Hello family and friends,
This winter is already a cold challenge for the people of Ukraine. It will get colder. Many people are relocating to other countries. For those who stay, humanitarian aid continues to flow in. Generators for electricity are the hottest items to purchase this winter. Imagine forty-million people looking for sources of heat.
The MUCH goal this Christmas is to help the people stay warm, have food to eat, water to drink, cook with, and bathe. Below are some stories that express the real essentials for Ukrainian people in great need.
1. Our son’s military group needs some basic items to do their job well. Winter camouflage clothing are vital for their survival. Our soldiers must be able to see their targets, communicate with each other, and hide themselves from the enemy at all times. Let’s help them do their job the best that they can.
2. The two church groups, in Mykolaiv and Ovidiopol, that we normally sponsor are delivering humanitarian needs to as many as one hundred families.
Ovidiopol Church
Daniel is packing food for refugees. Platon and Daniel deliver these bags of food on a regular basis.
These three girls were walking past the church while Platon was working in the church garden. They asked if they could have some food. He agreed with a smile. He gathered two bags of food, handed them these gifts, and invited them to stop by anytime.
Mykolaiv Church
This church stores bulk food for people to stop by to take home. Many people stop by. Some return on Sunday for spiritual food. Now, more people are aware of the church location, a rented room on the third floor of a commercial building.
The pastors and church members deliver food to families and the elderly who need assistance. It requires a lot of time and energy.
3. Sasha, the father of a family with ten children in the Kiev region, has an incredible out-reach ministry to people in deep villages and distant regions. We would like to bless this large family with a wonderful gift to meet needs of daily existence. Saha’s wife is pregnant with their eleventh child. Sasha is asking for help to buy a generator big enough to operate the pump for their well, and the washing-machine.
The children are involved in Sasha’s outreach ministry at homes for the elderly, and people who live in the deep villages. They bring the Gospel through music, song, and personal testimonies.
4. A woman in Kharkiv, a major city that Ukraine has recaptured, needs financial assistance for the four people/families that she is helping.
Luba Skubakova is 80 years old. She is disabled from childhood. She is single, no relatives. Her pension is enough for utility bills and a little for food and food for her dog, her only friend. She does not have the financial means to repair a denture. Neighbors help the woman a little and bring her food. She really needs financial help and basic nutrition
Nikolai Shuisky is 40 years old. He has a wife, she is disabled since her childhood (one kidney is not developed). Nevertheless, she gave birth to two children. (This stresses the one kidney during pregnancy.) They lived happily until the war began. Nikolai lost his job. Because of the shelling and destruction, he and his family had to leave their house and live as refugees. Their daughter was very afraid of the noise of the explosions and it was generally impossible to continue to live in that village. Now they have been taken in by Ukrainians in a safer community. They live on the money that the government provides for temporarily displaced people. The eldest son goes to school, and the daughter is 3 years old. His wife needs treatment and medication. The children are growing up and need clothes, food.
Nadezhda Shevchenko is 85 years old. She is single. She lives with her niece. Since 2014, she has not gone outside much, because she does not orient herself well in space. She could wonder off and become lost. Her niece accompanies her for her walks. Both receive pensions from the government. There is not enough money for medicines and food.
Valentin is 72 years old. He suffered a massive stroke. He does not get out of bed, and his wife had to leave work and take care of him. The thirty-year-old son helped before, but now he has lost his job. They live in a rented apartment. Rent and utility bills take more than half of their income. He needs an anti-decubitus mattress.
5. A month ago, when we were in Western Ukraine, to visit our daughter Olya, Sveta was able to meet with Oksana, (center), her longtime friend she had not seen for twelve years. Although Oksana did not complain and tried to show that everything was fine, Sveta could see her life is not easy. It is hard for a single woman to raise two daughters. The money that she earns and tiny alimony from her ex-husband was enough to pay for renting an apartment in Ivano-Frankivsk, and for food. But during the war, when prices rose rapidly for everything and the landlord raised the rental price, Oksana was forced to move to the village. The cost of winter things for children is as expensive as for adults. Nutrition and recovery after ear surgery for a smaller daughter also requires a considerable amount of money. If your hearts will open for Oksana, we will be very grateful to you. If the collected amount will be enough to bless Oksana and her daughters, then we would like to give her your donations as the love of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through you.
Our Goal is $6,000
It is an honor for me and Sveta to be of service and help those affected by this horrible war.
The needs in Ukraine are immense and despite the humanitarian efforts from other countries, there is a huge number of needs that go unfulfilled. While we can’t begin to address all needs, we can help those who are close to us. Please help us meet some of the basic needs such as medicine, food, and warmth this winter.
Take comfort in knowing that your donation to MUCH will make a difference and ease some of the suffering during this holiday season.
Wishing you God’s grace!
Mark and Sveta
