel first of all to study and read. Weekly our mission director holds a Bible study for 47 teenagers. All will have been given this Mark's gospel.
 

The Gospel of Mark is an optimal format for studying the Bible during the war because, in a state of prolonged stress, a person loses the ability to focus attention, comprehend and read voluminous and theologically complex texts.

The Gospel of Mark is an optimal format for studying the Bible during the war because, in a state of prolonged stress, a person loses the ability to focus attention, comprehend and read voluminous and theologically complex texts. It is also important to note that since the book is illustrated, from a pedagogical point of view, its content is better perceived by young people and teenagers, it inspires reflection. We are pleased with the book, which is easily understood by both Christians and people who have just begun their acquaintance with the Word of God.'

An Every Home For Christ partner worked with 470 churches, who ordered these materials for themselves and others. A total of 990 churches and 7,069 volunteers were involved in distribution campaigns in 1,100 cities, towns, and villages across all 24 regions of Ukraine. This included 5,000 Gospels of Mark.

Where to next?

Having seen the hunger for these translations of the Gospel of Mark, one new and exciting development is the plan to complete a Farsi version. The Iranian church is the fastest growing in the world today. We are excited by what God will do with this resource as we continue to make his word accessible to all.