March 2022 UK, UKRAINE
We strongly recommend you download the "
Bible Companion" app, from where you can access
Carelinks messages, daily Bible readings,
Bible Basics, commentary on every verse of the Bible and audio exhortations on every chapter of the Bible. For Android / Google Play at
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carelinks.bc and on the App Store for Apple / iOS at
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bible-companion/id1475914490 You can break bread live online as follows:
Saturday mornings 09:00 a.m.UK time; on Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6697401754?pwd=K0VWNDlScGwzaThPM2tiU0didmNyUT09
Meeting ID: 669 740 1754 Passcode: XPb9Sz.
Sundays at 3:00 PM New Zealand time. That's 1 PM in Sydney Australia; 10 PM in New York, USA on Saturday evening [run by Br John Aldersley in New Zealand] on
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87934245299?pwd=WmVDdGdPaG9JU0RTTnFtcW1VNk1pdz09
Meeting ID: 879 3424 5299 Passcode: 411793
Sundays at 10am North American Eastern Time [3 PM UK GMT time, 11 PM Sydney Australia time]. Run by Br Jim Barton in Canada.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9123758179
Meeting ID: 912 375 8179
Also, Bible class on Wednesdays at 7 PM North American Eastern Time
UK
Our work this week , day and night, has been almost exclusively focused on the tragedy in Ukraine, and our visit to the Polish-Ukrainian border to meet and assist our brethren, their families and others generally who are managing to get over the border.
Before we left we did make another effort in Croydon, UK. We got out on the streets and were amazed at how many people were out now the Covid regulations have been lifted in the UK. We had good response as ever. So many ask, Where do you meet? But we are hitting a brick wall in finding premises. Places that have been empty for ages are now being snapped up, and people are offering 5 years rent in advance... short term leasing not renting. So... the situation has changed very quickly especially now the economy is rebounding so strongly in London after the pandemic. See the brief video at
https://youtu.be/MBI-ufWmyKo
UKRAINE
Duncan has been a few days at the Polish-Ukraine border helping our brothers and sisters, and some others, to get over the border and on their way to some kind of safe places elsewhere in Europe. He is currently still there. About 11 of our brothers and sisters are now over the border and more are trying to come. But the problem is with our more elderly ones and those in areas surrounded by Russian forces where it's impossible to move out.
There are many African students in Ukraine and some have stayed on there after graduating. Several have been baptized over the years. Please pray especially for them. They have the right to leave Ukraine because they have Ukrainian residency permits. But I am seeing some of the worst racism in my life here against black people, mainly students, trying to flee. In this sequence of photos you can see a black woman being thrown off an evacuation train and then yelled at: "Let the white girl get on". And then a black man likewise thrown off the train and beaten.
Brother Samuel is originally from Nigeria, was baptized by us 12 years ago, often attended our Kiev Bible Schools, and is married to sister Svitlana. His story is gripping, one of those incredible journeys... rifles pointed in his face by border guards, other Nigerians dying from cold and exhaustion after 4 days walking through the forests. You can see all this kind of thing chronicled on various news outlets- black people being literally dragged off the evacuation trains and beaten, ordered to give their places to white Ukrainians. In our video you can hear brother Samuel describe his awful experiences at the Ukrainian border, "saved" by the Lord , working through the fact he has a white Ukrainian wife and their mixed race child with them. Search the BBC for their article about this: "Polish 'ultra' fans intimidate BBC Africa reporters in migrant arrival town". I was sitting in a cafe near the border and there were some Ultras at the next table, with "Ultras" on their jackets. They got some text messages. I understand Polish more or less and I heard their mutterings as they pored over the text messages- "THEY", "a whole group of them", "buying food in shops" in a border village. They left their food half eaten and went outside, started their motorbikes and were gone... after "THEM". So please do listen to Brother Samuel's testimony and pray for other African brethren, some of whom are currently trying to make it over the Hungarian border:
https://youtu.be/SLGjnQF8Jfc
It was an amazing experience to be able to finally meet with Samuel and Svitlana, and their traumatized three year old Alise, just the other side of the border:
We have given them significant funds and they are now on their way via Germany to live with Svitlana's relative in France. Just had a text that they've made it to Czech so far.
Instead of making one long video of the work of the last few days, we've made several short ones; see the playlist at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqHWDPHDmR_wCwmZSxE58TW4ckaTGO7s1
Interview with sister Svitlana about her escape from Ukraine with her child, and especially her wonderful spiritual perspective on how God, Jesus and the Bible played such a part in it. All the videos are "must sees" but this really is
https://youtu.be/1r_ffWJ1Whw
Svitlana explaining how some evacuation trains are now taking ONLY unaccompanied children, not even women and children, explaining the sad sights of 10 year old boys and girls trying to carry a bag and a young baby in their arms. And her gratitude to God for getting out with her toddler
https://youtu.be/0cBhoFvarTo
Food for the hungry
https://youtu.be/r1eHI2C_KC0
Duncan's thoughts on the situation and how to help
https://youtu.be/lB0EYyzZ2TA
There are small vans from various European countries just dumping their loads of sleeping bags and blankets in the parking areas on the highway leading to the border- this is all so inappropriate and not at all what's needed. People mean well and want to do something to help but we must ask not "What would I like to do?" but "What do people need?". That's a question that needs to be asked in a lot of charitable and missionary work.
Message of heartfelt appreciation to Carelinks from brother Samuel for all he feels we did for him over the last 12 years, and for helping him escape Ukraine. This statement was totally not scripted, not invited, not suggested- it came from his heart after doing the interview about how he got over the border
https://youtu.be/GJGULdKJ6TE
Perspectives on suffering from Ukrainian refugees. They were asked what they thought of God in all their sufferings. Some were angry with God. Those who understood the ultimate perspective of God's Kingdom and the return of the Lord Jesus, and that all evil is under His control, not that of Satan, had a perspective full of gratitude-
https://youtu.be/CtPs92k89d4
We ask your special prayers for sister Anna, in her early 20s, as she travels with her young child and her cousin and her two children.Those of you who came to the Ukraine Bible Schools will have met her. They are leaving Anna's mother behind as she's had a stroke. We are sending funds. Here they are on the bus to Poland and spending a night sleeping on mattresses in a primary school on the way ; and you can see from the messages the pain of saying goodbye:
But the even more difficult situation is that of so many within Ukraine, especially those in areas encircled by Russian forces. There is little we can do to extricate nor help those in that situation. Supply chains are broken, shops shut. Shelling, bombing and street fighting are going on all around some of our dear ones. We must pray for them; and when their areas are under the clearer control of either Russia or Ukraine, then we can assist more. Please read through the following messages and pray for them each one. We've left those in English as screenshots but translated the Russian messages:
Thanks for your prayers. I love you all and remember you all. I hug you all. I am praying to God all the time. Three planes bombed and us and I saw two of them being shot down. We're so frightened.
You know we are near the atomic station [Zaporozhie] we are so scared. Of what will be. Communication keeps blacking out. Pray for us still thank you that you are with us may God be with you. We cannot get out anywhere.
So glad to hear from you. In the situation here you can't send any help. But thank you that you offered and thought of us. Truly we can depend only upon God now.
I received the £300 thank you so much. I'll send some on to get care for [sister Ludmila]. We know this is all heading to the return of Christ our Saviour but all the same.
We are OK here although so much bombardment and we spend a lot of time in the cellar, it's very cold in there. With God on our side I think we must survive although sometimes it feels like we will die of cold if not of anything else.
So our Kherson has fallen. We are so frightened here. I just thank God we got electricity and communication back.
We are totally surrounded here. [My grandson] has a high temperature and needs to get to the hospital but there is no chance of that.
Their planes are flying over us all the time on the way to bomb Kiev. We sit much of the time in the cellar. Thank you for offering to help. Our women are too frightened to travel to the border. So we're together still.
It's quiet here for now. But when it goes silent that's the worst time. Always fearing when the next rocket will come.
We cannot get out of Sumy we are trapped in here by the Russians all sides. I can see from here the Russian military vehicles. I just pray that whatever happens will happen quickly.
I will let you know if we need money. So far we are surviving but so painful to see and hear of children, women and old people being killed.
We have little to eat and drink, my throat is dry from stress. Can't sleep, grandkids are terrified. What ever is going to happen to us. I pray to God please please save us. [REPLY: WE PRAY FOR YOU. CAN WE SEND MONEY SOMEHOW?] You can't send money nor anything we cannot get to bank or shops they [Russians] are everywhere all is closed anyway.
We're deeply appreciative of all your prayers and support at this dark hour. Donations can probably most easily be made by running your card at
https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/11372
Brother Steve Gretton is accounting for these donations made through that link and you can get a receipt from him if you wish, but there is no tax break available on this link unless you are a UK tax payer. We are clearly going to be supporting people long term and not just short term. One package of support we are developing is to produce the Bible Companion app in Ukrainian language. We have a quote from the developers. This will cost around 5000 Euro.
Idea being that going forward, we can financially support our brothers and sisters to produce the various audio files required in Ukrainian language.
This means they have something positive to do, rather than sitting endlessly in hostels and refugee accommodation doing very little. So we are open to your donations towards that. The initial app will include the Ukrainian Bible, Ukrainian Bible Basics, and the verse by verse commentary in Ukrainian. And we will add the audio and other features as our brethren manage to produce them. This way we are also able to reach out with the Gospel to Ukrainian speakers generally wherever they are.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray for Ukraine
- For those who've got out in their uncertain futures and trauma for what and those they left behind
- For our wisdom in helping
- For every one of those who sent the messages
With love from your brothers and sisters of Carelinks