The morning of February 24, changed our lives dramatically. Before the very first bombing, no one could ever believe that Russia would launch a full-scope military invasion in Ukraine. It’s nearly impossible to comprehend the cruelty and atrocity of the Russian troops in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, in Mariupol, Chernihiv, Kyiv, and other places, when civilians are shot at by rockets and heavy artillery.
From the very beginning of the war, the refugees began flooding toward the western part of Ukraine. Once we got over the initial shock of the war outbreak, we immediately and prayerfully set up all the available vehicles and sent our brothers to Irpin for evacuation of people. Working closely with the Irpin Bible Church, we were blown away by the true heroism of brothers and sisters from that church as they organized the relief work for the affected residents of the city. We managed to make three trips, and then the city was occupied, the bridge was blown up and civilians could no longer get in.
However, two teams of drivers continued to ride alternatively from Rivne to Kyiv in small convoys of 3-6 minivans. In two rally points for refugees in Kyiv, churches were bringing humanitarian aid from Western Ukraine and Europe, and on the way back they were taking refugees from the affected suburbs. It just turned out on its own that one team of drivers are the coaches of the Christian Soccer Club Nadia, and the second is made up of members of the Bible Education and Christian ethics. The war has affected everyone, so everyone is now doing something completely new and out of the ordinary…
We sent five young brothers to the village of Kryukovshchina near Kyiv, where an additional relief center was formed in the friendly church. We were taught by the experience of Irpin church that clear work coordination plays a vital role in this ministry.
In mid-March, our drivers, together with brothers from churches in the city of Kamenskoye and the city of Mariupol began to work on the evacuation of the refugees from Mariupol and Zaporizhzhia and delivery of aid to the victims.
We’re also helping one of the Kyiv churches with the evacuation of residents from Chernihiv. It’s very hard to get into the city because of the constant fighting, so instead of taking a highway, you need to drive the country roads, or just cut straight through the fields. It’s extremely dangerous to drive on the main roads because of the occasional crossfire. There is no electricity in the city itself, people are hiding in the cold basements for weeks from incessant bombing, being unwashed and hungry. They line up at dawn to be the first and wait for the evacuation vehicle to come and pick them up. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough seats for everyone…
Numerous trips in extreme conditions affect the physical state of drivers and lead to wear and tear of vehicles.
Thanks to the help of the generous people, we were able to repair one minivan, as well as purchase a used 16-seat bus to expand our limited possibilities. They are limited because there are hundreds of thousands doomed to death but we can rescue only a few hundred people at a time. But thank God we are not alone in this cause – there are brothers from many churches of Ukraine joined in the ministry of saving lives. Pray for those who are beyond our ability to reach them and save them physically because they are under siege and in the blockade. Please pray for those who are forced to live in a cold basement without water and food. Our hope is in the mercy of the Lord!
