Miracles in Ukraine
God answers prayer and sends a storm
In Ukraine, Karen Zelfimian of “Ukraine Harvest Ministry” and head of GO Movement Ukraine is experiencing a new beginning. He told GO Updates that the kingdom of God is not about celebrity and people… and he explains how he saw a miracle at the beginning of the war.
“The most valuable thing we work with is the people, not material resources,” says Karen Zelfimian. The head of “Ukraine Harvest Ministry” and GO Movement Ukraine explains: “It is worth investing time in someone’s gifts and talents. In this way, we can encourage more disciples who think in the same direction, who go out and expand the kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is not about a ‘celebrity’ or a person who does everything. It’s about equipping and training others so that they might do it even better than you.”
It’s not just about preaching yourself, it’s about a whole team. “When you have strong teams, everyone does the work. I’m always looking to see who I can train. There are young people who have accompanied me for three years, they now have their own teams and multiply. What I used to do alone, they now do themselves with their teams.”
Overcoming suicidal thoughts
Zelfimian looks back on two very difficult years: “Our lives were divided into the period before and after February 24, 2022 – when the Russians invaded our country.” Zelifimian and his “Ukraine Harvest Ministry” had to change their commitment.
Reaching out is now happening through humanitarian aid. “Passing out food is one thing and bringing hope for eternity is another. We experience how people are changed. A woman was contemplating suicide. She experienced Jesus, and three days later, with a beaming face, she helped bake pastries in a refugee camp. That’s a miracle for me.”
Miracle of Odessa
“We have life stories of people who have escaped the war and who have been protected by angels,” reflects Zelfimian. “They walked through minefields without anything happening to them, because God protected them.”
And at the beginning of the war, Zelfimian experienced the following: “We knew that the warships of the Russians were close to our Odessa beach. They wanted to dock so that the military could attack from the lake. We prayed to God to send storms – we don’t usually have storms here at this time of year. This place on the Black Sea, where we live, is actually very quiet; there are rarely storms. But now the sea was almost non-stop in turmoil. The storms were so violent that they could not dock. We see God doing miracle after miracle.”
Families were united
“I saw, for example, how in the midst of chaos after the first days of the war, a family was reunited. People ran and some got lost and they ended up in different camps in different countries,” Zelfimian recalls.
“God used our team to reunite families. We do what we can and we need different resources to show people the love of Christ through emergency aid and also to lead them to the Lord. Christian communities have also emerged out of the crisis.”
Christianity is growing
“We are seeing a growth of Christianity,” Zelfimian said. Of course, there are no exact figures and statistics in the current situation. “But I see how the communities are growing. Those who evangelize regularly are growing. Those who don’t stagnate. When you’re in ‘GO mode’, you always see results.”
He spoke of a significant revival. “People are hopeless. Life may end tomorrow. Because of the war, you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. This leads many people to Jesus. Many people are looking for God. People are looking for hope. Our churches are full of new people.”