War Continues in Ukraine
Orphan Grain Train received these heart-breaking pictures & video along with the touching description below from our recipient in Ukraine. Ivan Hontar with Smolin Ministry is assisting Ukrainians that have been traumatized from this horrific humanitarian crisis. OGT has shipped 5 air-cargo containers of aid and food with more planned in the future. This aid and food will be in more of a dire need as winter and the cold covers the land and the living situation becomes more desperate with lack of heat, food and homes. Please continue to pray for all Ukrainians, for the many volunteers in ministries that are distributing aid and an end to this war.
“Unfortunately, the war continues in Ukraine, but there is also good news, almost all of Kharkiv region has been de-occupied. We believe that this is only the beginning and soon our land will be freed from the enemy. In the meantime, we continue to fight and serve the people.
A few days ago, our team returned from Balaklia, a city that was recently liberated by the Ukrainian military after 6 months of brutal occupation. The purpose of the trip was the urgent need of people who survived the occupation for food and basic hygiene products.
Approaching the city, the team encountered more and more destroyed roads, buildings, and burned cars. There are now only 8 thousand people left in the city (this is 4 times less than the total population).
All these months, people lived in fear, they were mocked, their neighbors and acquaintances were tortured to death. There are a lot of casualties among the civilian population.
After the liberation of the city, people were able to calm down a little, because now their native city is controlled by the Ukrainian military.
When people saw our car with a red cross, they ran out of their houses for help. We were able to provide them with food, hygiene products, household chemicals, as well as spiritual food- the Bibles. People gladly took the Word of God, because many of them experienced real miracles that only God could do. Passing through checkpoints, the military also asked to give them the Bibles.
In addition to the city of Balaklia, aid was distributed in other settlements. One of these is the city of Kupyansk, whose residents also spent six months under occupation.
Humanitarian aid was taken there, and people who wanted to evacuate were picked up.
Six minibuses accompanied by the military were able to evacuate more than 30 people. Such evacuations will be carried out on a stable basis as long as there are those willing. People experienced such horror during the occupation (torture, abuse, rape) that many are simply afraid to stay in this area. They are accompanied by panic attacks and the fear that everything may happen again. And many people lost their homes and now they have nowhere to live. During the occupation, they hid in basements, and now they have to live somehow, and there is nothing. Winter is approaching and people are looking for a place to settle down.
(video 1)
Being there and when you see it all with your own eyes – the heart breaks with pain. Crippled destinies, lost lives. Great grief and sorrow…
But we do not stop believing in our victory! We believe that soon there will be even more liberated territories, but with the increase of territories, the need for help to people who survived all the horrors of the war will also increase. This winter will be especially difficult for us. The lack of products in these territories will be felt acutely.
We rely on God and His care, which He shows to us through others.
But we thank God for the opportunity to serve people! Thank you for your help, because without you we would not have had this opportunity. Thank you that together with you we can carry on serving and helping people through this difficult time in their lives.”
Categories: International Aid
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