(UKRAINE) Jesus, the Good Shepherd of a New Family in Odessa
- by ubfhq
- Oct 15, 2025
- 834 reads
By Matthew Gerus
On Saturday, October 4, a wedding ceremony was held at the Odessa UBF church between Brother Tuok and Sister Khanh. Both of them are Vietnamese and came to Odessa to work at a sewing factory. There, they met God and became true disciples of Jesus.
Their mentor and Bible teacher, Luke, came to Odessa from Vietnam after receiving God’s calling. He faithfully studied the Bible and fought a spiritual battle against his old way of life. After graduating from university, God blessed him to open a small sewing factory in Odessa, where the majority of the workers are Vietnamese. There, he organized Bible studies and worship services. For more effective ministry, Luke began studying at a seminary in Vietnam and received a Bachelor of Theology degree last year. He and his wife prayed earnestly for the workers, and God worked powerfully, even performing miracles among them. Over time, several faithful disciples were raised, among whom are Brother Tuok and Sister Khanh.
Brother Tuok came to Ukraine to work in 2017. In 2020, after witnessing a woman being freed from an evil spirit through prayer, he became interested in Luke’s faith and began to study the Bible. God touched his heart through the verse John 14:6. Later, through Isaiah 61:5–6, he received a personal calling to become a pastor and to serve God with his whole life. Since then, he has actively served others.
Sister Khanh came to Ukraine shortly before the war. Through Luke’s family ministry, she received God’s Word from Genesis 12:1–2. She used to live a sorrowful life. Her father passed away when she was a little girl. However, after meeting Jesus, she became joyful even in the midst of war. She found true happiness in Christ, became a woman of repentance, and began to live for the Lord. Because of painful past relationships, she was afraid of starting a family, but God touched her heart through Genesis 24:51. Through the Word, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6), she learned to trust God completely.
Their spiritual mentors and church family began to pray for them as a couple, and later they joined in prayer together for their marriage. The wedding ceremony was conducted in two languages—in Vietnamese by Luke and translated into Russian by Alexei. The Lord gave the bride and groom a verse: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) Jesus is the Shepherd of their family, and He has also called them to be shepherds like Him. The wedding ceremony and celebration were so full of grace that some people even danced like David, without any alcohol!
We thank God for using this ceremony to bring joy to the shepherds and the sheep, and to revive hope for complete victory and a happy life in the Lord Jesus. We thank our Lord Jesus, who continues to work among us even in the midst of war. We pray that the Lord will make this new family fruitful shepherds for His glory.
