Women on Mission – April Update

April Update

Women on Mission heard from Svitlana Brovko at their April 14 meeting, about how God called her in her late teens, after being raised primarily by her godly grandmother “who knew persecution not on paper but in real life” when Ukraine was part of the former Soviet Union.  Before giving her heart to the Lord, He convicted Svitlana that it was more important what she decided about eternity than what church she wanted to attend.  After college she was on staff for 20 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, where she met her husband.

Svitlana, her husband, and three children left Ukraine on the last flight out of Kyiv three weeks before the Russian invasion in February 2022, arriving in Atlanta with only three pieces of luggage.  “I felt very confident living in my Kyiv condo, driving my Honda Pilot, living with my Jack Russell terrier. But God spoke very clearly and told us to get out,” Svitlana said, adding that many friends and neighbors reacted to her warnings the way ancient people reacted to Noah’s ark-building.  “I can see God’s hand in every single situation where I was aware of His presence,” she said.

Although it was very difficult leaving the country they loved, she found hope in the book of Lamentations.  Instead of a missionary, “God did so much better” and she became a diplomat for the Lord in July 2023 by going on staff with Reboot Recovery, “overcoming trauma together by building a systemic trauma response.”  She helps women and men break free from the pain of the past, find renewed purpose and strength, and embrace a brighter future.

Svitlana said she is amazed at what God is accomplishing through this ministry in which He has placed her and how He has changed and healed her. She said she has come to realize that the only constant in our lives is change. “The thing that I really love about this ministry God has given me is the opportunity to influence the global church,” including working with a charismatic church on the front line of the war in Ukraine, she said.  “We are helping people find Jesus as they walk into their darkness and bring them into the light.  We go, we teach, we baptize.”

Svitlana asked for prayer for her and her family as they face great expense in renewing their immigration green cards.  She also asked for specific prayer that those experiencing war would feel overwhelming peace, for the families of those who have been killed, for Ukrainian captives to be set free, for those missing in action to be located, and for this war to bring a big harvest to God.

Coming in May

WOM’s guest speaker in May will be our own Pastor Ricky Powell who will talk about his recent mission trip to Ecuador.  Pastor Ricky has served on six mission trips with Gary and Dena Pate, full-time missionaries to the children of Ecuador through Pate Ministries (www.PateMinistries.org). During these trips, teams traveled to remote villages in the Andes Mountains — most without an evangelical church — to share the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ through Bible clubs. The teams used music, crafts, Bible stories, and clear Gospel presentations to reach children and their families.

Most recently, Pastor Ricky joined the Pates in their new ministry location on the coast in Montanita where they’ve established Bible clubs in surrounding communities. Using the same approach as in the mountains, the team ministered to several hundred children and adults during the week.

Pastor Ricky noted there is a church trip planned for March 2026 to Montanita, and he hopes to inspire others to join in what God is doing in Ecuador.

Mission Project

WOM Director Nancy Brock thanked all those who brought peanut butter and jelly to be taken to the Union County Elementary School for summer distribution. In May, WOM will collect new or like-new totes, backpacks, and small suitcases to be donated to the local office of the Department of Family and Children Services which will distribute them to children in foster care to carry their clothes and belongings when they transfer to the Isaiah 117 House.  The goal is 50 bags.

Ongoing Activities