Through your prayers...

Update from a Ukrainian ECM worker: "22nd day of the war is over. One day closer to our victory. One day closer to having back our ordinary lives."
'We often talk here about our last day of ‘normal life’. I guess it feels therapeutic to relive it in our heads. On my last day of normal life, I finished creating two perfect travel itineraries - one for Croatia and the other one for Switzerland, and just couldn't decide which trip to take first. Such a difficult dilemma, I thought.
'I couldn't even imagine that in a few days, I'd be arranging itineraries for the refugees. I would never believe that soon I'd be using all my travel experience to help families reach the destinations where they will finally feel safe. "Will the family with a newborn feel more comfortable traveling by direct train or by connecting flights?", "Will this old lady be okay traveling on her own or should I try to team her up with someone else?"- who would have thought that these would become my new dilemmas?
'I'm one of those travelers who love absolutely everything about it, from planning to unpacking. Tickets, backpacks, and travel kits are my favorite things, the same as airport terminals and train stations are my happy places.
'However, since the beginning of the war, all those former symbols of joy were overshadowed by human suffering. Now seeing a family with a suitcase undoubtedly means that they are fleeing the war and not going on vacation. They aren't smiling for travel pictures, they are nervously messaging their loved ones, asking if they are ok.
'Today I was at the train station in Poland from which I used to start a lot of my trips. The place that holds tons of happy memories for me.
‘Today it felt so different. Sad, bewildered, and detached.
‘Some people were crying, others were holding on tight to their suitcases. For many of them, this suitcase contains all their life. ‘Everything they own is in it. Carefully handpicked shards of their former life. Do they feel like memories of happy days or rather like bits and pieces that trigger pain?
'Still among all the heartbreak, you can feel hope. You see it in the eyes of the train station workers and hear it in the voices of volunteers. You can hear people saying "We will be back soon, ok?", "That's not for long", "We will see them again".
'Standing at this train station, I thought of wonderful and encouraging words Paul wrote in his letter to Philemon - "for I hope that through your prayers I will be given back to you." May through our prayers, millions of Ukrainian women and children will be given back to their husbands and fathers soon.'
You can find further information about Ukraine and our projects, click here.
Stories from Europe > 2022
December
- 12/22/2022 10:48 - A New Hope for Ukraine
- 12/09/2022 17:04 - Volunteer Centres: showing Christ's love
- 12/01/2022 15:12 - Houses for Ukraine
November
- 11/23/2022 15:16 - From football... to Christ
- 11/15/2022 13:20 - Short Term Gain
- 11/11/2022 12:53 - Caring for Ukrainians in Croatia
October
- 10/25/2022 14:03 - ECM Prayer Days in Spain
- 10/18/2022 12:04 - 14 days of helping refugees
- 10/11/2022 12:02 - God is good at all times
September
- 09/22/2022 12:18 - Standing Together with Ukraine
- 09/15/2022 13:47 - A true life changing experience
- 09/08/2022 11:26 - Equipping the next generation
August
- 08/25/2022 09:44 - The first step of many
- 08/04/2022 12:07 - Summer Day Camp for kids in Lviv, Ukraine
July
- 07/26/2022 11:56 - News from Ukraine
- 07/22/2022 09:10 - A missionary experience in Spain
- 07/21/2022 11:53 - The story of Evgen & Diana
- 07/14/2022 11:44 - The ministry of ECMers in Lviv, Ukraine
- 07/07/2022 11:33 - "Our children and teenagers haven’t had so much laughter and fun since we left our homes in Ukraine"
- 07/01/2022 11:28 - Bringing hope to where it's needed the most
June
- 06/23/2022 10:07 - Trusting God at all times
- 06/14/2022 09:25 - Christian leaders come together to help Ukrainian refugees
- 06/11/2022 11:09 - Life in Ukraine
May
- 05/31/2022 17:35 - With small acts of love
- 05/27/2022 13:35 - "The worst and the best of humanity"
- 05/24/2022 14:22 - Tanya's Story
- 05/18/2022 15:23 - From Kiev to Zagrev
- 05/01/2022 15:42 - A minibus for Lviv
April
- 04/26/2022 11:46 - "There is no way we can get used to the War..."
- 04/22/2022 11:31 - A return to Irpin
- 04/12/2022 10:00 - The job is too big for one alone...
- 04/06/2022 09:47 - Hosting Ukrainian refugees
- 04/02/2022 10:13 - A journey into Ukraine: what does it look like?
March
- 03/28/2022 14:27 - Shining light into the darkness
- 03/26/2022 09:21 - "The aid was a significant relief for our teams..."
- 03/23/2022 12:51 - Serving the children in the war
- 03/22/2022 12:55 - Through your prayers...
- 03/21/2022 12:11 - Praise God for his provision!
- 03/08/2022 08:42 - On the ground in Ukraine
February
- 02/24/2022 19:25 - ECM Update on the Ukraine Crisis
- 02/15/2022 12:55 - Who are we and what we do as a mission?
- 02/08/2022 10:27 - Come and help us!