The people of Ukraine have suffered greatly under tyranny - 15 million dead in the twentieth century from man-made famines, Soviet purges, the ravages of war, and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Tens of millions more still struggle under the lingering effect of the abuses of the past. It is sadly fitting that the national anthem is entitled: "Ukraine has not yet died."

After many years of labor in the Lord, sustained by the prayers and support of God's people, the seed of God's Word is now yielding a great harvest. Through the efforts of Thoughts of Faith missionaries in Ukraine in the 1990s, the Ukrainian Lutheran Church - which was destroyed at the institutional level by the Communists in the 1940s - was reorganized on the territory of a free Ukraine. Thoughts of Faith continues to work in partnership with this self-governing church body. There are congregations and preaching stations in all regions of the country, and their number is constantly growing. Twenty-one men have already graduated from Saint Sophia Ukrainian Lutheran Theological Seminary in Ternopil', which is supported by Thoughts of Faith, and they are all currently serving as pastors in Ukraine. Our Gift of Life, working in partnership with the congregations of the Ukrainian Lutheran Church, have administered medical care to 40 thousand children!

The ULC is growing so rapidly that it is a constant effort to find adequate space for the conducting of worship services and Bible and catechism classes. A few congregations, through the generosity of American donors, have been able to acquire their own church buildings, but most are still forced to use rented facilities that often leave much to be desired. The creature comforts that we take for granted (inside toilets, heat in the winter, etc.) are often lacking.

The congregations desperately need funds either to construct their own churches or to purchase buildings that can be renovated into churches. The Ukrainian Lutheran Church continues to need our help also in their many evangelistic efforts, such as the weekly nationwide radio program "The Lutheran Wave," and the distribution of Christian literature.

"When I returned to Ukraine this past fall to teach in the Seminary, I was again struck by the beauty of their worship. The auditorium where they gathered was freezing, but the worshipers radiated the warm glow of the gospel at work in their hearts. I have heard from others who have journeyed there, that Ukraine is a place that grabs a hold of you."