It was the third heavy assault on Kyiv in less than a month. Previous strikes on May 13–14 and 23–24 in Kyiv and other locations were just as devastating, if not more so. This time, at least 22 people were killed, and more than 130 were wounded.

Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association was in Ukraine at the time but departed a few hours after the assault began. He says those outside Ukraine might call the attacks an escalation in the war, but for Ukrainians themselves, “it has become commonplace almost every night to have air raid sirens, to hear explosions, to hear about the loss of life.”

Polina, 16 years old. She said to appreciate your peace. (Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

But commonplace does not mean easy. 

“It’s overwhelming for the people, it’s overwhelming for the children, and very difficult to experience.”

One teenager Mock talked with before he left was 16-year-old Polina. 

“Appreciate the peace that you have,” Polina told Mock. 

An 18-year-old named Anton told him, “We wish Americans would understand there really is a war here, and that they too would appreciate the peace that they have.”

Other Ukrainians sent similar messages to those outside their country, Mock says, including calls to pray for them and to care for them. 

“It’s actually getting worse for them,” Mock says. “The number of fathers that are being killed, leaving war widows to care for families… the number of families that aren’t able to find work and survive, and just the overwhelming need that the churches are stepping up to deal with continues to press on.”

Yet this grim context is where God has called many of His people to live and serve. SGA comes alongside hundreds of Bible-preaching churches in Ukraine who are ministering the gospel and practical help in countless ways. 

“What we’ve been doing is helping them to buy the food locally, which includes medicine, hygiene items, and different things like that, and as well as trucking that aid in from Poland,” says Mock. 

SGA has helped to provide more than 31 million meals as of May 2026. Practical aid has also included providing firewood, heating oil, and small heaters so that people could survive the winter, as Russia attacked Ukraine’s power grid.

Aid distribution in Ukraine. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Christians in Ukraine ask that others pray with them for peace to come. Pray for hearts to turn to Christ in the suffering. Mock says pastors in Ukraine are seeing this happen in real time.

“They see people that would have never come to church, who are coming to church — people who never considered Christ are coming to faith,” he says. 

The third prayer request may have to do with you.  “Pray that God continues to move people’s hearts to get involved,” says Mock.

Connect with SGA at their website, sga.org, to learn what getting involved could look like.

“A small help can go a big way. For a child that doesn’t have any food, doesn’t have any hope, and then all of a sudden you enable the church to show the love of Christ and share the love of Christ and make a difference,” says Mock.

Header photo: Eric Mock with pastors on the front line. (Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

Secretary Marco Rubio attends working-level peace talks with Israel and Lebanon at the White House in Washington, D.C., April 23, 2026. (Official State Department photo by Freddie Everett)

Tensions reached a boiling point yesterday when Israel responded to Hezbollah attacks, carrying out its deepest incursion since the 2000 war. U.S. President Donald Trump described a de-escalation between the warring sides on Monday afternoon:

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to dial back fighting after he held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and communicated with the Lebanese militant group through mediators.

Trump announced the development in a social media post following a call with Netanyahu, whose forces recently made their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century. Trump there would be no Israeli troops “going to Beirut, and any Troops that are on their way, have already been turned back.”

Cease-fire hopes falter

As with most Middle East conflicts, the latest escalation doesn’t occur in a vacuum.

“Last Thursday and Friday, a military delegation from the Lebanese army met at the Pentagon with an Israeli delegation, which is the first time in the history of those two nations that military representatives meet together,” Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki explains.

“We were hoping that the outcome of that meeting would come to a ceasefire and some sort of an agreement on the Israelis’ withdrawal from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah’s disarmament,” he continues.

“Unfortunately, things are going in the wrong direction. That’s not what we’ve been hoping for. That’s not what we’ve been praying for.”

On Sunday, Lebanese media reported progress toward a new cease-fire agreement in U.S.-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon.

“The Lebanese government needs to figure out a way to contain Hezbollah and convince Hezbollah, for the better of the whole nation, that a cease-fire should be brokered and brokered soon,” Melki says.

“Iran, on the other hand, has pulled away from its negotiations with the U.S., which is not a good indicator at all, because that means even those negotiations seem to be stalled and might lead to further confrontation in the entire region.”

In a season where many feel forgotten, we believe that the Gospel is best shared through a ministry of presence.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Heart for Lebanon)

Christian villages face shortages

Monday was “A very, very violent day in southern Lebanon, in Beirut, in the Bekaa Valley, as well as in the northern villages of Israel,” Melki says.

“Hezbollah continues to shell Israel using drones and other military means, and Israel continues to retaliate against Hezbollah. We have seen a very high spike in casualties and damage all around.”

Most businesses are closed in southern Lebanon, and essential supplies are hard to find.

“There are a lot of small Christian villages right at the borders between Israel and Lebanon, and they’ve been under a significant economic and military siege. We sent 700 food parcels with the help of the Red Cross to those villages,” Melki says.

Each delivery offers encouragement to believers and a Gospel introduction to those who don’t know Christ. You can support a family in need here.

Pray for an end to the violence in Lebanon.

“Tuesday, June 2, and Wednesday, June 3, a State Department-brokered meeting will take place. Civilian delegates from the Lebanese government and the Israeli government will meet, and we hope that those meetings will turn out a little better,” Melki says.

Header and story images courtesy Heart for Lebanon. 

This year, Hajj takes place May 25 through 29. Usually, millions attend, but ongoing regional instability could impact travel plans and security.

Airspace around the Persian Gulf remains unstable, making safety difficult to guarantee. Pierre Houssney of Horizons International says, “A lot of airline companies are not willing to fly in the region.”

Crowd in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (photo courtesy of Fahad Puthawala via Pexels)

The conflict also raises questions about whether Shiite Muslims will attend this year’s pilgrimage. Houssney explains, “There has been war now between the Shiites and the Sunnis across that Persian Gulf.”

Because of these tensions, Saudi authorities will likely remain on high alert for possible terrorist threats during the pilgrimage season.

Even so, Hajj continues to hold deep spiritual significance for Muslims worldwide.

“Muslims around the world actually see making that pilgrimage as a kind of goal in life,” says Houssney.

For many of them, Hajj reflects a deep longing to draw near to God.

“Muslims are looking toward these physical acts that you can do to receive the forgiveness of sins,” he adds.

Many Muslims believe their salvation can be earned through religious acts such as making the pilgrimage, reading the Quran, giving to the poor, or fasting during Ramadan. Yet many remain unsure if they have truly pleased God. Outwardly, they may appear devout while inwardly longing for His love and acceptance.

Pray, “That they would be able to find the only true way to receive forgiveness of sins, which is through Jesus’s sacrifice, not through their own actions.”

Please pray also for the nearly 2.06 billion Muslims worldwide — both those attending Hajj and those staying home — to find true hope in Christ.

Visit Horizons International to learn more about fulfilling the Great Commission and supporting ministry work in Muslim communities.

Header photo: Men praying in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (courtesy of Mido Makasardi via Pexels).

Hostilities have continued, mostly in southern Lebanon, since U.S. President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire on April 16. Israel has set up a self-declared security zone in the south, saying it aims to guard against Hezbollah attacks.

Heart for Lebanon’s Camille Melki says Washington is not an unbiased host for peace negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

“The U.S. interest is to end conflicts in the Middle East, especially between Israel and its neighboring nations. The U.S.’s desire is that Israel sign a peace agreement with the other neighbors, as it did with Egypt and Jordan,” Melki says.

However, peace won’t come easily in Lebanon, especially amid the war involving Iran. Yesterday, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem announced that the terrorist group would not surrender and called for an end to direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

“How can we even ensure a ceasefire when the ones sitting at the table are not the ones shooting at each other?” Melki asks.

“The Lebanese government is negotiating with Israel, but in fact, it’s Hezbollah that is carrying the gun and shooting at Israel.”

Why the ceasefire is complicated

Although Lebanon’s government agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Israel, several factors have made the truce largely ineffective on the ground.

Hezbollah flag
(Photo courtesy Paul Keller via Flickr)

First, Lebanon’s government does not control Hezbollah. “Hezbollah’s loyalty is to the Iranian regime – the ones who pay the bills, the ones who provide the weapons,” Melki explains.

“A lot of the decision makers among Hezbollah are Iranians as well.”

Second, approximately one-third of Lebanon’s population is Shia Muslim, and that community is represented in Lebanon’s government by officials closely aligned with Hezbollah.

Last week, Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, rejected any peace negotiations without guarantees that ‌Israel would halt attacks.

“The Speaker of the House, though it sounds like he’s speaking on behalf of Lebanon, in fact is representing the Shia population, seeking their best interest and protecting one group, not the entire nation of Lebanon,” Melki says.

“Unfortunately, Lebanon is, though we try not to admit it, a very sectarian nation. The president of the country is always a Christian Maronite, the Speaker of the House is always a Shia Muslim, and the Prime Minister is always a Sunni Muslim,” he continues.

“That’s in our constitution, but it also infiltrates almost every other position in our government.”

How to help

Some 1.2 million people have been driven from their homes in southern Lebanon. Continued conflict won’t stop believers from caring for the displaced.Here’s how you can help.

Pray for Heart for Lebanon teams as they distribute practical aid and Gospel hope.

“It is important that everybody we come in contact with knows and understands what drives us,” Melki says.

“We are sent in with the love of Jesus Christ, sharing it with everyone in need, regardless of their faith, their ethnic background, and their political affiliation.”

(Photo courtesy Heart for Lebanon)

Praise the Lord for positive developments among Lebanon’s leaders.

“Our Lebanese government recently declared all military activity by Hezbollah illegal. The Lebanese government has declared the city of Beirut arms-free,” Melki says.

“A lot of these decisions that our government is making are new. They’re fresh, they’re encouraging, and they’re promising for a better future for the people of Lebanon.”

Header image courtesy of Heart for Lebanon. 

Abduction isn’t the only threat to Ukraine’s children. They face a daily combination of physical danger, repeated displacement, and unresolved family separations.

Greg Yoder of Keys for Kids Ministries says, among the families the ministry serves, “A lot of these kids already know Jesus, but they’re struggling because of the fear and anxiety that comes with war.”

Ukrainian teenagers Diana and Alina read Unlocked.
(Photo courtesy Mission Eurasia via Keys for Kids Ministries)

New devotionals address trauma

Partners in Ukraine recently distributed 200,000 special-edition devotionals from Keys for Kids Ministries, designed to help children and young adults process trauma.

Yoder says the latest delivery “gets us close to a million copies that we placed in Ukraine since the war began.”

Developed by Keys for Kids Ministries and Mission Eurasia, the special-edition devotionals offer biblically grounded, trauma-focused material tailored to a Ukrainian context. Read more about the development process here.

Mission Eurasia’s team in Ukraine offered more than translation services. Ukrainian believers helped contextualize the Keys for Kids and Unlocked stories.

“We had some references to, I think, baseball. We had to pull those out and replace them with soccer,” Yoder says. “Things that would normally fit well in the United States just didn’t fit well in Ukraine.”

Nelia finds peace

Although they were distributed less than a month ago, the devotionals are already helping children like Nelia. “She has never known anything but war,” Yoder says.

Nelia shows her Keys for Kids devotional.
(Photo courtesy Mission Eurasia via Keys for Kids Ministries)

“Her mother had a copy of the new Keys for Kids devotional, and she sat down with her (Nelia) and said, ‘Pick any story in it.’ [Nelia] picked the topic, ‘Medicine for Peace,’ [because] something about it spoke to her,” he continues.

The story features a little girl who couldn’t fall asleep because she was overcome by worry and fear. Her grandmother “helped her understand the true peace found in Christ alone,” Yoder says.

“When they finished, Nelia’s mother looked at her and tenderly said, ‘You see, we don’t have to be afraid all the time. We can rely on someone closer than a brother: Jesus Christ.’”

After a thoughtful moment, Yoder says Nelia “realized, yes, I don’t have to be in fear, because God is in control.”

Find your place in the story

According to Save the Children, children in Ukraine have endured approximately 4,000 hours of air-raid alarms since Russia invaded in 2022 — more than five and a half months of alerts. The sirens don’t scare Nelia anymore.

“The book pointed her to where she needed to place her hope,” Yoder says.

You can help children and teens find hope and peace in Jesus by supporting Keys for Kids Ministries’ work in Ukraine.

“Camps are coming up this summer, and obviously, the supply that we provided will probably cover that, but I don’t know if they’ll have enough for Christmas outreach or back-to-school outreach,” Yoder says.

As you pray for these efforts, Yoder asks you to remember Ukrainian pastors. “Pray for the pastors because they’re tired,” he says.

“Imagine every day having to be ‘on’ with no rest, [and] bombings, missiles, drone attacks daily.”

Header image courtesy of Keys for Kids Ministries. 

After rejecting Iran’s latest proposal on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump launched “Project Freedom” to guide stranded commercial ships through the strait. Leaders in Tehran call the plan a ceasefire violation and threaten military action.

Is Tehran bluffing? Iran’s missile and drone attacks yesterday on the United Arab Emirates, a key U.S. ally, suggest otherwise. Still, Iran’s messaging, particularly toward the West, is not always straightforward.

“There’s some very clear directives in the Quran in how you are to deal with infidels,” Lana Silk of Transform Iran says.

“Being duplicitous, lying – these are not just allowed, but encouraged, to get your objectives in line with your religious ideologies.”

Citing the U.S. political calendar, Silk says Tehran’s bluster could be for show while Tehran is “playing the long game” with Washington behind the scenes. “Trump is out of time; in a few years, there’s going to be a new president,” she explains.

“So, there has to be a sense in the Iranian regime of ‘Well, if we just wait this out, then things will be back to normal.’”

(Graphic courtesy Transform Iran)

Life in Iran

As events unfold in the Strait of Hormuz, one reality remains in Iran: life is getting more difficult for ordinary people as the war drags on.

People are still buying bread, going to markets, and trying to work. Yet the combination of soaring prices, damaged hospitals, a long internet blackout, fear of renewed strikes, and political repression is making life much harder.

“A lot of what we’re seeing is a physical expression of what is happening in the spiritual domain,” Silk says.

“The Iran situation is an extremely powerful demonic stronghold, and all that’s been happening over the last few months has been an escalation of the war between light and darkness,” she continues.

“Our enemy, the devil, does not want to lose a stronghold; he has been very successful in reaping destruction and death coming out of Iran.”

How to help

Pray Matthew 4:16 over the people of Iran:

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”

Consider partnering with Transform Iran to send urgent relief aid to Iranian Christians. Recent pastoral visits combined encouragement, prayer, and simple, practical help.

Iranian Christians helping people in need.
(This photo is AI-generated by ChatGPT)

Several families who were worried about jobs and injuries told Gospel workers that the Lord had given them fresh peace as they kept praying and fixing their eyes on Jesus. Food package deliveries moved many to tears as Iranians spoke of answered prayers and the clear reminder that God hadn’t forgotten them.

“As Christians, we need to be wise. We need to discern what is happening in the Spirit and get our prayer muscles working, really engaging in the spiritual fight,” Silk says.

“We’ve been told in Ephesians that we are extremely powerful players in this spiritual war, and God has equipped us and given us weapons of warfare… As we unite in prayer, I believe we will see a breakthrough.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Hisham Zayadneh/Pexels.

Flares of fighting continued this week, with Hezbollah drone attacks and Israeli strikes along the border.

Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says, “People in northern Israel are constantly in fear. Some are not able to go to jobs, maybe some of the jobs have stopped, and they’re in great need.”

(Photo courtesy of SGA)

Amid the uncertainty, SGA supports Russian-speaking churches in Israel that are encouraging people with tangible aid and Jesus’ love.

“About 20% of the population of Israel are Russian-speaking and Russian-speaking immigrants,” says Mock. “We work with a network of Russian-speaking Bible-teaching churches who are reaching their own. These are Russian-speaking immigrants, primarily from Ukraine and Russia…. Imagine a people that are even today considered somewhat Samaritans, and they are faithfully ministering with the Gospel.”

Mock says ministry efforts offer tangible relief and Gospel hope. “In these difficult times, people are looking for answers. SGA has been able to…support these faithful servants and their churches [with] resources for taking food to those people who are displaced, who are struggling in the middle of the rocket fire in the north.”

(Photo courtesy of SGA)

Through SGA’s Israel Relief fund, local pastors receive support to continue their work.

“By supporting this, you’re not just handing food to people,” says Mock. “These people are hearing the Gospel. These people are hearing a message of hope that will be unshakable.”

Header photo: Israel-Lebanon border. (Photo courtesy of Eternalsleeper | Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9439853)

Lana Silk of Transform Iran doesn’t expect peace between the warring powers anytime soon.

(Graphic courtesy Transform Iran)

“We (the U.S. and Iran) define the word in different ways,” Silk says. “We have completely different objectives on how we want to coexist with each other.”

A war of words keeps the world on edge, with each side agreeing to talks mediated by Pakistan – and then backpedaling. The U.S. and Iran take turns escalating rhetoric – and then proposing peace.

“You can see so much political power play happening, and ‘Let’s see who dominates in the end.’ I pray it’s the Americans,” Silk says.

“We have more work to do to have any kind of long-term stability and peace with Iran that spills over beyond the Middle East. If we leave things as they are – if we slap a peace sticker over the situation as it is today – then the situation has not changed,” she explains.

“All we have done is buy the Iranian government time and a deeper resolve to continue down the same path they were on two or three months ago.”

Growing pressure

Transform Iran supports indigenous Gospel workers who are sharing Christ and making disciples inside Iran. More about that here.

Believers report that, “The situation in Iran is, if anything, worse than what it was a couple of months ago. If the government is left unchecked, all they’re going to do is strengthen their position,” Silk says.

(Graphic courtesy Transform Iran)

“In the last few days, a senior cleric called on citizens to financially support the war efforts, saying [Iran needs] wealth sacrifice campaigns to dedicate assets for missiles. This is apparently during the ceasefire,” she continues.

“Iran is not changing its story or objectives, but it might play along for a bit to catch its breath and regroup.”

As politicians play their games, life on the ground gets harder. Pray believers will have strength to endure. Pray desperate souls will find hope in Jesus.

“Under the cloak of ceasefire within Iran, we have ramped up executions. We have foreign militia invited in to further harass and threaten the Iranian people,” Silk says.

“We have businesses coerced to cooperate with the IRGC. We have young people – 12, 13, 14-year-old boys – forced into military action.”

Header and story images courtesy Transform Iran. 

Mock says the villages he went to were covered in craters from rocket and drone fire, and roughly half the homes were destroyed.

Nowhere to Go

(Photo courtesy of SGA)

“I encountered…an entire facility that was built underground with the capacity to teach over 500 children in an elementary school. The city administration headquarters, everything was underground, under reinforced concrete – in other words, like a bunker. This was their life,” Mock says.

“You may ask, ‘Why would anyone live there?’ Well, simply, the people that are there have nowhere to go. A majority are either elderly or single moms with children, and they literally have nowhere to go.”

Mock describes visiting one church building that expected maybe 30 people to show up. The room was instead filled with 70 Ukrainian grandmothers, all hoping to get some food and basic medications.

(Photo courtesy of SGA)

He says the elderly women “came up to me just flooded with tears, saying, ‘Please, thank the people. We are so hungry and in so much pain.’ They didn’t have simple medicines like Advil or Tylenol,…or simple foods to make it through the day. They were desperate.

“They wanted to know why. Why would someone help people that seem to feel there was no help? I said, ‘It’s because of God’s grace upon us. Nothing we have was not meant to be shared. But ultimately, it’s about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.'”

Monster Trucks and the Heart of a Child

When Mock left for Ukraine, he wasn’t just bringing supplies from SGA. His young grandson, Asher, also sent his favorite toy monster truck to be gifted to a child in Ukraine. Then, while Mock was distributing aid, he met a toddler named Danil.

Eric Mock giving Danil the toy monster truck. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

“He’s standing there dirty, and you could hear the explosions in the background, and you see the difficulty of his living. I knelt down and handed him this monster truck. He looked at me for a second in pure shock. But…in the midst of everything, he literally dropped down in the dirt, making engine sounds, and started playing with his truck in the dirt.”

Mock says, “He didn’t care about all the circumstances. He didn’t know what would come tomorrow. He just knew in that moment that he had been given a gift, and he wanted to have all of the gift and experience it. May we, too, be the same way with our Heavenly Father when He gives us these good gifts.”

Ask God to uplift Ukrainians’ hearts like young Danil.

“Do not lose sight of the needs that are there,” Mock urges. “The need is overwhelming in Ukraine…. The lives they live over there are stunningly difficult.”

You can support SGA’s relief efforts in Ukraine at their website.

He asks, “Pray that they would be faithful in the middle of these difficult times, and their witness would lead us in whatever we face to be faithful.”

Header photo courtesy of SGA.

One building destroyed was not a military target, but a church building in Zaporizhzhia. Yet, Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says the church lives on through the people of God.

The church in Zaporizhzhia destroyed by Russian drone and missile attack. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Mock was in Zaporizhzhia recently, visiting ministry partners. He shares, “Church leaders and pastors there who traveled to multiple villages that were in an area called the gray zone, which is about 20 miles away from the front lines.

“[It was] close enough that we could hear the rumble of explosions in the distance, and close enough that the people lived in terror every single day of small drones that would fly around with explosives and take out people. These villages were literally decimated.”

For these pastors, going to the mission field looks like putting on literal body armor along with the spiritual armor of God. Mock says they’ve counted the cost.

“These pastors were there because they could not live with the thought that someone could perish apart from the Gospel. And so they come.”

Mock explains, “In these villages with these pastors, we help them do what they cannot do by providing the resources. And they do what we cannot do, which is almost daily wearing body armor [and] heading into the front lines to advance the Gospel and the goodness of God to a people who are hurting and lost.”

Eric Mock (center right) in a village near the front lines. (Photo courtesy of Eric Mock/SGA)

As the war drags on, embattled Ukrainians are struggling for hope.

“Generations are being impacted by this. So pray, first of all, that the believers would not be discouraged, that they would not be indifferent or lose heart, that they would remain faithful,” he asks.

“But mostly, pray for faithfulness in the midst of what the Lord continues to allow for His purposes…. Churches are being planted, congregations are moving forward, and God is continuing to be glorified in difficult times.”

You can support SGA’s relief efforts in Ukraine at sga.org.

Header photo: The church in Zaporizhzhia destroyed by Russian drone and missile attack. (Photo courtesy of SGA)