Dear supporters of the gospel in Ukraine.

Here are four updates from those in Crimea who are regularly in contact with missionaries and others. Some of these came to me directly, some were forwarded to me, and some were taken from FaceBook. PLEASE READ THEM AND PRAY.

Thank you for your prayers.

Sometime I hope to get around to a ‘regular, normal’ newsletter to show you the ‘normal’ things that took place in January and February at the Center. Ministry goes on, though with fewer dorm residents and students.

I have appreciated the many comments of appreciation for my many postings. For those for whom it is overwhelming, well, you know what a little encouragement can do to a preacher! And you know where the delete button is, too. But I hope that you concern and prayers will be informed and motivated by these updates.
None of my staff have evacuated, though one family is prepared to do so most any time. It is not an easy thing to leave your residence and live somewhere else for an undetermined amount of time. We assume that the border patrol will allow people to leave, though not sure about them getting back in.
The news from several sources and places about people having to give up their ‘passport’ is very disturbing. (A “passport” is an internal/domestic passport that is the primary document for identifying a person and their legal address, marital status, ID number, etc. To travel abroad, they would need an international passport.)
 

Blessings,

Georges

(1) KKU Updated her status: I feel like Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz.” Quite unexpectedly, I might be in another country right from my house. A country that’s really magic – if you look through blue glasses of the TV screens. Only, in a fairy tale, the house falls directly on the evil sorceress … oops.

=====================

(2)

Dear brothers and sisters,

 
Thank you very much for your support and prayers. At the moment the situation in the Crimea is as follows. 
 
The number of Russian troops is growing

;

the soldiers as well as military vehicles keep on coming in the Crimea. 

 
The only two roads out of the Crimea are blocked by the Russian troops. They reported that the Russian military mined the area around these roads and they mined the gas pipeline. 
 
The Russian troops make regular attempts to take over the military bases and airports of the Ukrainian army in the Crimea. The Ukrainian military cannot really resist because they are not armed as well as the Russians, they are not trained as well and they are afraid to provoke the escalation of the conflict since they realize they will not be able to protect the civil

ian

people well enough. One military ex

p

ert said that in case the

y

started shooting, it would be like an arm man beating up an unarmed man – so great is the difference between the ammunition and the training of the Russian troops and the Ukrainian troops.

 
Emotionally it is very tense here. The information war has created a deep gap between two groups of people. Some want the Crimea to be a part of Russia and the others want it to

remain Ukraine. Many believe that the information war may result in ethnic conflicts.  

 
Prices for food are increasing. Banks do not sell dollars, even those who have accounts in dollars cannot get their money in cash. Credit cards are frozen. There are huge lines of people standing in banks and there are crowds of people in the State Office where they issue passports and documents for international travels.

Many businesses close

; the number of unemployed people is growing. The government of the Crimea announced that the Russian ruble would be the Crimean currency pretty soon. They blocked all the Ukrainian TV channels in the Crimea. There are only Russian ones. 

 
Every day there are provocations. Recently some journalists have

been

kidnapped in the Crimea as well as several activists. They talk about 11 people missing. The police actually do nothing and people are afraid of robberies and criminal attacks. Some parents to not let their children go to school. 

 
March 16 there will be a referendum. They expect most Crimeans to vote for joining the Russian Federation. The continental Ukraine does not have much time to undertake anything to stop this

[illegal]
 

referendum. 

 
Many are afraid of fighting and war, so quite a few families leave or at least take

their

children out of the Crimea. However, many stay here because they have nowhere to go and some do not want to leave their houses and apartments and possessions

—

they are afraid of marauding. 

 
We are sorry the news is mostly bad, we are ti

r

ed of this ourselves. We are very, very, very thankful for your prayers. Please, feel free to ask questions. As long as we have internet we shall be eager to provide any information we can or you are interested in. 

 
Numbly in Christ, 
A&A

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(3) I’m posting for Elvira again. Men in police uniforms are going around 2 Crimean Tatar suburbs (in Simferopol) that we know of (her parents’ suburb being one), asking for the occupants to hand over their passports. The “police” are saying that the passports will be given back after the referendum to be “annexed” by Russia. A passport in Ukraine is more than a Driver’s License here. It’s the only form of identification that citizens possess.

The first thing that comes to mind are memories of Stalin’s forced exile and genocide of the Crimean Tatars right after World War 2. Step 1: Crimean Tatars have no official identity; Step 2: Russians officially take over; Step 3: Crimean Tatars are exiled yet again because there is no way to identify them nor their possessions, homes, vehicles, etc.

So… at some point, intervention will become necessary. What is that point?

C.

————

(4)
VP

— I’

m working with French journalist today. Help spread information about two pro-Ukrainian activists who were obtained and being hold hostage at the moment. Met with son of one of the obtained.
Personally we are doing ok. Everyone waits what the referendum will bring.

———–

(5) From YouthReach’s Joel Butts
Vika and I exhanged messages via chat on FB. Here’s the concern.

 
The new parliament in Crimea want to confiscate/occupy at least one of the main buildings on the orphanage campus (probably the admin building) for the upcoming illegal referendum vote. This vote is to determine if Crimea will secede form Ukraine and join Russia or become independent (notice no mention is made on the referendum to remain part of Ukraine as is). 
 
THE IMMEDIATE PROBLEM: There are approximately 90 girls at the orphanage. Sixty or so will go to stay with relatives. That leaves approx. thirty on campus. This poses a danger to the girls safety. You can imagine with all of the armed militia and lawless mercenaries and thugs (men) with guns wandering  around the campus full of girls. I’m sure there will be demonstrations, perhaps clashes, etc. At the very least, this situation imposes additional stress on the children and staff.
 
Vika suggested taking the remaining girls (true orphans) offsite for an overnight stay. They need somewhere to stay. Perhaps multiple places. Please be prayerful that some place is found that is safe and secure.
 
A note on our team and our ministry partners and friends:
In the last several days I am keenly aware that the stress of this situation is causing so much fear and anxiety. A human being can only cope with so much of it for a limited duration before depression sinks in. I read words like “I’m confused, I’m tired, I’m sick, I don’t know what to do, my world has fallen apart, I’m afraid!” or they say very little. The mental strain is taking it’s toll. Please pray for strength to persevere.
 
Thanks team!

Joel B

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Moscow still maintains — it ain’t us… in those green uniforms (or at least, no one that we are not allowed to have there anyway)

Russia says its only troops in Crimea are those normally stationed there with its Black Sea Fleet in line with a bilateral agreement, an assertion Washington calls “[President Vladimir] Putin’s fiction”. Kiev says there are 30,000 Russians in Crimea while the US Department of Defense estimates their number at around 20,000.

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Tammy Grinn

If you have 7 minutes, this guy does a pretty good job explaining things and it’s entertaining. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2nklduvTh