Children and Teachers’ Ministry

For 15 years, every week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Ruslana Kovalchuk, an employee of the department of education of the IPO Hope to People, conducts lessons on the “The Fundamentals of Christian Ethics” in a boarding school for children with visual impairments, in the village of Klevan, Rivne region. On Sundays, she goes there with brothers and sisters from the church Community of the Good Shepherd, Rivne, and they hold a Bible class for children who stay in the boarding school for the weekend.

And in Klevan, Ruslana also leads a small group of the Bible study with girls who are high school students. Actually, there's a prayer need for a permanent place for this group, so far they are compelled to gather in a local cafe, which is not always a convenient spot for them, because of loud music and noisy visitors.

On April 19th, 2018, Ruslana Kovalchuk has initiated a school-wide festive gathering in the Klevan boarding school dedicated to the theme “The Light of Christ’s Resurrection.” Primary school students have recited poems about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, showed a drama, and sang songs of praise. We’re so thankful to the Lord that this event was allowed to take place by the officials of the school for the entire boarding school. Please pray for the continuation of the gospel preaching in the village of Klevan, as well as for the teachers and students to be converted to God.

Ruslana also asks to pray for six-grader Roma, who is an orphan boy with severe visual impairment and retardation, that God will place him in a good and caring family.

In addition, Ruslana Kovalchuk holds an elective course “Foundations of Christian Ethics” for students of the 5th and 8th grades of the Rivne Ukrainian Gymnasium. One of her students, Sofia Shevchenko, this year took the first place at the city Olympiad “Young Experts of the Bible,” and in June, she’s going to go to the National University “Ostroh Academy” to take part in the all-Ukrainian competition.

Every year, at the beginning of school break, at the Rivne Ukrainian Gymnasium, is held a Christian school camp by our volunteers. The administration of the gymnasium invites our workers to hold the same event this year, too. When it comes to the camp, children are very eager to go there, and parents are also satisfied with the positive influence on the spiritual and moral development of their children. There’s a real prayer need right now for the means for this camp, so please pray with us. Please also pray that God will help to assemble and form a team of volunteers.

Ruslan Kovalchuk is often invited to other educational institutions of the city, too. For example, in March, at Rivne’s school #19, she held an exhibition of paintings of the world famous artists, on the theme “The Life of Jesus Christ.”

On Mondays, Ruslana Kovalchuk along with Nadezhda Dolya, is conducting a small group for librarians. They recently completed the course of study “Sermon on the Mount.” So, we ask you to pray for spiritual growth, for establishment in the faith of these librarians, and for the new people to join them. The “club of librarians” includes 20 people, and most of them are school librarians or teachers, hence comes its name. There are also employees of the urban department of education. Many of these people have already retired from their work. Therefore, another prayer need is, for God's support in their illnesses and infirmities.

We thank God for the consistency of these people and desire to study the Word of God. Recently, Ms. Galina has come at the spring meeting of the club, and worked all day in the garden. She could hardly walk, but she said: “How can I not come and not give thank for all to God!” Ms. Natalia is compelled to move to the Odessa region for the summer period, however on Mondays, at certain times, she puts off all her work and household chores, so that she could study the Scripture at the same time with her small group. Praise the Lord for that!

Tatyana Arterchuk