Andriy Kolbovskyi

Missionary to at-risk kids – Ukraine #41949

Andriy is a local missionary to at-risk kids and poor families in the Chernobyl-affected villages north of Kyiv. He has been married to Alla since 2011 and they have two children, a son Lukian born in 2015 and a baby daughter Lilia born in 2021.

Andriy has served as a counselor in our camp ministry since 2005 and this is where he met his wife.  She was a sponsored child in the EEO Child Sponsorship program where she gave her life to Christ, became a camp counselor, and married Andriy.  They use their gifts and talent to serve the poor and assist with adoptions.  

Andriy and Alla also run Freeway Ministries Kyiv where they work with vulnerable children in the Chernobyl zone.  This is a depressed area of Ukraine where many poor or alcoholic-type families live in small villages.  Andriy feels called by God to bring the hope of Christ to these families.

A few of the projects that Andriy has started are a teen center with discussion groups and education assistance; Christian summer camps in the Chernobyl region of small villages; and work experience projects for teenage boys.  

“Every summer, Andriy says, about 50 children attend our Christian camp. These are children from villages but God provides us with a great time and lots of joy.  The camp program includes English classes, contests, workshops, team creative performances, sports competitions, and Bible studies,” he said. 

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An Update from Andriy Kolbovskyi

“I would like to share with you the joy from the fruits of our ministry.

We have finished the renovation and construction of the bathroom for the Topchan family. MP director Jeff visited them with me.  This is a family of a mother with 5 children. Now we are planning to help them to expand the farm and to make a good piggery. They are a very hard-working family!

We are also working in two orphanages.  Our regular visit to “Prolisok” orphanage in Vovchkiv and now a weekly trip to the “Children’s Dreams” orphanage in Kopyliv village.

We have built a good relationship with the children and their teachers.  When we started our visits, one of the girls Karina was literally barking at us and ran away every time we said goodbye. It was her defense mechanism so that she would not be attached to us. But after the first month of weekly visits, she changed.  Last week she stretched out her arms to us waiting for a hug.  We believe God is changing and healing her. 

Video update from Andriy 

 

We brought a lot of board games with us. The local teachers were very skeptical, that the children would sit and play intellectual games. But the children learned to focus their attention and to play without humiliating one another! They know our names, they ask about our lives and open their hearts to us.

One of the girls Masha is “experimenting” with her gender and is trying to be a boy. (her clothes, short hair, and behavior). But when we became friends, she told us that she was writing poems. She gave us some poems to read and we realized that her boyishness was just the way she could protect her heart from the pain she felt. 

One more girl Lena got into the orphanage after she took pills and lost her child, and got into the hospital. Every week we spend time with her and try to help her to restore her life.  And we continue helping old lonely people. We buy them firewood so they can heat their village house. We dream about our own tools to stock up firewood for the winter for old people. It will make this project cheaper.

With the spring coming we plan to renew our project of home farms for large families. There are already several families, who are ready to work for the better future of their children.

Thank you very much for your support and co-ministry to these children and families.

Your brother in Christ,
Andriy