Destruction in Ukraine
April 13, 2022
Summary Points:
- Some CAM food parcel recipients lost everything they owned
- Many families live together after their houses were destroyed
- Damaged bridges and roads create challenges to deliver aid
Crushed buildings and charred vehicles litter the landscape in parts of Ukraine. A CAM staff member said, “Our guys are seeing terrible devastation.” The workers who deliver food parcels and other aid directly encounter the destruction in Ukraine. On a recent distribution trip, they reported that some of the food parcel recipients lost everything they owned.
CAM worker delivers a food parcel.
Many families band together after losing their homes to the conflict. Sometimes three to four families live together after their houses were destroyed.
A contact in Ukraine visited a needy area near Kyiv and shared, “What we saw there in fact is a horror. There are simply no words to convey what the unfortunate people there experience.”
Destroyed buildings in Ukraine.
Last week CAM workers reported a difficult day with their travels when distributing aid. It took them five hours to travel 62 miles to their destination. They were unable to pass some bridges and other times they started sinking in the sandy soil. The local people who showed our workers the way got stuck and needed to be pulled out. Once arriving at their destination, they reported a tremendous need for medicine and food in the villages.
A bridge in Ukraine.
Many Ukrainians are resilient, and their love for each other shines brightly into the chaos. One of CAM’s workers owns a bus and delivers bread to displaced Ukrainians. Others provide him with the bread, which is one of Ukraine’s staple foods.
A CAM worker fills his van with bread for refugees.
Ukrainians bake bread for those in need.
God’s love is seen amidst the conflict through believers caring for the hurting and distressed. You, our supporters, give many Ukrainians a reason to hope through your support. God bless each of you!
Christian Aid Ministries | April 2022
A glance at life inside Ukraine
April 8, 2022
Arman’s home.
Arman* and his eleven-year-old daughter hid in their cold basement during explosions and shootings on February 24 when the war began. Volunteers helped this widower and his daughter escape with only documents and clothes. The journey to safety was brutal. They had almost nothing to eat for a week, and had little protection from the freezing temperatures. Arman’s house was destroyed when a shell hit his yard after he and his daughter left their home.
*Name changed to protect identity.
Devastated homes.
Bombs and missiles destroyed the homes of elderly believers in Ukraine.
Roads in ruin.
The roads in some places are destroyed. The people who drive in Ukraine never know when their travels will be disrupted by roads in ruin.
CAM workers unloading aid.
CAM workers delivered food to a church in Ternopil, Ukraine. The church members cook meals for an average of 30-100 Ukrainians each day who are on their way to safer areas. Many of them stay for the night before continuing the journey.
CAM food parcels delivered to recipients in Sumy Oblast.
Our Ukrainian staff loaded food parcels last week and sent them to Sumy Oblast. The war severely impacted this area in Eastern Ukraine.
CAM provides aid for Ukrainians in Kharkiv.
Bombs destroyed a large part of Kharkiv city, which leaves the people with little access to grocery stores or other places with essentials. CAM workers and contacts delivered food to Kharkiv after learning of the desperate needs.
Displaced Ukrainian family.
This displaced family from Kyiv was blessed by Christians in Ukraine who shared essentials with them before they continued their journey. Churches throughout Ukraine are sharing Christ’s love in their broken country. Many Christians give unselfishly to anyone in need.
Ukraine streets.
Life inside Ukraine looks grim for many people, but the food items and other aid provided by CAM supporters are a glimmer of hope amidst the rubble.
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Convoy of aid headed to Ukraine
April 6, 2022
CAM staff member and volunteer heading out to join the aid convoy.
This morning a CAM staff member and volunteer in Romania joined a convoy of seven vehicles to deliver aid to Chernihiv, Ukraine. Our contacts in Romania made quick arrangements yesterday after receiving word about the convoy of aid headed to Ukraine. The vision for this project was sparked by a Romanian Christian brother who had a heartfelt desire to help people in Chernihiv.
Our contacts filled two vans with food boxes, apples, and adult briefs that were on hand. Part of this aid was funded by CAM supporters. Others donated bread that was also loaded with the goods. The brethren in Romania ordered first aid medicines yesterday to send with the convoy, but they were uncertain if the medicines would arrive in time. When the convoy got delayed until later this morning, the nine boxes of medicines came in time to be loaded on the van!
Please pray for the safety of the people making the 470-mile trek today from Suceava, Romania, to Chernihiv, Ukraine. Chernihiv is located north of the CAM base in Kyiv. The city was recently liberated from Russian control, but the devastation from the war still results in tremendous needs.
The two vans filled to the brim with aid
Your support makes it possible for us to respond to ongoing needs in Ukraine.
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Needs of Ukrainian refugees
March 30, 2022
CAM staff member visits refugees
In less than five weeks, over 3.5 million refugees fled Ukraine according to the United Nations. Most people fleeing the violence in their homeland go to Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, and Russia. Last week a CAM staff member met with Moldovan contacts to investigate the needs of Ukrainian refugees and ways to help.
Our staff member accompanied our Moldovan contact to visit various people and places hosting Ukrainian refugees. Many Christians in Moldova are opening their doors and facilities to the families passing through on their way to Western Europe.
One Christian facility with buildings usually used for summer retreats is currently hosting 133 refugees. Our staff member shared, “The refugee ladies help out in the kitchen and with the cleaning, etc. It seems like it’s almost therapy for them to be busy and working with other ladies who have similar stories.”
Our contact says the troubled look of refugees often shows the pain of what they endured in Ukraine. It often takes them around a week before they talk about the things they saw and experienced.
Churches in Moldova are doing what they can to host and feed refugees from war-torn Ukraine.
Pray for Ukrainians in need and the Christians reaching out
About 90 percent of the refugees in Moldova are being assisted by Christian families and churches. Our staff member attended a meeting with Moldovan pastors and said, “It was touching to see these men come in, worn down by stress and work, sharing with each other and feeling the burden lift a little.”
These men spend long hours and lack sleep from the sudden added responsibility of caring for refugees. Our staff member shared, “These leaders poured out their hearts to each other and to God in prayer.”
While CAM is looking at the best ways to assist the people working tirelessly on the front lines, perhaps the biggest way to share their burden is through prayer. We also thank God for the way He is using the crisis. Our staff member shared, “A few of [the pastors] mentioned that the crisis has brought the churches in Moldova together in a way that never happened before.”
Ukrainian refugees also need prayers as they face fear, uncertainty, and loss. Life is a daze for many of them. After leaving the place they call home, many of them need to make huge decisions at a time when they are still in shock. Please lift them to the throne of grace!
Buildings damaged by fighting in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Helping with physical needs
CAM continues to provide food and other assistance to people inside Ukraine and surrounding countries. We ask for God’s direction to know the best ways to meet the tremendous needs. Thank you for your outpouring of support for the Ukrainian people!
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Assistance for Ukrainians
March 25, 2022
Food
Store shelves in Eastern Ukraine are becoming bare amidst the conflict. This intensifies the need for food assistance in those remote areas. Many of the people who stayed in the country were needy before the war. Now their daily survival is a struggle.
CAM plans to ship more food from the USA and purchase food from other parts of Europe for the people in Ukraine.
The people who fled to Romania arrive at the borders hungry and weary. CAM staff members serve two meals each day to the people who left the land they love. Many people cross the border for the first time and don’t know what to expect on the other side.
Eating before moving on.
Blankets
The cold weather in Europe adds complexity for Ukrainians. A CAM worker in Ukraine shared how his sister’s family stayed in a hole in their yard that provide little shelter from the cold. They left their house when they heard the Russians were going house to house. Eventually, they were able to leave the area.
Many others have stayed at places without proper heat or fled through the cold. CAM staff members and volunteers meet Ukrainians at the Romanian border and give blankets to people who are chilled by the sub-freezing temperatures.
Recently, border police asked for a blanket and quickly wrapped up a shivering child who crossed the border.
Blanket provided to an elderly woman.
Christian literature
With any crisis, CAM seeks to spread the Word of God at a time when people are searching for hope. The Ukraine conflict is another opportunity to fulfill our mission of spreading the Gospel.
This week thousands of copies of Christian literature were printed and ready to distribute to refugees at the border. This includes the 25 Favorite Bible Stories, New Testament with Psalms and Proverbs, and a children’s Bible story book accompanied by a coloring book in the Ukrainian language.
This literature is also sent to believers in Romania and surrounding countries to use as evangelistic tools for Ukrainian refugees.
101 Bible given to a child.
Thank you
We are grateful for the generous support and prayers from you, our supporters, who enable us to provide assistance for Ukrainians and Christian literature to point people to Christ! Without you, this work would not be possible.
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Delivering aid to the war zone in Ukraine
March 23, 2022
Two of our staff members recently made an incredibly dangerous trip to the war zone in Ukraine to deliver aid. They sought the Lord in prayer for direction of where the aid was most needed and when they should take the journey. They shared, “Many countries are working on assisting with aid; however, the aid tends to be more plentiful in safer areas and scarce in the neediest areas.”
The staff members contacted a pastor from Kharkiv and learned of the dire needs in his area. The pastor stayed behind to help the elderly and impoverished people who had no means to leave the area. Others who had vehicles or enough money to pay for the trip fled the area as the situation intensified. The Ukrainians who were left had no food or electricity for three days and no diesel in town for fuel. People called the pastor, crying, asking for any help they could get.
When our staff members started the journey to deliver the desperately needed food, they maintained contact with the pastor to know the condition of the area. The pastor had shared with them his near-death experiences from bombs as he worked tirelessly night and day to meet the needs. With sweaty palms, our staff members pressed on to the war zone area knowing they had life-sustaining aid and having felt the Lord’s direction to make the trip. When they neared Kharkiv, the pastor met them and directed them through nearly empty streets of the city, passed charred vehicles and damaged or flattened buildings.
Finally, they reached the pastor’s church house where the brethren cried at the sight of the food and because of the kindness and support from other believers. They unloaded the food with the sound of bombs in the distance, but the believers had renewed hope and courage despite the reminder of the sound of war.
We praise the Lord for the safe return of the staff members and for the encouragement the people in Kharkiv received through the aid.
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
A load of food arrives at CAM’s temporary warehouse in western Ukraine.
Three weeks of war in Ukraine
March 16, 2022
War has been raging in Ukraine for three weeks. Thousands of people have been killed. More than three million refugees have fled the country, and several million more are displaced inside the country. Daily, innocent people suffer and die in the crossfire.
Yesterday, we received word of a young Christian family whose car was shot at by a Russian tank. The man, woman, and their little boy were killed. This family represents thousands of people—both Russian and Ukrainian—who have lost their lives as the war rages on.
A serious food crisis is developing inside Ukraine, where store shelves are rapidly emptying and supplies are running low. “Inside Ukraine, there is a food shortage crisis almost on the edge of catastrophe,” writes a contact who we are helping to provide food. “The need is huge inside Ukraine.”
Following is an update on projects that are taking place:
Providing food and other aid inside Ukraine
Our Ukrainian staff members continue to purchase what they can inside the country for distribution. They face challenges in finding sources for food and transporting food and other aid to various parts of the country. Our staff members are working out of a warehouse in western Ukraine as well as a warehouse south of Kyiv. Pray that God would keep our staff safe as they travel into Kyiv itself and other parts of Ukraine to distribute aid.
In addition to purchasing goods inside Ukraine, we are preparing aid shipments from Western Europe that can supply our workers with aid items to help people in need.
Elderly food recipient in Ukraine.
CAM’s distribution director in Romania has been working with food suppliers in Romania to purchase supplies to make food boxes to ship across the border into Ukraine. One thousand five hundred ready-to-eat food boxes were packed by willing volunteers in Romania. Many of these volunteers were children from the Mennonite churches in Ukraine. While these items were being gathered and packed, a load of comforters, hygiene kits, adult briefs, and canned meat spread that we had in our Romania warehouse inventory was sent into Ukraine last week.
Helping refugees in Romania
CAM staff members in Romania, along with the local Mennonite church, are working hard to help refugees who have come into Romania. They are supplying hot meals, transportation, lodging, and other assistance for refugee families.
Following is a report from an eyewitness of the flow of people at the Ukraine/Romania border: I saw women with children in their arms and women leading their children by the hand who have left their homes, their husbands, and everything they have. [They have] gone forth with only one, two, or three suitcases. Where? Into the wide world. They do not know what is coming next . . . Perhaps they shall never return. Perhaps they will never see the loved ones again from whom they have parted.
Pray for Ukrainian refugees in Romania, Moldova, Poland, and other countries who are facing an uncertain future. As the war grinds on, many are no doubt facing the grim reality that their displacement will be longer than they anticipated.
Shipment of aid from our warehouse in Ephrata, PA
We are working toward shipping several sea containers of canned chicken, comforters, hygiene kits, and food parcels to Ukraine. Join us in praying that this project could move forward and we can get the needed paperwork to ship this much-needed aid.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we respond to requests for help and seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus to people suffering the horrors of war.
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Number of Ukrainian refugees reaches 1.7 million
March 7, 2022
The UN Refugee Agency estimates that 1.7 million people have now been displaced to neighboring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Thousands more are displaced within Ukraine, where food, medicines, and other necessities are rapidly becoming scarce. Our staff and contacts continue to research ways to best help people in need.
Please continue to pray for those affected by this war in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to the millions of people, including many of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are suffering the ravages of war.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof” (Psalm 46:1-2).
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Ukraine faces seventh day of fighting
March 2, 2022
The people of Ukraine are facing the seventh day of fighting since Russia began its invasion. Air raids, bombings, missile strikes, and ground combat continue in various large cities throughout the country.
“Yesterday our village back home shook as the bombs hit the nearest city,” writes a Mennonite woman from Ukraine. “Today a sister, who bravely stayed behind, messaged, ‘Pray. Airplanes are flying overhead.’ This morning the village head posted on the village group: ‘Warning! Air raids all over Kyiv Oblast. Everyone quickly go under cover.’ The war is not over yet; in fact, the worst may be ahead.” A Ukrainian man wrote, “Our city is surrounded with Russian tanks. I am hoping to escape out of the city tomorrow, but I don’t know how.”
CAM established a presence in Ukraine in 2001 and has many connections with churches and other contacts throughout the country. Requests for help continue to come our way.
Our Ukrainian employees, though displaced themselves, have a strong desire to help those in need. They are working to purchase food for displaced people and find ways to safely distribute aid. Food is becoming scarce, especially in areas near the fighting. Yesterday, one of our workers distributed food parcels to elderly people in Kyiv.
An elderly Christian in Kyiv with a food parcel delivered by one of our Ukrainian staff.
Staff members in Romania are working to help refugees who are arriving in Romania and Moldova. They are housing refugees and purchasing food and other aid to send into Ukraine’s war zone. They plan to provide blankets, hygiene kits, adult briefs, canned meat, and bedding.
We are working to supply Bibles, Bible story books, and Christian literature inside Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees in other countries. Our desire is to encourage suffering Christians and point others to God in this distressing time.
Please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine. Pray also for those in Russia who innocently suffer because of the war their country is involved in. No doubt, people in both countries are facing great difficulties as a result of this conflict.
“Will Ukraine ever be the beautiful country it once was?” asks a woman from Ukraine. “I do not know who will win the war that is raging, but . . . God’s truth will endure to the end.”
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Ukraine: Worst European humanitarian crisis in decades
Feb. 28, 2022
Malyn, Ukraine after shelling on March 9, 2022. Photo source: Wikimedia Commons/State Emergency Service of Ukraine
In Europe’s largest ground war since World War 2, Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. It began with Russian president Vladimir Putin ordering a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, warning that interference could lead to “consequences you have never seen.” Shortly after Putin’s announcement, missiles exploded in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv and other cities throughout the country.
Since the attack, multitudes of people throughout Ukraine have spent nights in basements, bomb shelters, or subway tunnels. The scream of incoming missiles, bombs, and gunshots has been traumatizing for everyone, especially children. A mother said, “I was awake at night when I got a message about Putin’s speech announcing an invasion. Then immediately the explosions began. To realize that Kyiv was under attack was a big shock. I dressed my 10-year-old son. He was so scared he vomited.”
One young girl kept waking her mom during the night, screaming, “Mom, I’m scared, please save me!” She calmed down only after her mother held her for the rest of the night.
Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing Ukraine for Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary. Long lines of traffic move slowly—at times less than 1 mph—on their way to the border. With few trains or buses running and gasoline scarce, many people abandon their vehicles and walk for miles, carrying children and dragging suitcases as best they can.
People are waiting for as long as twenty-four hours at congested border crossings in freezing temperatures, with no food, water, or toilet facilities. Many men ages 18-60 are forced to stay behind because of military conscription. Some plead, “Please don’t make me do this, I have children!” Women cry as they bid goodbye to husbands and sons.
As Ukrainians flee, roads are severely congested with traffic.
“We are witnessing what could become the largest humanitarian crisis on our European continent in many, many years,” says the European Commissioner for Crisis Management. “The expected number of displaced Ukrainians is over 7 million, and around 18 million are expected to be affected by the conflict in humanitarian terms.”
Ukraine history
During communism, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. In the 1930s, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin initiated a famine that caused the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. Since 1992 and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been an independent country caught in a tug-of-war between Russia and the West. Many ethnic Russians reside in Ukraine, and many Ukrainians have relatives in Russia. In 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula, a part of Ukraine where ethnic Russians were the majority. It also backed militant separatists in two eastern provinces.
So far, hundreds of people have been killed, thousands injured, and millions turned into refugees or internally displaced people. The US Ambassador to the United Nations says, “The tidal waves of suffering this war will cause are unthinkable.”
The full military mobilization for men aged 18-60 is creating a serious dilemma for nonresistant Christians. Ukraine has hundreds of thousands of Christians whose beliefs are similar to the Anabaptists. Many Ukrainian believers come from Mennonite backgrounds. In the 1760s, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, invited the Mennonites to settle in Ukraine, granting them freedom of religion and other benefits.
CAM’s American staff, who evacuated prior to the military invasion, are in daily contact with our Ukrainian national staff. Together, they are working with churches to organize humanitarian aid distributions for displaced Ukrainians. The greatest cry is for food. Additionally, we are working to provide Christian literature for displaced Ukrainians in the western part of the country.
We are also working with partner groups to assist refugees in various countries surrounding Ukraine. In Romania, CAM staff members at our base are hosting refugees.
Many Ukrainian refugees are fleeing to Moldova, an impoverished country bordering Ukraine. With the extra strain this influx of refugees is placing on already needy people, we will probably provide aid to some Moldovans.
If you feel led to help, your gift will bless Ukrainians and others in Eastern Europe suffering the ravages of war. Funds will be used in the name of Christ to provide food and other aid as well as Bibles and Bible story books. God bless you!
Christian Aid Ministries | March 2022
Update and prayer needs for Ukraine
Feb. 25, 2022 Russia’s invasion into Ukraine continues with bombs and missiles exploding throughout the country. The capital city Kyiv is one of numerous cities under attack. Hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing to safety. The UN Refugee Agency predicts that as many as 4 million Ukrainians may flee to other countries if the situation further deteriorates.
Tens of thousands of people are already pouring into Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia. Many are waiting at congested borders for hours in freezing temperatures. Ukrainian men whose ages range from 18 to 60 are restricted from leaving the country. Reports state that woman weep as they bid farewell to their husbands, and leave to cross the border.
We are in frequent communication with staff and contacts who are reaching out to refugees and other suffering Ukrainians through food, Christian literature, and other aid. Please join us for praying! Following are some specific ways you can pray:
• Pray for wives and children who are needing to separate from husbands and fathers to leave the country.
• Ask God to protect the elderly and other vulnerable people who are suffering.
• Discernment is needed as CAM and other groups seek to respond to needs. Pray for us!
• Pray for Christians in western Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Poland, and other places who are seeking ways to host refugees.
• Pray that unbelievers would turn their hearts to God in the midst of fear, uncertainty, and suffering.
• Pray for peace!
Christian Aid Ministries | Feb 2022
Russia invades Ukraine
Feb. 24, 2022 Just before midnight last night (EST), Russia invaded Ukraine, attacking various cities. This morning a contact said this: The unthinkable started last night. Russia is invading Ukraine from several directions. We expect massive numbers of displaced people in western Ukraine but also in the surrounding countries.
As always in times of conflict, many innocent people are suffering. While our American staff members have evacuated Ukraine, we are communicating with our national staff and other contacts inside the country. Together, we are considering ways we can help as suffering will undoubtedly increase in the coming days.
Pray for the people of Ukraine as they face fear, uncertainty, and danger. We also invite you to pray for our national staff as they try to head to safer areas. Thank you for joining us in prayer!
Christian Aid Ministries | Feb 2022
If you wish to help respond to needs resulting from the war in Ukraine, use the donate option below.
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