An SGA team shared about a poignant moment during a recent visit when they walked with a mother and father, Marina and Vlad, along a cemetery path leading to their son’s grave. He had been killed in active service. Dimitri, aged 27, was their only child and died in August 2022.
At every grave, the Ukrainian flag was raised to mark the graves of the fallen. At the head of each grave was a photograph with the age of the deceased and the date of death. Alongside Marina and Vlad’s son’s grave were other graves of young men who were killed from the local evangelical church.
From these sad and very difficult circumstances, Marina shared how God opened a door to a new ministry. After losing her son she was called by another woman to break the news to a family that their son had been killed. As Marina could identify with them, she was welcomed to spend the day with the family.
Now, as part of her developing ministry, she attends every military funeral in her city. While there, she speaks with the family and gets their contact details. This is followed up with a visit to the home and an invitation to church. She heads up a group of ladies who meet regularly as they try to come to terms with the loss of a husband, son, or father. Through her ministry, broken-hearted, grieving families are receiving much-needed help and comfort.
Pray for Marina as she serves the Lord in this way.