Kyiv (Ukraine) and Tirana (Albania)

Christian School Update from Wayne Lynch
Kyiv and Tirana are hard places to operate an English-speaking International Christian School. The impact on the lives of the students and the Missionary outreach they support is significant and critical. Both schools – Kyiv Christian Academy (KCA) and GDQ International Christian School (GDQ) face huge obstacles, challenges, shortage of personnel and resources, danger, and cultural opposition.

God put us in a position to help each of these schools. In part, it is an answer to our prayers. We prayed – “Lord, we want to help those Christian Schools in hard places who want and need the help.” We help them become financially sustainable in the midst of extreme oppression. God heard our prayer and provided abundantly with these three precious schools.

KCA, closed since February 2022, will partially reopen, for grades K-6, in September despite the ongoing war. All windows must be barricaded with sandbags and classes will be held on the lower floors.

GDQ is being forced out of their high school building by the Ministry of Education and have one month to find a new location, move, and reopen all within forty days. Last year a Muslim organization purchased the high school building they were renting and forced them to move. This is being repeated.
 
We want to share about the importance and impact of these schools:
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KCA has become a “Center for Ministries” to children and youth on the west side of Kyiv. Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Youth for Christ, and Athletes in Action all use the school facilities for ‘outreach’ camps and sports programs. Regeneration Church has made the school their church home. Attendance is strong as many refugees have come to this area from Eastern Ukraine. Frequent missile and drone attacks disrupt life in the area, but so far, the building has been spared, though the building next door was destroyed. Personally, it is somewhat ethereal to see the neighborhood we walked so many times under these threats. Parents of the school children are involved in medical work, several local seminaries, church plants. One particular friend, Jason Han from South Korea, has moved back to Kyiv with his wife and seven children to continue church planting efforts. (Above left photo with a group from KCA; Right - Wayne teaching at the ACSI Conference)

Notable recent quote: Andrey Shepelenko (Crusade in Kyiv) – "I woke up to shelling and could not sleep. Emotionally I could not read the news. I ask you to pray for our ministry location near Kyiv. It was flooded with rain. Not only is there a war, but also natural disasters against us."

Our time at GDQ recently was for extremely productive advisory meetings as the school charts a plan for the future. We are in awe of the outreach of the parents in this small school. Not only are they church planting and leading seminary and leadership training with Albanians but work with the Roma people (an extremely difficult people’s group to evangelize), Kosovars, Macedonians, and Montenegrin’s. (Above left photo with Advisory Team and School Leadership; Right - In the Roma Community)

Lori Neuman, Director (GDQ) - Following an inspection by the Department of Education a couple of days before school finished, we have been given notice that we are not allowed to open but must move to a different high school building. As you can imagine, this is very difficult news, and the timing is very challenging. Pray that we can find a suitable building and that our timeline will be possible.

The leaders of these schools are brave, bold, educators of great faith, believing that God knows the future and His work will not be stopped by Putin, the Muslims, or war. I have the greatest admiration for all of them. We are grateful for the significant support by Hilltown Baptist Church (our home church), Living Hope Fellowship Church (Orlando, FL – Dr. Paul Freed, Pastor), New Beginnings Community Church (Palm City, FL – Rev. John Bartz, our Pastor), Gift of Hope USA Foundation (our dear friends Jim and Mary Ellen Vincent), Global School Consulting Group, Dr. David Wells, and the timely encouragement and advice of “the sage of fundraising”, Sam Delcamp, to whom I am eternally grateful. May, together with prayer, hard work, and generosity we see the full flourishing of these schools so that "they would put their trust in God!"
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Blessings,
Wayne and Carol Lynch