Through The Lens Of Ukraine
I first traveled to Ukraine in 2017. CIM Canada had been seeking the Lord’s direction for another cross-cultural ministry field. We felt the Lord leading us to expand our ministries from the Western African countries of Ghana and Togo. After much prayer, God placed the Roma people group into our hearts and because we had connections in Ukraine through an organization called House of Mercy to the Roma people group, we felt this was the perfect place to start. So we sent an exploratory team to Ukraine and on this particular trip, we visited different Roma villages, conducted workshops with the Roma leadership, met with House of Mercy organizers, and generally felt the Lord’s presence with us throughout the entire trip. I loved my time there and develop a longing to serve with the Ukrainians alongside the Romas.
Upon returning to Canada, we presented to the CIM Board of Directors, our findings on the trip. We believe that the Lord was calling us to the Roma people group starting in Ukraine. Our goal was to bring God’s love to the Romas partnering with the House of Mercy in Ukraine. We had two theme verses. The first was Luke 4:18-19 which states: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” The second was Romans 10:12-13: “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile - the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for everyone, who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Preaching In A Roma Village
Visitation With A Roma Family
Our Board of Directors supported our findings and in 2018, we sent our first STM team to the Roma people group, though it was only comprised of myself, a BOD member, and a staff. On this trip, we ran a camp for the Roma youth and delivered food to the Roma villages. In 2019, I went two more times to Ukraine. In April of 2019, I went with Tomson and Lisa Chan to lead training with some of the Roma leaders and in June 2019, with a STM team from Burnaby Pacific Grace Church in British Columbia, we ran the same youth camp that we ran in 2018. I almost did not go on this trip because a few days before I was going to fly, my father was diagnosed with acute leukemia. Though my father did pass away in September of that year from the disease, I was still glad I went on the trip. One of the main reasons I went was my love for the Romas. I had developed relationships with many of the youth at the 2018 camp, witnessed a number of conversions, and my heart was with them as I really wanted to see growth in their walk with the Lord.
Roma Youth Camp 2018
Roma Youth Camp 2019
As 2019 wound down and 2020 began, our plan was to continue going to the Romas in Ukraine, but the Covid pandemic hit and everything grounded to a halt. Our desire was still to reach out to the Romas and when some restrictions were lifted, House of Mercy gathered our supported Roma pastors together and we held training sessions via Zoom. Though we could not go physically, we were happy to see our brothers and sisters in Christ online. It was also during this period that Pastor Vlad Matvieiev (a Ukrainian) started partnering with House of Mercy to oversee the Roma Ministries.
Zoom Training With Roma Pastors November 2021
We would continue with the Zoom meetings until the unthinkable happened on February 24, 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine. This broke many of our hearts. Not only could we not meet with the Roma pastors anymore even online, we heard countless stories of people dying from the war; buildings and even cities obliterated, and thousands upon thousands of refugees fleeing the country. Because House of Mercy is situated near the border with Hungary, refugees started flocking to the area. House of Mercy not only provided shelter and food, but also shared the gospel story. Praise God that many came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Yet lives continued to be lost physically. CIM started sending money to aid those in need and even though we could not send STM teams due to liability issues, we did not stop caring. Our chairman of the board, Tomson Chan and his wife Lisa, have now gone to Ukraine twice after the war started to care for the needy and to visit the Roma villages. In fact, they have just returned to Canada from another trip to Ukraine.
As we have promoted in the last few months, CIM will be flying Pastor Vasyl Fenchak (director for House of Mercy) and Pastor Vlad Matvieiev to Canada in September to share about what God is doing in Ukraine despite the war. We are calling it the “Mercy in the Midst of Turmoil” tour visiting the cities of Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver. If you are in any of those cities, come out to hear first hand what is happening there and how you can help.
For more information, click on the following link: https://www.cimcanada.org/events/ukraine-sharing
The Lord continues to be at work. There is mercy in the midst of turmoil. Though my heart breaks when I hear what is happening to my friends in Ukraine, I am also very encouraged by the stories I hear of how God is at work there. Even when it seems like we are going through the valley of the shadow of death, the Lord is with us. Even though it appears that the enemy may be winning, God continues to be at our side and that is why CIM does what it does. We share the gospel message because God matters. We all need a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Rev. Isaac Quan
August Financials 2023
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. The invasion rages on and innocent lives are lost each day. Pray for House of Mercy as they take care of refugees, physically and spiritually. Pray also for the “Mercy in the Midst of Turmoil” September trip to Canada and for Pastor Vasyl and Pastor Vlad. Pray that there will be donors for the Roma Ministry Fund to support these Ukraine Sharing Events and CIM's Roma Ministries in Ukraine. Click here to donate and for more details of the September sharing events.
Pray for the pastors and teachers that we support in Ghana and Togo. Inflation is still greatly affecting their lives. Pray for our ministries in Ghana and Togo to share God’s love with the local Africans and help with some of their physical needs. Pray for the formation of STM teams in 2024. Pray for Pastor Matthieu who is currently in Togo meeting with the pastors of EGCT. Pray for fruitful meetings.
Pray for Rev. Richard Ding, CIM Australia’s missionary to Cambodia. His cancer has spread to his liver. He will start chemotherapy treatments and may need a liver operation. The next three months will be critical.
Pray for CIM USA as they are still looking for an Executive Director as well as a Director of Ministry.