Ukraine Update: Please pray for the Barbanels
Dear praying friends,
I wanted to write and give you an update on our missionaries in Odessa, Ukraine, Igor and Galyna Barbanel. I have been keeping in regular touch with them as they have chosen to remain at home in Odessa in order to be able to continue to minister to the Jewish community there.
Galyna and Igor sent me the following messages. Galyna says:
‘War is very scary, but many people in Odessa have made the decision to remain in their homeland and in their homes. The Lord has placed the same decision in our hearts - to continue our work among the Jewish people of Odessa.
It looks like God is touching many hearts in a special way right now. One example is Diana, a 30-year-old Jewish woman I keep in touch with. In her youth, she was a member of the Hasidic (ultra-Orthodox) synagogue. Now she is secular though.
Previously, she ignored my words about God, and she had no desire to discuss spiritual topics. Now, in response to words that my husband and I are praying about God's protection over her and her loved ones, she told me: “Thank you very much, Galyna. In such a difficult situation, all people should pray, even unbelievers.”
I suggested that she should try to pray to the Messiah Jesus, in whom her mother Miriam believed. I reached out to Diana's mother when she used to be a member of the Hasidic synagogue. She came to faith in Jesus as the promised Messiah of Israel and passed away last year.’
Glayna Barbanel sharing the gospel with an elderly Jewish contact in Odessa
Igor wrote to me about a new Jewish believer he has been discipling:
‘Boris began following Jesus last year following our Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) festival outreach. I called him to find out how he and his family are doing with the war. He told me that, despite being in his 60s, he is enlisted in the territorial defence of Odessa and is ready to fight the Russian invaders. He served in the army during the Soviet Union and was a skilled marksman.
Boris told me an amazing story. When the Second World War broke out, his mother was 6 years old. During the bombing, a shell hit a four-storey building where she lived. The building was destroyed, leaving her stuck under the rubble. Thankfully the building was built of shell rock so she could still breathe. The sappers found her two days later.
Boris’s mother told him that it was thanks to God that she had survived. Boris concluded that if God could save his mother during World War Two, then he believes that Jesus can save him during this trying time for their hometown in Odessa.’
The Barbanel’s Rosh Hashanah outreach meeting where Boris professed faith in Jesus last year
YOUR PRAYERS ARE NEEDED
As you can see both Igor and Galyna are full of faith and continue to carry out their missionary work, ministering to their Jewish contacts, both unbelievers and believers. They are reporting that the situation is creating increased openness to spiritual things among those with whom they are in contact.
Please keep them in your prayers - both for safety and that they would see fruit from their sacrificial, faithful mission work among Jewish people in Ukraine who desperately need Jesus – especially at this dangerous time.
Also, we have been contacted by some who have wanted to contribute to their financial support needs. If you would also like to contribute towards their needs, please click here – I am sure they would be greatly encouraged.
Thank you so much and God bless you,
Rev Joseph Steinberg
CEO