Anton & Ruslana Burmistrov - Bryukhovychi, Ukraine

“We serve in Ukraine, in the town of Bryukhovychi, near Lviv. However, we are originally from Pervomaisk in Luhansk region, which is now under occupation. That is in the eastern part of Ukraine, but now we are in the west—about 1,400 km away. We used to speak Russian, but here we had to switch to Ukrainian to preach the Gospel. Though at home, we still speak Russian.

When we arrived in Lviv, we participated in organizing a church as part of a team with our friends. But then we moved outside the city to a small town of about 10,000 people, Bryukhovychi, and learned that there had never been a Protestant church there. This information disturbed our peace. As you know, by God’s mercy and with the participation of your church, a church now exists here!

We started with a small group during the COVID-19 lockdown, then began holding services. When the war started, we thought everything would be destroyed, all our efforts lost. But by God’s mercy, the church is alive and continues to exist.

I [Anton] came to God at the age of 29 when my life was destroyed by drugs and sin. I ended up in a rehabilitation center for addicts, and there I met Jesus. My wife, on the other hand, comes from five generations of believers and has known Jesus since childhood. But God united us—two completely different people—for His glory and for serving others. We are so happy to have this privilege of ministry. It is the best thing that could have happened to us.

We are part of the Baptist Brotherhood of Ukraine. Our church is officially registered, and all our documents are in order. I am the official leader according to the documents. Besides your church, no one actively supports us on a regular basis. Sometimes God sends individual people to help fund an event or project, but there is no stable support. Your church is the biggest blessing for our family and our ministry.

The biggest personal challenges we face:

The war in Ukraine greatly affects our lives and ministry. We see much pain and destruction, but we also see how God is working in the midst of this chaos. As a family, we try to support each other and hold on to God’s promises. We also strive to support people who are in difficult situations.

We are currently not living in our own home but in a church retreat center where refugees have stayed, and some still do. It is located outside the city. We have a small apartment—66 square meters—in Bryukhovychi, in a new building. But it has no renovation yet—just walls, windows, and doors. In Ukraine, this is called “zero cycle” housing.

We dream of completing the renovation and moving into the apartment because the building complex has 200 apartments. Soon, many new people will move in, and this will be a great opportunity to build relationships and share the Gospel.
So, our biggest need right now is to renovate the apartment. This will definitely expand our outreach.

What we lack most for our home:

The first thing that comes to mind is a voltage stabilizer. The electricity in our village is unstable—sometimes weak, sometimes too strong—so many appliances break quickly.
And honestly, I’ve always dreamed of having a real cowboy hat!

What helps us cope with stress:

We love family walks in the forest. We pray, admire the beauty of creation, and get startled when an animal hears us and suddenly runs through the bushes. We also love working on the land—it helps with any stress! But we don’t have much time for that because we spend most of our time with people.”