For many years, the care of widows has been a prime concern of SGA. This ministry has become especially relevant in the land of Ukraine, where numerous women continue to mourn the loss of those who have died in the war.
While their heartache is great, so is the love that God has for them. The care shown to them by God’s people through the SGA Widows’ Project is intended to point them to the Saviour, the source of true comfort.
Recently, an SGA team visiting Ukraine shared in a church that has a truly heartwarming ministry to widows. The church leadership team are dedicated to reaching out to these heart-broken ladies.
Following the morning service, widows gathered for refreshments and fellowship around a designated table. Each carries her own burden of grief. There is the anguish of those like Yulia Vishtachenko, whose husband went missing while serving in the armed forces. After years of having heard no further news of him, she continues to hope that he may return.
Others, like Nataliya Demchuk, don’t have the agony of not knowing. Instead, they carry the grief of knowing for certain that their husbands’ lives were lost in battle, and that they will never see their husbands again in this life.
Nevertheless, it is not only war widows that SGA is supporting. Many of those who receive help are like Nina Bandura, who was widowed when her pastor husband, having served the Lord for many years, died from natural causes.
Nina has been ill for many years herself, and with severely limited mobility, she has needed constant care – care she depended on her husband Andriy to provide. Two years ago, however, Andriy suffered a stroke, following which he fell and sustained a traumatic brain injury that resulted in his death. But Nina was not left alone. Instead, she has been wonderfully supported by both the practical help she has received from the local church and by the financial assistance given by her brothers and sisters around the world.
The circumstances of each bereavement are unique, but there are themes common to all. These include a heartfelt appreciation for the support received, an ongoing faith in God despite ongoing difficulties, and a genuine desire to keep serving others.
Praise God – and thank you for your part in this provision through the SGA Widows’ Project.