Slavik & Julia’s Life Update — What God Did in 3 Months

A testimony of God's love and faithfulness.

The past three months have been full of change, growth, and blessings. We moved four times during this season, and we are incredibly grateful for the Jacksonville community, local churches, and all the wonderful people who supported us along the way. At first, it was very difficult to settle in, but after two weeks, we were able to move into a house that was for sale, and the owner graciously allowed us to stay there. It was truly God’s provision and care. Thanks to generous people, we were able to find all the furniture we needed. While we had to purchase some items, most of the furniture was kindly lent to us — and we are so grateful for that. This was the very house where Samuel was born.
We are deeply thankful to all the partners and friends who helped us. Your kindness and generosity have meant the world to us.

These months brought the gift of rest and preparation.
Before Samuel’s arrival, we were so blessed by a beautiful baby shower for Julia at Living Stream Church. Surrounded by love, prayer, and encouragement, we felt incredibly supported as we prepared to welcome our little one into the world.

I’m deeply thankful to God for our amazing team and all the leaders who faithfully led the ministry in Ukraine and Poland. For the first time in 12 years, I was able to fully step away from ministry work and focus on spending quality time with God and my family. Although this sabbatical was filled with the busyness of welcoming baby Samuel, we were still able to enjoy meaningful, precious moments together as a growing family. It was a much-needed season of refreshing and bonding, and we are truly grateful for it.

I also had the privilege to speak and teach at SMBS, founded by Bogdan Bondarenko.
We’re thankful for the opportunity to pour into young people and build relationships with such a life-giving community.
We also had the joy of participating in the SMBS graduations —a powerful celebration of God’s work in the lives of so many young people.

On April 10th, we welcomed our precious son, Samuel Anointed Golovatyuk, into the world. He was born en caul—still fully wrapped in his amniotic sac — an extremely rare event that happens in only about 1 in 80,000 births! Incredibly, the first thing Samuel did was break through the sack all by himself.

What a strong and special little boy!

We are overwhelmed with love and thankfulness. Both Mama and the baby are healthy and doing well. Praise God for such a blessed arrival!

Towards the end of this season, we had the joy of spending a few days with Nancy—a sweet and peaceful time we will always treasure.

Soon after, we officially moved back to the mission field in Poland and Ukraine! After a season of rest, family time, and transition, we are now settled and stepping fully into what God has called us to in this region.
Though saying goodbye is never easy, we feel deeply called and ready to step back into the work the Lord has placed on our hearts.

Please continue to keep us in prayer as we settle back into ministry, reconnect with local leaders, and seek God’s direction for this next chapter.

We believe in healing, hope, and harvest in this region—and we’re honored to be part of it.

We are truly grateful to God for the privilege of being part of His incredible work and witnessing the younger generation come to Him.

We also want to thank everyone who supports this ministry—your prayers and involvement are bearing lasting fruit!

Please pray for our teams as we continue to do the work that God entrusted us with in Poland and Ukraine!

"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.”

Hebrews 4:9–10