Believers in Russia caring for Ukrainian Refugees...

This is a letter from Lyuba, a dear friend and faithful follower of Jesus who wrote recently about her and other disciples caring for Ukrainian refugeees in Taganrog, Russia near the southwest Russian - Ukrainian border.         

Some Russian speaking Ukrainian refugees have gone to Russia voluntarily - but it is believed that many others have been forcibly placed in internment camps farther east towards Siberia. We are grateful for the care and compassion that our dear friends have extended to some of these refugees who have chosen to stay in Russia for the time being - many of whom have lost everything but their lives...

Shalom, dear brother Jerry!

I pray for your blessed journey home and peaceful time with your beautiful Sue and family! May the Lord restore your strength after a difficult journey, dear friend!

On Sunday, my friends and I returned from Taganrog, where refugees and affected residents of Eastern Ukraine are temporarily accommodated. It was a special time! I can say that this is a completely different reality that cannot be understood until you are there.

All these people became dear in just a few days while we ministered there. My friends and I had a great opportunity to show love in action! The Lord united volunteers from different churches and cities from all over the European and Southern parts of Russia. Volunteers are family people and young too who are not indifferent to the needs of the disadvantaged. Most of them are believers from churches, but there were also people who just came to help on their own. Almost all of us saw each other for the first time, but became close within a few minutes, because we were all united by one goal here - to be an instrument in the hands of God for His glory and for the care of His children! We all worked in shifts around the clock. Our shifts flew by in an instant!

The temporary accommodation center provides assistance to the victims (food, accommodation, provision of clothing, footwear, hygiene products, medicines) to the victims for several days until these people are distributed to further destinations - sanatoriums, rest homes, boarding houses. There they live and are provided for 2-3 months, receive treatment, social payments and assistance. They also consider their future plans.

During the 3 days of our stay at the Center, rescuers and volunteers accepted and accommodated about 600 people, and they arrive there almost every day!

Jerry, I understand that I didn't see as much as you and those who are in Ukraine, but I can say with confidence that God was in the middle of all circumstances, in the middle of all these people!

Despite the pain, loss and deprivation, almost all of them have hope and faith in a better time! They said about the same thing: "We know that we survived for a reason! God / Angels / forces from above saved us. Now I understand that the most important thing is that we are alive and we have a future."

We have learned a lot by looking into the eyes of these people and hearing their story. God made so many miraculous salvations - both adults and children with whom we talked told about this. Can you imagine, someone escaped the bomb by going to their yard toilet, someone heard the thought in their head that they needed to hide under the table, when at that moment the glass of the window was shattered from an exploding shell nearby.The walls in someone's house collapsed and the entrances collapsed, but they did not harm the people themselves, who were very close! One boy, playing with a new friend in tanks, reported with interest the story of how his family was being transported by the military in an armored personnel carrier to be taken to a tent camp on the border.  

Arriving at the center, many of them were afraid that they will be enslaved, as they were told by the media, and leaving they were filled with hope! It's amazing to tears! I will not hide the fact that many of these people were glad that they were on this side of the border. We heard it personally from these dear people.

Can I share the most incredible thing I heard from the words of my volunteer friends?! Those who had the maximum amount of time for psychological and soul assistance in communicating with the victims noticed one clear detail. All these people, despite the horrors of the war, spoke less about it than about their everyday problems related to their past and present interpersonal relationships, with marital obligations and the like. Their internal wars with themselves and their loved ones were of more concern than the events of recent months ... it was so strange and incomprehensible to me.

Dear friend, I am so grateful to God for every little thing that we managed to accomplish for the joy of adults, the elderly and children, and they were all very responsive! It was so nice to see out their smiles and laughter!! This place was filled by grace of God. The Lord was there! Once again I realize that the ways of God are unsearchable and exciting! He is always faithful!‍

I went with the goal of seeing Christ in the eyes of the people, and it happened! And I want to go back there again! And it's not scary and not hard, as I imagined at the beginning. After all, when you give up your own ideas, the Lord does something that you did not even expect!

Thank you, dear friend, and your church for faithful prayers and support!

The Lord is very good to us! We want peace as soon as possible!

With the love of Jesus and pray for all of you, lyuba 

P. S. Yulia also ministred in Taganrog in early May. You can see she in the last photo on the left. She send greetings for you! We will all be very happy if the Lord allows us to see each other again! Blessings!