Throughout the crisis in Ukraine, Somebody Cares has been in constant communication via Zoom calls and in-person meetings with many of our friends and partner organizations serving the overwhelming needs. While relief partners in Poland and Romania continue to assist refugees, we are also working to procure and deliver resources to churches in Ukraine.
One of our partner churches with Grace International hosts refugees in their basement.
“The human tragedy is heartbreaking,” Doug Stringer says. “But in the midst of the grief and trauma, we have also seen God’s goodness, as the Church rallies together from the United States and other parts of the world to support our brothers and sisters. It’s going to be a long-term process, but with each of us working together and doing our part, people will receive the help they need and God will be glorified.”
Among the testimonies coming out of this crisis is one concerning some of the churches along the border of Romania and Ukraine, whose leaders sensed about eight years ago that the Lord was telling them to get ready for refugees. “Some of them even went to the border to anoint it with oil, declaring that it would be open for refugees,” SCA VP Jodie Chiricosta explains. “We are working with that same group of churches now providing some of the resources they are using to care for the refugees fleeing Ukraine.”
Former SCA staff members Justin and Kynada Boland, who now serve with The Jewish Agency for Israel, have helped receive over 100 orphans from Ukraine into Israel and are expecting hundreds more Jewish Ukrainians to arrive. And in Romania and Poland, many families are hosting refugees in their homes. “Our partners tell us that refugees will only go into Christian homes,” Jodie reports, “as they know they can trust the Christians.”
Divine connections at NRB.
While attending the National Religious Broadcasters Convention (NRB) in Nashville last week, Doug and Jodie met with various groups serving in Ukraine, Romania, Poland, and Russia.
“God arranged some divine appointments at NRB,” Jodie said, “connecting us with trusted relationships in the region to ensure humanitarian aid gets to places of great need through local churches that are giving sacrificially throughout the region, along with opening new doors for us to broadcast the hope of Christ in the Ukrainian language to those still in the country as well as those now dispersed throughout Europe. “
Please join us in providing immediate relief, the hope of Christ, and help with long-term rebuilding of lives:
1. Supporting churches and teams along the border of Ukraine in both Romania and Poland that are serving refugees by supplying resources to care for refugees with food, shelter, transportation, and other basic needs. Churches in this region use a minimum of $2,000 a day in caring for the refugees.
2. Getting life essentials through our teams into Ukraine for those who have remained behind. We are working on sending blankets as well as other essentials into the country for church partners who are sheltering and tending to those who remain behind.
3. Supplying audio Bibles. The demand for Ukrainian Bibles among refugees in the country is huge, but printed Bibles are in short supply. In another divine appointment at NRB, God led us to a source for Ukrainian audio Bibles. Through our partner Galcom International, we can receive 300 Ukrainian audio Bibles within a week for $20 each. We urgently need $6,000 for this first set of audio Bibles! We also hope to order additional audio Bibles as funding allows. Audio Bibles can minister to whole groups of refugees at the same time, bringing comfort and encouragement through God’s Word.
4. Delivering a message of healing and hope to Ukrainians and Russians, who are all suffering through this crisis, through broadcast media and streaming via the Good New Channel of Ukraine and Russia. We are talking with partners in the U.S. to arrange studio and production time for a “Healing and Hope” program that will let those in the midst of this chaos know that God has not forgotten them.
“As we have prayed for God’s direction on how to respond, these are the four doors He has opened for us,” Jodie adds. “But we need resources to do them.”
Please consider a generous gift today!
CLICK HERE and select “Ukraine Crisis” in the drop-down menu.
Relief partner CRI on their first trip into Ukraine, bringing supplies and the love of Jesus.
The United Nations estimates this conflict has already led to 2 million refugees. Please partner with us and pray for those who are serving on the ground right now along with the many more who will be going to help. Please pray, too, for the refugees who have left their homes behind, and especially for the Ukrainians who are still in country.
Thank you for caring!