Kerch's Perfect Storm

I was shocked last night when I realized that I'd completely neglected to keep some of my newer readers up-to-date on an ongoing crisis which directly affects our new hometown in Ukraine. On Sunday, in the midst of a near hurricane-strength storm on the Black Sea, multiple tankers and transport ships sank or ran aground in the Kerch Strait. This channel - between 3 and 11 miles wide - connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, divides Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula from mainland Russia and is a major shipping lane. At least 5 sailors lost their lives and others remain missing. Ecologically the storm was equally devastating. A decrepit Russian tanker broke in half on the huge swells, spilling over a thousand gallons of oil. Additionally, several other ships carrying sulphur sank and are feared to be leaking chemicals into the Strait.

We have heard from our people in Kerch that the Hope Center (the facility that will be our home) is fine and suffered no damage, however the massive pollution from the spills will likely inhibit our ability to utilize the beaches for camps this summer. Please pray for Andrey, Tanya and the rest of our Ukrainian staff as they cope with the program issues and the humanitarian concerns that this storm has created.