SGA-sponsored pastor, Serghey Shalinski (above), lives in the Ukrainian city of Mohyliv-Podil’s’kyi, close to a border crossing with Moldova.
“On the second day of the war I received a call-up order to the army and packed a backpack with the necessary things. When the officer found out that I was a pastor, he said that it would be better if I stayed at home and prayed for them. I am grateful to God for this, and I understand that my place is not at the frontline, but here to serve people, which is what I try to do.”
Serghey and his church have been seeking to do this.
On one occasion Serghey received just 30 minutes warning of the arrival of 40 refugees from the Donetsk region. He called around church members for help but still had 11 in his own apartment that night. The Shalinskis slept on the kitchen floor!
One church member is a headteacher and his school opened its doors to refugees while the children studied online. At the height of the crisis, they were hosting 120 refugees and feeding 30 more.
The government provided a small amount of help, but most of their needs were met by teachers, volunteers, and Romanian believers who regularly sent busloads of groceries and humanitarian aid. This was the Lord’s provision!
Serghey explained that the war has taught them what is of real value.
“They couldn’t get fuel for their expensive cars and they would leave those cars at the side of the road. They would just be glad to get out of that place to save their lives.”
A pastor, whose house was partially destroyed, told Serghey, “Now I understand that we need far less to live. Everything I need to survive fits into my backpack or suitcase.”
Serghey is a nurse by profession. He joins SGA-funded medical teams which visit different locations in Moldova and Ukraine. He noticed that some of the refugees needed medical care. “I have established outreach clinics in four locations in my area. Also, after the liberation of the Chernigov region from the Russian army, I took part in clinics with a team of doctors in two villages. One woman who was helped began to hug me in tears. She said that her house was destroyed by a shell, but she was very grateful to us for help.”
The situation has provided many opportunities to share the Gospel with those who have never heard it before. “Spiritually, people have become much more open to have conversations about God and faith. People started to realise that they needed to have something more than a good apartment and a good car.”