LifeNets has been providing assistance to war victims who are directly in Kherson area which is in the zone where there have been rockets, explosions and gunfire. The volunteers come from the “Salvation Church” that we have been working with since 1992. Brave men have taken vans of supplies, ovens and food to the Kherson region. Here are a few reports from the past month. We would like to share the following recent communications with you.
There is a gallery of photos at the end of this report that illustrate what is spoken of in the reports.
We thank ALL WHO HAVE HELPED finance our humanitarian work in Ukraine at this critical time!!
February 7, 2023
Greetings, Victor and Beverly,
Recently our brothers made another trip to the Kherson region. The trip was not easy due to the artillery shelling of the area and the weather conditions, but we managed to do a good deed.
They tried to bring aid to the settlements where almost no one brought aid because of the bad and dangerous roads and blown up bridges. Thank God they succeeded.
The people who received the food from LifeNets were very grateful and said that this help was like manna from heaven for them.
A very large number of working-age people left the area, and the ones who stayed were mostly pensioners and the disabled, but also several dozen families with children who had nowhere to go.
The brothers invited people to our temporary shelter in the house of worship, but people are not willing to leave their homes in the hope that it will end soon. Some hope to repair the damage, while others are already trying to repair their homes themselves.
People say they have been without electricity, water and gas for more than 8 months. The winter is very difficult for them, despite the fact that we have provided several families with wood-burning stoves (stoves), people are still afraid to go to the forest because some of the villagers have already been hit by Russian mines while going to collect firewood.
It is also noticeable that people in their conversations mention God more often, begging for His mercy, so we hope that these difficult trials for our people will serve for the spiritual growth of the people and their approach to God. We have a saying that goes, «як тривога - так до Бога» «when there is anxiety we are led to God» - you probably say "when push comes to shove"
We see the fulfillment of God's word. Christ said that God gives the sun for the wicked and for the good, so LifeNets food is given to different people, good and evil, honest and dishonest, pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian, so that everyone can receive a piece of God's love through this humanitarian aid.
We thank you, as well as all those who contribute to these projects through prayer and financial support.
Vlad Yurishko
February 24, 2023
Greetings brother Victor and Beverly.
We have received very good news from the minister Serhiy, who with his family takes care of the rehabilitation center in the village of Arbuzynka, Mykolaiv region. Let me remind you that during the brothers' emergency trip to the Kherson region in December 2022, we gave Serhiy a heating device at the expense of LifeNets.
Here is a message from Sergiy:
Greetings to all of you! Once again, I want to say thank you for the bread machine.
Every day we bake 24 loaves, plus rolls and bagels and that is our only source of bread now.
We hired a woman to work for us, we pay her salary, and it's still half the price as it was before. God bless you!"
I would like to remind you that this is a rehabilitation center where people are brought to Brother Serhiy from different parts of Ukraine, and now mostly from the territories where the fighting is going on. The center is home to the disabled, lonely people, people with cancer and other serious illnesses, and those who have been abandoned by their families and friends. The main principle of this center is "if you feel better than your neighbor, help your neighbor."
The second of three bread ovens from LifeNets was handed over to the Charitable Foundation "Starting Point" in the town of Slavuta, Khmelnytsky region.
Photos show the house they call "Mother's House". The volunteers of the foundation help alcohol and drug addicted mothers who are at risk of losing their children to the child protection service.
They take in such mothers with children and conduct educational and spiritual work with them, helping them to overcome addiction and restore normal relationships with their children.
When the war broke out, they also started taking in refugees. From the Donetsk region, they took in 30 elderly people in serious condition who could not take care of themselves, as well as 20 elderly people from other places, after strokes, in wheelchairs, etc.
Here is what Kateryna, the head of this charity project, writes:
"We receive elderly people in a very serious condition, people who are in wheelchairs after strokes, and even bedridden. These are lonely people who have been abandoned by their children, and they stay with us not only during the war, but will live with us forever!!!!"
The bread oven from LifeNets is vital for them now. They are very grateful for the help and such a valuable thing that they can bake bread as needed and is not affected by blackouts.
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A few minutes ago, I received another text message from Kateryna (the head of the House of Mercy
"Good afternoon! Today there are 46 people in our House of Mercy, 15 of whom are bedridden. These are elderly people with disabilities.
The stove you have given us is now feeding 46 people, and frankly, we have no words, because this stove bakes incredibly delicious bread. The oven is just a great blessing for us."
I also asked Kateryna what their most urgent needs are at the moment, and this is what she said.
"We do have needs and they are very important. Today we really need a large stainless steel pot for 25 liters, also washing machines are also very necessary because there are many bedridden people and a lot of clothes and linen to be washed and there is no place to dry so many things and so many clothes simply do not have time to dry. This is what we really need and we are praying for it now."
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The photos below illustrate the activities in this report.
