How to honor "The Great Kozovaya"

Greetings.

We are still grieving the loss of the beautiful, humble woman we lovingly referred to as “The Great Kozovaya."

Meanwhile, we have searched for an appropriate way to honor the memory of this extraordinary person, leader of our “Response of the Heart” team in Minsk.

Our goal has been to commemorate the transformational impact of her life and work in a way that would not only salute her faith, her wisdom, and her dedication to helping people in need, but would also perpetuate the work to which she was so committed.

We have interacted with Kozovaya’s family, and they have agreed that it will be most appropriate to create a permanent memorial plaque, to be displayed at the church Kozovaya built in her home village, in the north of Belarus.

The plaque will bear the following inscription (to appear in both English and Russian), something appropriate to all segments of the Belarusian population — also possibly including an image of Kozovaya herself:

Friends of New Thing,  deeply committed to the people of Belarus,  salute the memory of our dear friend, Liudmila Petrovna Kozovaya She inspired and led us. We will always love her. Her strength, her compassion, her love for God and people, will always guide us.

I invite you to give a generous tax-deductible contribution today, to help us produce, deliver, and display this permanent memorial in her honor. But here’s the most important detail: 

Any surplus funds, beyond the cost of the memorial, will go toward the launch of THE KOZOVAYA FUND.

This fund will exist in perpetuity to help meet immediate and emergency needs all across Belarus, especially when there isn’t time to raise funds from caring friends because of the urgency of the situation.

Kozovaya’s family feels that this will be an ideal way to honor her memory, and Kristina and I strongly agree.

So I hope you will be as generous as possible in giving today.

Not only for the sake of honoring the legacy of “The Great Kozovaya,” but also for the sake of so many men, women, and children who will be helped and blessed in their time of need through the Kozovaya Fund — for years to come.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Thanks for journeying with us!

Much love,

Doug Brendel