Thank you for continually and faithfully giving and praying for aid to reach those in need … both here in Slovakia and in Ukraine. The war continues, and so does the need for help by so many.
We dropped off another large load of food at the Alzbety aid bank here in Bratislava this week. And it could not have come at a more God-appointed time. As we backed the van into the driveway, there were maybe 30 Ukrainian refugees (individuals and families) waiting their turn to enter the “store” to get needed food, hygiene products, and clothes. When we walked up the stairs and into the room where all the food and other aid is kept, we were surprised to see many empty shelves. Not unusual at the end of the day, but it was 10:00 in the morning. A picture of either increasing demand, waning support, or both. But also confirmation that God’s leading and God’s timing can always be trusted and is always perfect as this was the day He allowed us to be there to help. It was really a prompting, also, to find ways to increase the frequency of our purchases and deliveries.
Our late August / early September trip to Tarascha had to be postponed. It is challenging to find people who are both willing and have the time to travel deep into Ukraine right now. But we are firm on our conviction to take a driver “team” on our aid delivery trips as they involve many hours on the road in unknown conditions. We are also setting aside time in this trip to be in the Tarashcha for at least a day - to assist Sergei and Olya in some of their deliveries, to minister to those in need, and to better assess ways of helping them on an ongoing basis.
It looks like we have a breakthrough in the channel of aid we have been working on that will bring a full container of food from the United States. This first container has arrived in port and will be shipped to the east of Slovakia where our ACS team member, Jaro, will both receive and prepare it for transportation into Ukraine. Our partners in Lviv and Kiev are ready to both receive containers and then distribute their contents locally (for IDPs - internally displaced persons … refugees from other parts of Ukraine), and further into war-torn portions of the east. Pray for the arrival of this first container, and for a complication-free transit of the container (and it’s contents) to their final destinations. Our prayer is that this will be the first of many (at least a monthly) shipments of food in container-size loads.
Pray also that transit times decrease in this very critical time of the year. We are trying to get ahead of weather that is colder and can make transportation more difficult. We want food supplies remain strong throughout the winter. God hears and answers our prayers - thank you for standing and praying with us!