We received information early this morning from Ivan Skoleba about the status of things in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. We wanted to share this information with you so you can remember Ivan, Andrew and the other Christians who have remained back and are doing what they can to help those in need.
Greetings to you,
Ivan Skoleba
Forgive me for not writing you sooner. Andrew [Lagno] and I came back from the [Poland] border yesterday. We were dead as we had to change transportation several times and went through several check points where they checked our ID. Thank God we were able to send women and children to Poland. We feel less worried this way and it allows us to focus on our church members more. Volodya and Kolya are getting ready for another trip to the border. They want to take Volodya’s wife, Julia, and Mykola’s wife, Sasha with children to across the border. Mykola Glozhik is from the Lysets church.
I think there’s no need to describe the war and all that is happening here – you see it and hear about it. But there’s no words to describe all the hurt and pain and suffering of war. There are many wounded soldiers and officers. All are very brave fighting for their homeland. Russians are shocked. They thought it would take them 2 days to take over Ukraine. But the Lord and truth is with us. We are on our land and are not invading anyone. All the people work hard to help the military and IDP’s. There’s a great need of dressing and different military supplies. There are a lot of wounded and doctors are asking for help. The chief doctor of the First Aid Clinic in Ivano-Frankivsk called and asked for help with medical supplies. The state and administration do all they can; however, nobody expected civilians to be shelled. We are in for a humanitarian problem. There are a lot of internally displaced persons (IDP’s) from Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, as well as Eastern Ukraine. The situation is especially heart-breaking at the border with European countries on our side — there are 25-30 kilometer long lines. Everybody wants to get women and children across the border in the first place. People have to stand in line for 2-3 days. All stores on the way are empty. Women have no way to buy diapers and food for their children. Local administration are unable to provide for such a huge number of people.
It would good if you and Charita could collect humanitarian aid for Ukraine. I will meet with the mayor tomorrow and will talk to him about it. I think there should be a simplified process of approval and Customs clearance for situations like this. Remember they had a short-cut procedure in 2008?
People kept talking about church of Christ for several years after 2008. Aid came in time and a lot was done for God’s glory. As I’m writing you, I hear sirens. Air raid alert. Russians want to get into the city. I-F and the Region are under the martial law. People need help.
Let me know what you think about sending aid. Our sisters Tanya, Sveta, Maryna, Masha and Anya are in Poland now. Tanya knows how to do all paperwork. Anya speaks English, German and Polish. All of them work hard at church. Together, we can get shipments delivered. I will find out tomorrow what we can do on this side of the border. With martial law we have to have a special permission for this work.
I thank God for His grace and mercy. Praying for you and your family. Big thanks for churches for prayers and help.
Even in the midst of the battles and lockdowns they are experiencing, Ivan and the brethren are focusing on doing what they can for others. As you can read, they are helping make sure that the women and children are safe over the border in Poland, but the men are having to stay in Ukraine and prepare to fight if necessary. Please continue to keep them in your prayers.
Update on Activity and Fundraising
We continue to be contacted by brethren and groups around the U.S. who want to be involved with us in putting together Family Buckets, Personal Hygiene Bags, and raising funds to do these and help pay for transportation expenses. The Dalraida congregation is excited about being the leader in these operations, and our phones continue to ring off the hook with calls and messages from those who want to get involved.
Buckets & Bags: Over the past two days, Dalraida has received donations/commitments for about $12,500. This amount will be used to purchase materials to put together about 250 buckets. We will be getting these items and having a packing party at Dalraida in the near future for this. Our efforts are joined by other congregations who are also raising funds and putting together buckets. Congregations from TX, AL, TN, GA and KY have already started putting together buckets/bags and many others have expressed interest in doing the same.
Transportation: We have been on the phone and in many conversations with people who can try to get some help to transport collected items to those in need in Ukraine. We are so thankful for those of you who have reached out to your elected representatives in Washington! It is making a difference and we have received several calls today. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! If you have not reached out, do so tomorrow! Tell them we have food, personal items and other essentials that are ready to be shipped yesterday! We will continue to keep you posted on these developments. One thing to remember is that we will still need to raise some funding for transportation, so this is an area that people can help with if they are interested. Refer people to www.dalraida.org/helpukraine to donate online.
