Reflections: Ukraine Update

World Relief Officer for American Baptist Churches reports seeing an unprecedented response for assistance in Ukraine. What we are witnessing, and have the privilege to support financially, can only be described as a Christ-led grassroots movement. Across six countries, Our Baptist partners spontaneously opened their churches and homes to shelter some of the millions who have been forced to flee. Within days, more than 1,000 places were made ready—600 within Ukraine—for all who are migrating to sleep, eat, shower and receive a word of hope. In the first month alone, our partners have served more than 1,000,000 displaced people. Now the challenge is that there is a large cost to providing these services.

Earlier in the spring over $500,000 had been contributed in Ukraine relief (including our congregation’s special offering). We are coordinating our regional response with the global Baptist family, supporting the European Baptist Federation and its member Baptist Unions, in Ukraine, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova, and locally through the work of our global servants (missionaries) in Hungary, says our mission director for Europe / Middle East.

Missionary Carmella Jones describes how her English-speaking church in Budapest opened its doors to African students fleeing Ukraine with nowhere to go. Carmella, who is trained as both a nurse and pastor, listened as students shared from their experiences:

“I lost my brother—they separated us at the border, and I lost him.” “We walked for days. I was so cold and scared.” “They pointed a gun in my face. I am not okay.” “I could hear explosions and gunfire. I just ran. This little bag is all I have.” Carmella says her best and only response is, Do you believe in prayer? Let’s pray. She adds, We desperately need your prayers for strength as we seek to welcome the stranger.

Global Servant Larry Stanton is traveling to the Ukrainian border weekly with Hungarian Baptist Aid. Larry greets refugees as they arrive at the welcome center, where they are offered food, hygiene items, toys and other supplies for their ongoing journey. Larry’s previous work with Syrian refugees has taught him that, People will keep coming long after the welcome as worn off. The true marathon of helping will start in the months and years to come.

In Hungary’s second-largest city, Debrecen, missionary Amanda & Jon Good’s partner church is hosting as many refugees as they can. The Goods have also opened their home. One of the families traveled through the night in a minvan that somehow managed to hold eight people, Amanda says. They drove through Ukraine on prayer and coffee, and used cooking oil for power steering fluid.

The hardest part of the conversation came later when we discovered that they were actually a family of nine. As they were crossing the border, they were told their 18 year-old son was not allowed to leave Ukraine. We all cried when we heard this. Ukrainian men ages 18-60 are not generally allowed to leave. Yet, the family believed without a doubt that God would take care of him. This is the kind of hope only Jesus can bring.