Gratitude is one of the most powerful and meaningful things we can offer — and one of the simplest. Recently, our congregation hosted the tenth Evening of Thanksgiving for the defenders of Ukraine.
The event was filled with vibrant music, heartfelt words of encouragement, warm fellowship, and joyful moments, including a raffle and concert. It was our way of honoring and blessing those who risk everything for the freedom of our nation. Watch the video to catch a glimpse of this special evening and share in the atmosphere of gratitude.
Gratitude is the simplest yet most valuable thing we can offer in difficult times. Expressing our utmost gratitude to our heroes has already become an integral part of the key Jewish Messianic congregation. Now, it seems like that these are the most relevant times and it’s imperative to meet as often as possible to communicate, to hug, and to support each other, especially those who’ve gone through the most trying times of their lives on the front line. Now, they really need they need just human warmth.
This is the 10th time we’ve hosted this event. It’s a great honor for us to do this for our boys. Every time our boys leave here and go back to their hospitals and rehab centers, their expressions are so different. They’re so relaxed. It’s incredible and impossible to describe in words how it inspires us when they leave us with a smile. And this is the most important thing for us because a chaplain is someone who’s always here to take care of them.
Time and again, this program brings joy and lifts the spirit of every participant. Each evening features an energetic concert, prizes, encouraging words, and plenty of warm and friendly fellowship. Soldiers are expecting the word. People are expecting the word. And here it’s shared openly, plainly, in an easy to understand fashion where a person can first relax and feel needed. Events like this always give a person hope that life is not lost. That what is impossible for a person is possible for God. A girl came up and said, “Give me your name and number.” She wrote it down and took this lottery ticket. Suddenly, I got called. I won. It was such a shock.
The concert is good. Many testimonies of really real experiences. I was also at the front in Tortetsk on duty and a Russian soldier was running toward the corner of the building looking at me. I looked at him and I realized he was going to shoot. I turned the car around. He fired twice, but God protected me. And I raised my head and I thought, I’m alive. There are officers on the general staff present here whom we managed to invite. There are also officers from the land forces command. I approached and asked if they liked it and they would like to come again. They said they really liked it. And if an event like this happens again, please invite us. We’ll come and bring our friends, too. What did you like the most? Everything. Absolutely everything. The whole event. Everything that happened. I totally loved it all. Would you come again? Well, I hope I’ll have the opportunity. I definitely will come because all the emotions you experience being here, you know, being close to these people.
Story Provided By:
KJMC Kyiv
Producing Organization
KJMC Kyiv
Recording Location
Kyiv
Organization featured in this Story
KJMC Kyiv
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