Our Story
I will never forget the day, in March of 2015, that the Lord gave me confirmation that He wanted me to form a ministry. I remember praying and thinking this is crazy! How can I possibly form a ministry? I’m so not qualified. As I was trying to rationalize why this was a bad idea, the Lord simply whispered the words, “why not you? There is only 1 you, Wendy. If you don’t do what I ask of you, who will?” Talk about a gut punch! These questions led me to ask myself what my purpose is in this life. I came to the conclusion that my purpose is simple. Because I am a Christ follower, my purpose is to share the love of Christ with others. I began to string these thoughts together…The Lord created the one and only me for 1 purpose which is to share the love of Christ with others. And just like that, the 1U Project was born. The 1U Project is founded upon the principle that every single one of us who profess to be Christ-followers have one purpose for being on this earth: to share God’s love with others. We are to love others because Christ first loved us (1 John 4:19). There are countless verses in the Bible that speak to loving others. One of my favorite passages is 1 John 3:16-18 which says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” The goal of the 1U Project is to not only love with words but with actions and in truth.
As I processed through what the ministry of 1U Project would look like, the Lord impressed on my heart the need to come alongside ministries in Ukraine that are already meeting needs, caring for orphans, and those around them.
Wendy Farrell is the founder and executive director of 1U Project. She is foremost a child of God, secondly wife to her extremely loving and supportive husband, and Mama to 5 beautiful daughters. The love for the Ukrainian people, especially orphans, was birthed from time spent in Ukraine adopting their oldest daughter. 1U Project is truly a family ministry, and each member of the Farrell Family is passionate about serving their friends and “family” in Ukraine.
The best way I could help care for those in need from my home here in the United States, is by offering support to those who are there day in and day out. The Lord nudged me towards forming 1U Project in such a way that we could encourage and minister to those already doing His work in Ukraine.
My hope in creating 1U Project was for it to serve as a ministry to ministries. That we would be able to come alongside our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage them, pray for them, and provide needed assistance so that they can effectively pour the love of Christ into the lives of those they serve. Simply put, my hope was that we as Christ followers here in America could love not only with words but with actions and in truth.
Our mission statement says, “We at 1U Project believe in the power of 1. 1 person expressing their faith in Christ through loving and serving another can make a life-changing impact. We believe that every single life is valuable and that every single person can make a difference. It is the purpose of 1U Project to channel the God-given strengths, talents, and prayers of individuals into serving those in need. It is our desire to provide practical, monetary, and spiritual resources to existing ministries and individuals that serve impoverished orphans and families in Ukraine”
As we enter another year of ministry, it is nothing short of God’s grace and abundant love for the children of Ukraine, that 1U Project has grown and accomplished all that it has. Through our partnership with Children’s Path, orphaned and at-risk children and young people ages 3-18 have access to a safe home, nutritious food, education, life skills, and most importantly, they are learning about the Hope found only in their Heavenly Father.
Along with supporting our ministry partner, Children’s Path, monthly, teams travel to Ukraine 3 times each year to serve alongside our partners at Children’s Path, including organizing a Bible camp each summer for all of our children. children are also able to participate in a hosting program each summer.
We look forward to the coming years and the plans that God has for 1U Project. Each of you are an integral part of this ministry. Just as our mission statement says, you have the power to impact the life of an orphan, and give them a chance to experience hope, love, and safety. Thank you for being a difference maker!
With love,
Wendy