Ukrainian Refugees, Ultrasound Machines, & Ministry after Prison

Romanian Baptists and International Mission Board missionaries are responding to the influx of refugees from Ukraine into Romania.

Pastor C. is one of many Romanian believers who are taking Ukrainian families into their homes when they first cross the border, IMB reported. Romanian churches near the border are small, but they’re using their buildings as shelters and families have also opened their homes to welcome Ukrainians.

Only registered officials can go all the way to the border crossing. Two men from churches near Suceava have permission to enter the area, where they wait in the freezing weather to greet families and direct them to believers who wait down the road.

Missionaries in Ukraine and countries surrounding the region have also been impacted by the Russian invasion. Some of them are displaced as well, and are ministering to fellow refugees. IMB President Paul Chitwood asks people to pray for those directly affected by the war in Ukraine, including missionaries who are answering God’s call there.

A brand-new mobile ultrasound machine that will serve several western North Carolina counties has already played an instrumental role in helping at least one expectant mother and her unborn child.

As staff members at the Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Care Center (SMPCC) were preparing for a dedication ceremony for the new machine on Friday, March 11, they encountered a young woman who was 23 weeks pregnant and had come to the center looking to place her baby up for adoption.

SMPCC nurse Carol Tucker and director Jenny Golding were able to provide the woman with encouragement, counsel, resources and maternity clothes, but the fact that they were even at the center that day was a matter of providence.

“We’re usually not open on Fridays,” Golding said. “We love stories like these where God’s timing is obvious.”

Good News for Today is sponsored by The Voice of the Martyrs

Good News for Today is made possible through our friends at The Voice of the Martyrs, a nonprofit organization that serves persecuted Christians around the world. Founded in 1967 by Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, VOM is dedicated to inspiring believers to deepen their commitment to Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission — no matter the cost. Find out more and sign up for their free monthly magazine at vom.org/goodnews.

Jason Gravely, a formerly incarcerated man now a part of Fincastle Baptist Church, said his skeptical search for God concluded with his involvement in the outdoor kids’ ministry program at the church, where he found spiritual answers and discipleship.

Gravely began attending the ministry’s activities with his two step-sons last year. Through these events he began a friendship with the ministry’s leader Seth Thompson, who would engage in consistent spiritual conversations with him.

Over time, Gravely turned from his sin and embraced Jesus Christ as Savior.

The ministry Thompson helps lead that was influential in Gravely’s conversion is Kids Outdoor Zone (KOZ). a boys-only ministry organization designed to equip men in local churches to mentor young boys into godly men by using outdoor activities such as hiking and fishing.

Find more stories at BaptistPress.com.