August – September 2024
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you well in the Lord’s peace which passes all understanding during these crazy times. We are busy making all preparations possible on both fronts for our return to Ukraine. On the US side we are busy with meetings, homeschool, staying in contact with our people in Ukraine, in addition to the hundreds of little details that must be done before moving a family of six overseas. The Lord has given me open doors to update churches on our work, preach missions conferences and other special meetings. The Lord’s work has taken us to MT, CO, KY, OH, TX, and CA over the past two months. We are very grateful for responses to the invitations for salvation (three people walked the aisle to receive Christ), rededication, and missionary service.
On the Ukrainian side, our church continues to serve the Lord under the present circumstances. Our people are excited at the news of our return and are helping us with the preparations. The sisters in our church are helping Naomi with canning food, while the men winterize our house. Last winter a water line burst and flooded our kitchen causing mold. We are working to avoid a repeat this year. Our most pressing need, however, is to make sure that the house’s wiring is up to par in preparation for a backup energy source to keep the house warm. We are praying that we can get a natural gas generator installed before our return. They are rationing electricity, which will get worse as winter sets in. Last week Russia sent two Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones which hit our region bringing the war closer to our doorstep and further damaging the local electric grid.
Our plans for a short trip to Ukraine in August were postponed by vehicle repairs and Pastor Alexei’s above-mentioned paperwork. Our ministry van has been out of commission since our last trip into the formerly occupied territory. It will move around eight tons of supplies during one of these trips. Its size requires many trips with smaller loads over rough roads to move the literature and aid. The men who are left working as mechanics are fewer in number and they are backed up. We are told that it will take another two weeks to even begin repairs. We are making plans and arrangements for another trip but will have to wait until our van is fixed before announcing the dates. God’s timing is paramount seeing that the days I had originally planned to make the trip into eastern Ukraine were the exact days that Russia spent 1.3 billion US dollars in missiles, drones, and rockets unleashing them on Ukraine. Our trip would have been thwarted had we traveled as originally intended. More and more I see the Lord’s hand of protection in what we do. Thank you for praying.
We are very happy to announce that my son, Benjamin, has also answered the call to serve the Lord in Ukraine with his wife Faith. They are currently preparing to join Sam and Susanna in Boise to attend Bible Institute next year. Please pray for them.
Please continue to pray for the following top-of-the-list requests: 1) the Lord’s guidance and provision for our next trip to Ukraine; 2) God’s provision for a gas generator, and for a well to be drilled; 3) our paperwork; 4) God’s will for my children and their families who have surrendered to the Lord for missionary service (i.e. Miriam, Ben and Faith, Sam and Susanna); 5) God’s comfort, wisdom, and safety for our church in Ukraine, especially for the men who are fighting; 6) the growth of those recently saved; 7) our study of the Ukrainian language; and 8) for the war to end. My family and I would like to thank you all for your friendship, fellowship, prayers, and support of us in this work that God has given us.
That Ukraine May Know Him,
Christopher Rue
Phil. 3:10