The Ukrainian Team Supports Families in the Midst of War:
Love is Stronger than Fear by BERT DOKTER, Director of MP Netherlands
"Did you hear the explosions early this morning?" Tanya asked as we were having breakfast at the MP house in Odessa.
"I heard two explosions at six o'clock, but why didn't the sirens sound to warn us?" I asked.
"The explosions were airborne missiles from Crimea. They get here in just two minutes, which doesn't give the siren enough time to warn us," Tanya explained.
As we sat at the table, an air raid siren was heard. Tanya checked an app on her phone. "We can stay where we are. Those are drones, but they're not coming this way."
This is everyday life in Odessa. Bombings have recently increased. Tanya points out the window to a house not far from us.
"That was hit some time ago and there were casualties. Our building received some damage, and the explosion was so loud our hearing was lost temporarily. We have adapted to this new reality," Tanya said.
She continued:
"Those who can't cope with this pressure have to leave. Many have gone. Before the war, Odessa had nearly one million residents. A third of them have fled. We keep working."
The team visits the villages every week
Mission Possible's team checks in on the villages in the region every week. Over the course of two days, I accompanied them to four: Kaharlyk, Major, Shiroka Balka, and Povstanske. The team's minibus is familiar to the soldiers at the roadblocks, so we continued on without delay. Within one hour we were at the first village.
Children's Bible Club
The children were happy to see us and offered to help unload the bus.
The Club's activities began with an episode of Super Book, an animated series about the Bible. The featured story was then read from the Bible, and a discussion followed. Finally, we played games and had craft time. It was wonderful to see how enthusiastically the children participated in everything.
Playing football with Dennis
One of the children who attends Bible Club is Dennis. He hasn't seen his father - who is fighting at the warfront - for months, and he misses him very much.
"I used to play soccer with my dad," he told me as we kicked a ball together. "I hope my dad will come home soon."
I spoke with Dennis's mother, Sveta, too. She's having a hard time. "There are no men left in our village besides the few seniors and youth. The others have to fight, including my husband."
Sveta is very grateful for the help she has received from our team and is happy with the activities organized for the children. Dennis enjoys Club time and it brightens his mood significantly.
Support for the women
Our team supports the women and mothers who are currently bearing all the responsibilities on the home front. Marina is one of them. She looks after her four children, ages 2 to 11. I gave her two boxes of food and four children's Bibles.
In addition to providing groceries and essentials, our team listens to and prays with the women to support them in these trying times.
I spoke to Maya. Her daughters Anya and Zlata attend Bible Club and miss their father tremendously, of course.
"My husband has been at the war front for almost two years. We have been married for 16 years and before the war we were never apart for a day. He was working construction in Odessa and was always home in the evenings. Fortunately we are able to communicate by phone. We hope and pray the war will end soon and he will return home again to us."
Love Gives Courage and Resilience
Mothers stand firm for their children, and our team stands firm for families in need by offering help and the gospel. Love is willing to give itself for the sake of others. Jesus Himself gave us the most perfect example of selfless love.
Please keep our team members in your prayers and ask for protection over them as they work in the midst of war.
To help our team serve, visit www.mp.org/donate or designate your gift to "Ukraine." Thank you!
