As before, the church office is still one of the main volunteer centers in the city. After a short pause, we have a huge flow of people – now mainly from the Eastern regions.
Brothers from our church along with many other volunteers travel to all available cities and small towns. They bring humanitarian aid there, and then take people from those places to Rivne.
Many people come to our office and spots with humanitarian aid every day. Thank God that He continues to support us and empowers us to serve these people. Along with clothes and food, we can share the Good news with them. Most of them are open to listening and receiving God’s Word of Salvation.
All of us who associate with people that have experienced all the horrors of life under occupation recognize that this is an incredibly gruelling ministry. That is why we constantly ask you to pray for us as well. In most cases, we do not know how we can comfort their hearts, and we need God’s wisdom and God’s words of comfort.
Among all the terrible news, we have testimonies of God's mercy and His wonderful intervention into people’s lives.
Oksana, who left Mariupol with her 7-year-old son told us her story.
Oksana and her son miraculously escaped from Mariupol under fire. The Lord Himself has helped them.
At first, they stayed in the basement and constantly repeated Psalm 91. They asked God to stop the enemy's attacks and become a wall of fire around the basement where they stayed.
Oksana says, ‘One day our houses were shelled four times, and we were ready for death, but the shells miraculously flew over our basement and exploded nearby. My son said, "Mom, let's pray the prayer of repentance," and we prayed.
The next morning we heard someone calling us. It was our friend who managed to break through the shelling to pick us up and take us to the evacuation site. We could hardly believe it. In a minute we grabbed what was at hand and left.
We were taken out by strangers. All the way we continue to pray, asking God to accompany us on our way, and we again recited Psalm 91. We just prayed and prayed…
When we arrived at the safe place, at last, my son said, “Mom, it's a miracle. God has created so many miracles in our lives!”. It was so true. I wept,
The next day we learned that after our leaving a bomb had hit the basement where we were hiding. The Lord brought us out and took care of us through the people that we never met.
We still have relatives that stay in Mariupol now, and we do not know anything about them for two weeks. But we believe that God can and will save them because the only hope is in Him.”
We know that there are people who still remain in this horrible city, where death now reigns.
Iryna, a painter from Mariupol, left her besieged city and is now in Rivne, Ukraine - in the western part of the country. Here is a recent painting showing the horror of the Russian attacks.
Refugees are brought from dangerous zones in the eastern parts of Ukraine to safety in Rivne.
Supplies are brought from Rivne on the return journey to pick up more refugees.
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