Written by Wayne Zshcech

 

Have you ever wanted to make a tangible difference in the world, empower poor communities to finance their own Kingdom endeavours as well as fix up the environment? Well, maybe our sustainable missions project is right up your alley! The introduction video for the Clean Soul – Clean City project outlines its goals and calls for more people to get involved in its work. 

Wayne Zschech, leader of the OM team in Ukraine and co-founder and team leader of the project, said, “‘Harnessing waste to maximise Kingdom impact’ is the core mission. Workplace discipleship and community transformation are key pillars. Another key value is care for God’s creation and environmental responsibility and sustainability. God still loves His creation and, as followers of Jesus, we also will love the things that God loves.” 

Clean Soul – Clean City’s vision is to multiply discipleship and transformation by creating viable waste-to-resource concepts that can be replicated in places that need it the most — among the least reached.  

A gift of warmth 

The project has had to adapt against the backdrop of the war. “After four years of war, our lives have changed. There is much loss, pain and hardship.  We have needed to adapt significantly numerous times. But the calling still remains,” Wayne asserted.   

“Lives are being touched and somehow God has been sustaining us and moving the project forward on multiple fronts. God has been using our faith and the continuing generosity and prayers of supporters.” 

The war has at times forced the team to change its focus, but they can see God’s hand guiding and preparing them for the future. In Kaharlyk, a town of 13,000, the local memorial shows the names and faces of 141 residents killed defending their country. The OM team set up a production line to produce winter heating briquettes from waste roadside trees and woody branches. These briquettes are gifted to war-affected elderly, war-widows and war-orphans. 

“Our project brings hope,” Wayne explained. “It is a beautiful moment when the town’s mayor calls, and our team loads a trailer full of briquettes to deliver them in the name of Jesus to a grandmother or a suffering war widow. Actively engaging the community by doing good during such a difficult time builds bridges and trust.” 

Learning from history 

Mass missile and long-range kamikaze drone attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure during the winter of 2025/6 left much of Ukraine without electricity.  “Imagine -20C, pitch black and no heating or water. The effect was almost catastrophic,” Wayne said. “It is a deeply disturbing predicament that I hope that no one ever has to deal with. But by God’s mercy, Ukraine stood again.”   

When the power grid was struck, and sweeping blackouts occurred countrywide, the team needed to pivot again to find energy security. 

They drew on historical experience to find a solution. During World War 2’s fuel crisis, more than a million vehicles were converted to run on gasified wood and coal. The Clean Soul – Clean City team built several small test units and fed the gas into small electrical generators. At the sustainable missions project, they could gasify wood chips as well as utilise the combustible gas byproduct from their plastic waste pyrolysis process. Next, they bought a big old 100kW Soviet diesel generator and converted it to run on gas. 

“Electricity is very expensive and unstable. For now, keeping the lights on and machinery running keeps production running and continues to put bread on the table of the workers’ families,” Wayne shared. “During times of existential threat, stability is so important. For Ukraine’s wartime economy, every dollar that comes in to support the project or income generated by the project is worth its weight in gold.” 

Widespread transformation 

The project currently has about a dozen workers. “We used to have more but several of our key workers were mobilised into the army,” Wayne shared. “Tragically, Roma, the team’s apprentice electrician, was killed in action recently. That was a huge blow to our team. We pray every day for our teammates in the military and for those defending Ukraine.  

“Our team is certainly an interesting bunch. Only God could bring this bunch together! We have drug rehab graduates who are now young Jesus followers. They quite literally embody God’s theme of redemption. We also have locals previously unemployed and several internally displaced men from Ukraine’s east who fled their homes after bombardments at the beginning of the Russian invasion. They have lost everything. God brought them to us, and by God’s grace, we are building a future together. 

“The essence of Clean Soul – Clean City is transformation; social, economic, environmental and spiritual. So, from the very beginning, part of our team development is dedicated to sharing spiritual truth and values and pointing them to Jesus. This has included doing simple Discipleship Bible Studies and sharing key scripture verses. Of late, we’ve been going through the Alpha Course as a team in the Ukrainian language. 

“Although we pray for and dream about them becoming Jesus followers, we lead, love and support as we can and believe that the Spirit in due time will bring people to faith.” 

The ultimate goal of the project is that it would become a fully operational centre of inspiration and sustainable missions training. 

“We are looking for people who want to get their hands dirty and make a difference in the world,” Wayne said. “If you have a calling to missions and want to work with your hands, or if you have welding or electrical or machinery skills, or if you love organics and growing things, we invite you to become part of the Clean Soul – Clean City project.” 

 

Would you be interested in joining OM longer-term and helping with this project or many others around the world? Learn more about how to do that by clicking here.