Today I worshiped with the Kramatorsk church of Christ. There were 50 present and as usual worshiping with this congregation is very encouraging. As you can see in the above photo Vlad translated for me and did a great job!
I spent Saturday traveling around the area and seeing the unbelievable destruction that Russian troops brought into this peaceful region. Especially was the fighting intense in Slavyansk. We had helped the hospital there a number of years ago and now the hospital is in ruins—totally desolated. Due to the military orders there is limited information that can be sent.
The Lord’s congregation in Kramatorsk is doing well. It is operating without hindrances and is involved in the community. Their “A, B, C School” in which they teach English to children and then contact parents continues to bear fruit. Vila told me they have over 120 attending the schools and now the children understand that priority is learning the Bible and learning English is a bonus.
Vlad and Oksana continue to do well. Their children (Rita and Dima) are growing and are wonderful to be around. They are involved in getting everything prepared for the worship and Bible classes. They are polite and very mannerly.
After the assembly Vlad came to me and asked if I had met the guy that got one of the leg prosthesis that had been sent in our last container (in one of our #711 orthopedic boxes). The guy had not come over to me because I had been surrounded by a number of others. Later Vlad brought the man to me and told me how thankful he was that we had sent the leg that he could use. The man had lost his leg in his early childhood. He and some friends were playing when they discovered an unexploded ordinance from WW2. As they played with it the bomb exploded and he lost his leg. Now he is able to walk on the prosthesis! He sends great thanks to those helping him to walk.
Following the worship we had a quick cheese and sandwich lunch at the Church building and then had to hurry to catch the bus going to Zaporozhye. I had thought the bus ride was 5 hours but it turned into 7+ because of the roadblocks. At one roadblock all of the men were told to get off the bus with their mobile phones and passports. We were taken to a trailer where we entered one by one. I went in and was asked “Kak familia?” (“What is your family name?”). I replied “Kachelman” and the soldier looked up at me and said “have a good trip.” We arrived at the Zaporozhye bus station and Alexander met us and took us to our lodging.
I could write MUCH more but the internet in this location is horrible and it has been a VERY long and tiring day of travel! Good night!
Tomorrow is planned to be a full day. We travel to a community that has been helped from our containers and then there is a special meal planned.
Continue praying for our efforts during this trip.
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Zaporozhye, Ukraine
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