"For such a time as this" God using us in the war.
When we went to the border we saw the women and children were cold and wet. So we went in with waterproof boots and jackets.
We were among the first to cross over into Ukraine. Then we helped others send in aid.
We got in waterproof clothes for regular guys who were pulled into a firefight in their community in the first days of war, one is pictured:
This is text from David’s Facebook post on March 1st:
True story, in Ukraine, a friend of my friend:
-Go to the local high school.
-Get a rifle and like 1 day of instruction.
-Sit out to guard the place you grew up, with a group of guys you grew up with, who one week ago were just… living their lives…
-then today they had to kill 3 russian kids jumping out of a helicopter.
7 middle aged Ukranian guys, buddies…. with beer bellies and little kids at home. Now they will carry the burden of killing the rest of their lives.
3 russian boys, full of life and fire, just doing what they were told. I wonder if they were ever in love, or they were too young?
Wait a second… I forgot… what is this war for again??
Helping refugees in romania.
Left the farm behind
This family was among the first to come into Romania from Ukraine. They were leaving behind a beautiful farm. He showed me a video of him bee keeping, he was so happy in the video, surrounded by a farm and children who were beautiful and strong. My thought was, he will never build that again! I went to the bathroom to weep. I washed my face and came back out. But when his wife saw me she started crying too… They are a very nice hard working family. They asked me to find them construction work, they don’t want charity.
The morning it started, he was milking a cow when he heard bombs. He walked out and there were flashes in the horizon and he could see there were planes or missles in the sky. He ran into the house and woke everyone, then ran back to the barn. He finished chores as his family packed and they left before 7 in the morning. They just walked away from all they had built….
Born a refugee...
In the early days of the war we were blessed to host many families. In our home. It was a scary time. We ourselves had gas cans full of fuel, maps, flashlights and bags prepared to leave at a moments notice if the war spread to Romania. Our youngest visitor was this 6 day old baby. The stress of the war and running away led his young mother to give birth just after crossing the border. Life doesn’t stop for war…
Felicia and friends from church came around this young mother and little baby giving them clothes and equipment before they went off to Western Europe where they were safer.
Life saving medicine, and just in time
Anna is 35. She has 3 children. Anna had a liver transplant in May. When she contacted us, she already had 2 weeks without the medicine to help her body not reject the liver.
The medication was very expensive and not covered by the Romanian Government. With the help of a doctor, who had adopted a child with us, we were able to get her enough medication to travel safely to France where she is now living with her kids. Please pray for Anna, for her health and for the seeds Felicia and Vera planted to grow in her heart.
Aid to refugees within Ukraine
In the early days of the war it was hard to get supplies into Ukraine. We were one of the first people to drive into Ukraine with help. We also taught other ministries and churches how to do the paperwork and navigate customs. God’s people both in America and Romania donated a lot of money. We made sure to send in aid as quickly as we could. In the first 3 months of the war we spent $139,000 in aid. Beside the items we bought we also carried in donations for other churches, ministries and businesses. This was early in the war before much aid was getting in, we thought the country would fall anytime and the people needed to be equipped for a long occupation and persecution.
Medical aid to hospitals
By God's grace we organized 90 volunteers, and parked a tractor-trailer at the local mall. It was good work for 3 hours of planning... None of the truckers we called were crazy enough to go in, none except for Stas...
We took in a Tractor-Trailer of aid, including medical supplies.
Gave Blood Transfusion and Burn Supplies 2 days before a Missile Strike.
We were in touch with a surgeon at a military hospital, the US congress was still debating whether to approve an aid package. His shelves were understocked with what they would need if they were bombed again. But, we didn’t have authorizations to buy such meds and supplies. But we prayed and God put in touch with the right people. People who wanted to help, with the power to sign off on supplies because they trusted us that we would get them to the people, cutting through red tape.
We got the supplies in (silver lined bandages, creams, bandages and the plastic pieces that need to be loaded for blood transfustions, surgical gowns, gloves, stictching materials, antibiotics and other items they needed.) We were out of money, but Faith Church of Lafayette Indiana just sent us 14k, so we spent that and raised other donations to cover the medical supplies.
They reached the hospital 2 days before a missile strike hit the town.
David awarded a Letter of Appreciation by the Ukrainian Army.
By God’s grace we were able to supply the military hospital we wrote about previously as well as supplying field hospitals on the front defending Kharkiv and Mariupol-Nicoliev-Odyssa, this was before much aid was getting in. For our efforts the army in the Odessa region issued a letter of appreciation.
equiping pastors and aid workers
They blew up his house. He didn't want to leave so we sent him a bullet-proof vest.
Bullet proof vests are expensive. As soon as the war started that is what everyone was asking for. We didn’t feel it was right for us to use “God’s money” to purchase them. But we prayerfully made 2 exceptions… There was a young man in Kharkiv in his early 20s, a pretty big guy. Before the war he liked to work with kids at church. He didn’t want to fight, but he was no coward. He used his youth and strength to pull people out of crumbling buildings after attacks and get them to the hospital in a make-shift ambulance. His own house was even destroyed. We spent the 500$ to get him a vest. It is made for Police officers here in Romania. It is level 3+
We also bought a vest for Ivan, a young man who put seminary on hold to join the army. When the war is over he will continue to serve his country as a pastor.
We also sent stretchers out to help carry the injured. Our kids had fun, but it was sad to think what they are now used for…
We bought 50 gas masks for pastors and aid workers (non military) working at the front. We found them in Italy, they are current generation, rated for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical attacks.
$140,689 donated first 3 months of the war
$139,533 spent first 3.5 months of the war
Have you ever bought $22,000 of groceries in one morning? It isn’t easy… God had us here “for such a time as this” God used us because we were nearby and skilled to move faster than others could, but now that they are established, we are getting our own orders back on track.
Thank you for donating.
It was an honor and a lot of fun to be involved in war efforts. But, we were stretched pretty thin and it took a toll on our marriage, family and adoption ministry. God can work so amazingly… He is using trials brought out under the pressure of the war to realign and set right aspects in our family and ministry we had prayed about for years. We are thankful for His redemptive work.
For now we have left Ukraine work to others. The US is sending aid, they and the Ukranians have no reason to ask us to buy any more medicine and surgical equipment, but when the war first started God used us to save lives. And, ministries have gotten on their feet to partner with Ukranian churches. At this point we have refocused on our family and adoption ministry. But it sure was fun. Thank you for the honor of representing you and serving the Lord.
