“We only give to the churches actually. If the church has connection to the hospital, they go to the hospital. And as a church, as church members, they bring it to the hospital.” explains Daniel.
“If they see a need within the military, they as a church go to the military unit, deployed close to them and they feed their defenders and care for them.
“If it’s their neighbours, if it’s their like old people elderly people who are retired and this is what happens”
“Family is very important in Ukraine, but maybe your younger family members have left but it is too difficult for you to flee.
“And then your house becomes empty and not only that you don’t have much money and then what? So if there is a church coming and saying,
“Hey, we are cooking, we are delivering packs of food. We can treat you if you are sick”
“Now the church becomes a part of the structure that fell apart under the pressure of the war. It is wonderful to see the church stepping back into the crucial part of society.
“So I’m personally pastor here in Prague. So I understand what’s going on there and I’m so thankful for those pastors so that they are brave and doing the job with their people. And those people are incredible!
“These courageous men and women have been involved in incredibly dangerous work smuggling food into difficult places like Mariupol and Chernihiv” explains Daniel.
You may remember the news reports about large humanitarian convoys filled with refugees were stopped from those cities, and turned back into the seige.
But these men were able to find pathways to get families out smaller groups.
“I spoke with families who escaped this way. They didn’t know much about the driver, but they knew he was a Christian. Better yet, Christians on the other side of the border would connect and help them settle into a church in their new country.
“As the husband told me the story, he started to cry, then his wife started to cry, and then the children. ‘God has heard my prayers. I am safe.’
Then those same drivers headed back to the front lines to rescue more families, but not with an empty vehicle. This time it was loaded with food and supplies to help the people who remain.
You helped smuggle families out of imminent danger, and helped smuggled food into those places who needed it most. The timing of your support has been crucial.”
~ Daniel Skokan
“The sea of needs is huge, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. There are no small things if they done with love. Love makes everything greater.”
Yulia