Visiting the Village of Stonemasons
PHOTO: Tatyana from our team handing a bag of food to Olga.
A Mother of Three Hears the Gospel for the First Time
On the southern coast of Ukraine, twenty-five miles from the city of Odessa, lies the old quarry village of Kamenny. Along the neglected road there are dilapidated houses built of the local limestone. Many are abandoned.
In the past the villagers worked in the quarry and lived quite well. But the mines have long since closed. It is now dangerous and forbidden to go there, but nonetheless, men quarry and sell the stone in secret. They need to provide for their families.
Our team had brought food and household items to the families of the village several times before. We stopped in front of one of the houses where Olga saw us and came, smiling, to meet us.
Olga and her husband have three children. He is unable to walk after being injured in the quarry. Olga used to work in the city and every day walked six miles on a forest path to the train station. But when the pandemic began she lost her job.
The family is now dependent on the father’s small disability pension. Olga thanks us repeatedly for the help.
When we first talked with her about faith, she said that she practices a tradition of the Orthodox church, praying to a religious icon or making a cross gesture while passing a church. But she had never heard that she could have a personal relationship with God and could speak directly to Him in prayer.
Olga was very interested to hear about Jesus. We talked for a long time, and she asked a lot of questions.
As we take relief packages to the people in these forgotten villages,
we have the opportunity to share the gospel!
