By Laura McKillip Wood
A church in western Ukraine started providing humanitarian relief early in the war by forming a “humanitarian hub” of resources for displaced people. After Russia attacked Ukraine, this motivated church immediately prepared to help the flood of people they knew would make their way westward to safety. They now hand out food, clothing, shoes, and whatever other supplies they can. About 100 to 150 people come to them for help every day.
Church leaders know these displaced people have deep emotional and spiritual needs in addition to their obvious physical needs. The refugees left everything behind, not knowing when or if they will see their loved ones again. Those who are fleeing have survived dangerous situations and have seen others killed.
Natalia* serves as chaplain for the church’s team. She reaches out to those who come through the hub; she shows them the love of Christ in physical form and provides a tangible reminder that God has not forgotten them.
When the hub opened, Natalia met three women. Valya and Nadya are in their late 60s, and Ella, Valya’s daughter, is in her 40s.
Valya is a doctor who was at her hometown hospital in eastern Ukraine when a missile hit it. She was injured in the blast and still has trouble hearing. Valya was unable to leave right away; she spent two weeks living in her neighbor’s basement. She used icy water to clean herself during that time because there was no gas and she was too terrified to leave home to find fuel. Before the war, Valya owned a house and an apartment. Bombing ruined her apartment.
Ella and her husband were unable to have children until Ella got pregnant around age 40. Soon after giving birth, Ella was diagnosed with uterine cancer. The treatment led to lymphedema, a condition where the lymph nodes cannot remove excess fluid from the body. Because of that, Ella’s legs are very swollen and walking is difficult. Ella’s attentive husband helped them travel from their home in Bucha to western Ukraine, but Ella remains depressed and does not want to leave the small, run-down apartment where she, her husband, their daughter, and Valya and Nadya are staying.
Nadya was Valya’s neighbor in her hometown. Nadya’s mother and a sister were in Mariupol, which probably has endured the most destruction in the war. Nadya did not hear from her mother and sister for over a month during the siege of Mariupol. She feared for their lives; she thought they may have been taken to Russia. Nadya wanted to go to Mariupol and search but had no idea how to do so. Nadya recently learned that her mother, who had dementia, has died. Nadya mourns her loss.
As Russian troops are pushed back and fighting has slackened in some cities, Ella and Valya want to return to Ella’s small apartment in Bucha. (Valya does not know whether her house survived the fighting.) Nadya has nowhere to go.
When Natalia sees these women at the hub or in church, she reaches out in love to them. She helped provide money so they could buy groceries. Natalia and Ella are both avid knitters. Natalia gave some knitting needles and yarn to Ella in hopes that the relaxing hobby would help Ella’s depression. Natalia is working to arrange for Nadya’s housing after the others head back to Bucha.
This small church is just one of many across Ukraine helping people survive the war. Its Ukrainian members provide the primary funding, but some Western organizations support such churches by providing humanitarian aid to them. If you are interested in helping organizations that are providing relief to Ukraine, consider one of these:
• CMF International provides medical ministry and humanitarian aid to refugees.
• Team Expansion is coordinating humanitarian efforts in eastern Europe and within Ukraine.
• Proem Ministries is welcoming, sheltering, and feeding refugees from Ukraine as they arrive in Poland.
• Love for Ukrainians provides humanitarian aid and relief for those displaced and impacted by the war in Ukraine.
*Names have been changed.
Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, lives in Papillion, Nebraska, and writes about missions for Christian Standard.
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