Photo: A 5-gallon bucket filled with items that are invisible to most of us, sacks of groceries, some boxes of the Wet-Ones delivered in our containers, and a handwritten note brought indescribable joy to a mom taking care of eight children! THANK YOU FOR THE BUCKETS!
A bucket story…I continue trying to explain just how much the Family Buckets mean to those receiving them, but it seems my attempts are too feeble to describe adequately in the impact and totally lacking in conveying the appreciation.
Ivan tells me of an incident that magnifies the Family Buckets’ importance. In their distribution, the Church tries to locate large families who are most needy. One lady came for assistance. Her husband is in the military. They have 8 (EIGHT) children living with them—some are their own and some are living with them because of parental deaths or being displaced and separated from surviving family members.
This mother came to the Ivano-Frankivsk Church of Christ and received a bucket. As she opened the bucket she found wonderful notes from Christians in the USA. And, there was a $10.00 bill tucked inside one of the notes. The mother sat there crying because of the bucket, the notes and the money. She said that the money was desperately needed and would help so much. Ivan gave her some of the packaged food mixes that we have shipped. He followed up to check on her and said every morning she is fixing pancakes from the food mixes and the children are thrilled.
Who would have evert imagined just how wonderful a plastic 5-gallon bucket could be when given in the Lord’s Name?
THANK YOU to all involved in the Family Bucket projects—the need continues. If you can help us collect, pack and ship more of these 5-gallon buckets, your involvement will be a wonderful blessing to a family thousands of miles away from you! www.dalraida.org/helpukraine
Notes from Perry
Perry’s update adds to the impact the Family Buckets have in our efforts.
Visiting families in need!
We picked up Lily and Maryanne who work at the town office and they told Bogdan the locations of the families in the village who needed help. We gave our first one to Maryanne’s parents. We did not get to meet them.
We gave 2 buckets to Maria who at 93 takes care of her 8 great, great grand-children who are orphans. Maria still cuts the hay, splits the wood, takes care of all the farm animals. Her great, great granddaughter Jamya and her brothers and sister help also. We had an awesome visit and Maria wanted us to stay longer.
This is Tanya, her children stayed in the house and her husband is down the hill helping her father and mother.
We walked down the hill to Tanya’s parents. Her father has tongue cancer and cannot talk and her mother has been sick for 17 years and currently recovering from a stroke. We had a short visit and did not ask for a picture because they were both in bed and I did not think it appropriate. They told us they were very grateful for such kindness from the Church.
I’m not sure why but I did not get the name of this family and children.
Galena is slowly recovering from a stroke and her daughter Oksana takes care of her. Oksana’s husband was not there because he was in Ivano-Frankivsk where he goes 3 times each week for dialysis.
This is Sevta a friend of Bogdan and Galena. This is Nina with 3 of her five children with the youngest being 3 months old. Her husband is at work.
Ivan, Hanna, Oksana their daughter-in-law. Their son fell and is now crippled. First, Ivan asked if were JW and when we assured, we were not, he and Hanna welcomed us with open arms. When we told him we represented the Church of Christ in Ivano-Frankivsk and were just Christians he quickly stared talking about the bible which he knows quite albite about although has different views.
This was our longest visit because Ivan wanted to keep talking about God’s word which is exciting. He believes baptism by immersion is essential for the remission of our sins but also thinks babies need to be baptized as well. This leaves to another study down the road. Ivan & Hanna invited us back the next time we are in the village. It was wonderful talking with Ivan about the bible. I will pass this on to Ivan and he possibly can carry on studying with Ivan.
I truly believe all these visits have opened the doors for God’s Salvation message as we have been invited back to all these homes.
We have been invited back to Taras and Galena, relatives of Bogdan and Galena who we visited earlier in the week where they work at a hotel higher in the mountain. We met Michael their oldest of three sons and one daughter. They are such a lovely and hospitable family that when you meet you feel you have known them for a long time. We talked a little about God’s word during the visit as various subjects came up. Lord willing will see other again.
Continue praying for our efforts! “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.” (Colossians 4:2-4)
John L. Kachelman, Jr. Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
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