Oleksiy and Yana Kisilevsky are students at Odessa Theological Seminary. The couple live and serve God in the Mykolaiv region in eastern Ukraine, an area where the pain and suffering caused by the war are often more intense than anywhere else in the country.
Children and adults who have fled their damaged or destroyed homes have lost everything. In addition, they face the even greater pain of the loss of loved ones. These are the hurting people that Oleksiy and Yana serve.
According to Yana, when the love of God has touched your heart, you cannot remain indifferent to the pain of others. When the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, they realized that God was calling them to serve the people who were most in need of help and support. For the past three years, Oleksiy and Yana have been involved in social ministry, both within the local church and beyond.
Oleksiy & Yana
Yana explains how meeting the needs of others has deeply impacted their attitude and lives.
We started with nothing. In the early days of the war, we gave the last of our family budget to help those who had been left penniless on 24th February 2022. We met many refugees and individuals who had suffered severe physical, emotional, and psychological trauma. We realized that only God could truly heal such deep wounds. We ourselves found comfort in Him alone.’
People of Ukraine
As they began to serve others, God opened doors, providing resources and softening hearts to receive His Word. As they spent more time with those who had experienced profound trauma, they became increasingly aware of their own limitations.Â
Realizing that they lacked the tools and knowledge to offer the kind of help that was needed, Yana decided to participate in the Odessa Theological Seminary Christian Counselling course to be better equipped to support those who were hurting.
Oleksiy and Yana opened their hearts to families in crisis, and eventually, they opened their home as well. Now, alongside their biological daughter, they are raising three foster children who even at their young age have already experienced many hardships. In addition, they have also taken in Vitaly, a 17-year-old orphan who requires help with his education, and support in his social development in order to encourage him towards independence. Recently he accepted Christ as his Saviour.
I’m deeply grateful that, even in such difficult times, we have the privilege of showing God’s love to those around us.
Pray that Oleksiy and Yana will receive the Lord’s strength for each day as they seek to impact the lives of the vulnerable and despairing.
PS. Odessa Theologically Seminary is partially funded by SGA UK.