Article ONE
A Precious Provison
The small country of Moldova has welcomed many refugees fleeing south-east Ukraine where the fighting has been fierce. Bălțata Christian Centre is located 12km east of Chișinău. It provides a refuge for up to 200 women and children. Each has a personal story of the difficulties faced and most have left husbands and other relatives behind.
These women express amazement at this provision which includes 3 hot meals a day. “We have everything from food, diapers, medicine and the doctor who comes every day to check on our children.” Some use the Centre as a temporary stop before moving on to other parts of Europe. Others hope to be able to return from there to Ukraine soon. Each day they gather to sing, have fellowship, and to pray for the situation in Ukraine.
The Centre depends on both the energy and organization of a team of committed helpers, and the generosity of churches in Moldova and beyond. A pastor at the Centre said, “The greatest needs are for groceries, heating, and transportation costs to bring people here from the border.” SGA has provided financial support.
A thankful mother shared her feelings about the care she was receiving, “We are very grateful because it is so precious when someone accepts you and does so much good for free in the name of God. Thank you very much!”
Article TWO
The Practical Poles of Piotrkow
Of the countries bordering Ukraine, Poland has received the most refugees. Pastor Daniel Kryston remarks: “As you may imagine, we have been overwhelmed by what’s going on over here with so many war refugees flooding into our country.” He describes how his church has responded to the crisis, providing accommodation in their church building, homes, and hostels around the town of Piotrkow Trybunalski. Sundays are special times when the church is packed with Polish and Ukrainian worshippers!
Church members are also involved in transporting refugees from the border, and providing food, medicines, clothing, and sanitary products. A church member, Igor, has dual Polish-Ukrainian citizenship. He started a collection of items from the people of Piotrkow.
These were loaded into a lorry and carried to the Ukrainian border. There they were reloaded onto smaller lorries and transported to three locations in the Zhytomyr Oblast, 100km west of Kyiv.
Rising fuel prices are placing a strain on church finances, but a greater concern is the physical and emotional strain on church members.
Daniel continues, “There is still so much enthusiasm among our people to help our neighbours from Ukraine. However, I have been wondering, for how much longer we will maintain this enthusiasm. We continue to pray for wisdom, strength, and perseverance in seeking to help so many who are suffering so much.”
Article THREE
Shattered Lives
The war in Ukraine has devastated lives, and the suffering of some will continue long after the final bullet has been fired.
One lady who unfortunately can testify to this is Luda, a widow, and mother of three young boys. Her story goes back to 2014, when her family lived in East Ukraine during the first conflict. She recalls how, one night during the fighting, a man lay dying outside their apartment block. Her husband ventured outside to help him and tragically both were killed by a shell.
During the subsequent fighting their apartment was also hit, resulting in Luda and her three boys having to relocate to somewhere safe.
We can only imagine how distressing the last eight years have been, but the Lord reached her through local Christians participating in SGA’s Widows’ project. In a video conversation she said,
“I would like to greet each one who helped me and other families. Thank you from the depths of my heart a million times”.
What her words cannot show are the deep wounds that she and her children still have.
She shared that her son Maxim is suffering from PTSD because of the first conflict in 2014, and recent events have only made matters worse. Luda is an example of the lasting damage war brings to ordinary innocent people.
We have heard many statistics over these last few months, but we should remember that behind each number is an individual who needs God’s grace and truth to rebuild their shattered lives.