Aid During Covid-19, Spring 2020
In the spring of 2020, the lands where BIEM missionaries are laboring went into various degrees of self-quarantine. However, rather than simply hunkering down and wasting time, BIEM’s missionaries scrambled to stay in touch with their congregations and others to whom they had ministered. They turned to technology to hold worship services, Bible studies, and other fellowships through Zoom and Facebook Live.
In addition, however, when some became aware of locals who had material needs our people rallied to help out, confident that this would bring glory to God and might also lead to future open doors for ministry.
For instance, in Borschiv, Ukraine, Sergei and Vika Skripnik shared the following in March:
Despite worldwide events, the Lord is continuing His work. Of course, just like everyone else, we have limitations in conducting various events. But we have no limitations when it comes to prayer and spending time in the Word. By God’s mercy, we are continuing to gather in home groups (not everyone comes, of course), and we continue to have services in the village of Aleksintsy (we have 10 people there). We believe that all will work for good to those who love God.
Many people are gripped by fear and expectation of disaster, but for us this is another opportunity to witness about Him, who gives peace and salvation. As best we can, we are helping people [with gifts of food]. Since the public buses aren’t running, most of the stores are closed. It’s a good time to have a car. You know, it had been a long time since I thanked the Lord that we have a car, but now we understand and rejoice in God’s mercy.
In their April report, Vika Skripnik added…
We once again were able to distribute some sacks of groceries to families of children who attend our Sunday school. This gives us a chance to chat with the children and their parents. Many say that they didn’t value time before the quarantine, but now many are reevaluating their priorities in life. People here now divide life as “Before Quarantine” and “After Quarantine.”
One time I went to visit Angelina (the girl with cerebral palsy, whom you helped so much), but I couldn’t see her because she had chicken pox. I talked with the mother, and she told me how, before Easter, Angelina had gotten sick. (Her temperature had risen to 104° F.) But all during the quarantine, public transportation was not running, and the nearest hospital was 8 miles away. There was no way to get her there. So, Angelina’s brother and sister (children who attend our Sunday school) said to their mother, “Mama, don’t worry. Let’s just pray really, really hard, and Angelina will get better. You’ll see. Jesus won’t leave us.” A while later, her fever went down.
Our God is very powerful, mighty. Through the children and their behavior, the Lord is knocking on the hearts of the parents.
I thank our Savior, who extends our lives and gives the opportunity to serve Him in all sorts of times, including during this time of quarantine. I had the opportunity to visit several families, to chat with children and their parents, and people’s hearts are more open right now.
This is Maria, a young mom who is raising two daughters by herself. At one time, she had attended summer camps. She even came to a Sunday worship service. Now she realizes that she has made a lot of mistakes in life. I talk with her a lot. I witness to her of our Lord.
I believe the day is coming when Maria will receive the Lord into her heart. I thank the Lord for sending such people my way to meet them, and we can show them our Christ in practice. With God’s help, we were able to buy this family an electric hotplate for preparing food to eat and to provide them with a few groceries. Now there are a lot of such families that have no one to turn to for help.
I was also able to meet another family. I pray for each of them, that the Lord will thaw the ice in their hearts. Only He can do this.
Near Ternopil, Ukraine, Vitaly Bilyak’s church had been visiting an orphanage (“children’s home”) regularly to teach Bible lessons to the children. The quarantine halted those visits. He writes:
…Furthermore, by law, all of these children were supposed to return to their disadvantaged families all over the Ternopil region. The government takes a very superficial view of this: during a quarantine, children should be with their families. Only 12 children remained in the children’s home. These were kids who had nowhere to go, orphans and kids whose parents had lost parental rights. In mid-April I telephoned the administration at the children’s home. I understood that they would not permit a group to come and visit those children, but could we somehow support these children and the children’s home as a whole? In talking to them, I learned that they needed funds for sanitizing, disinfecting, toilet paper, and masks… My wife and I drove to stores to buy the necessary items. In addition, we bought sweets, cookies, and fruit for the kids who had not gone home. As it turned out, we were the first visitors to that children’s home in two months. Of course, we didn’t have an opportunity to give the children a Bible lesson, but we were able to chat with them a bit and to offer encouragement, give them some sweets, and to leave many essential items for disinfecting, cleaning the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms… Now they have asked whether we can help these kids with shoes for summertime. I will write about this in one of my following letters. For now, we’re using some of the funds leftover due to the youth being quarantined.
Please pray for the ministry to the orphans and children from problem homes (the parents are addicted to drugs, or alcohol, or are prostitutes). The leadership of the children’s home is concerned about these children. The majority went home to very poor families in difficult straits. The courts have already returned some of the kids to the children’s home due to their families’ horrible living conditions.
During the quarantine time, the second Baptist church in Bilogorodka, Ukraine, pastored by Evgeny Buyko, delivered 80 food parcels to both believing and unbelieving families in need. As they did so, church members kept in mind 1 John 3:18, “My little children, let us love not in word, or in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” In part, the Buykos’ report to BIEM says:
As in other countries, Ukraine today is going through complicated times due to the spread of coronavirus. In cities and in villages, educational institutions are closed, movement on the streets is limited, many people are out of work or have gone on unpaid time off. Besides the painful conversations about how to overcome the pandemic and not get sick, Ukrainians are extremely worried about whether there will be enough funds to pay for community services and whether they will have a means to feed their families.
And at a time when the majority are falling into panic, God’s children sense in themselves the mercy and goodness of our Heavenly Father. Our church in the village of Bilogorodka has clear confirmation of this. My heart is overflowing with joy for what I want to share with you.
Our second Baptist church in Bilogorodka numbers about 50 people who attend, including children and teens. Of those, about 15 people are of advanced age, or have disabilities, and are in need of attention and support, especially during the quarantine time.
When we recognized that there would be restrictions on public movements and that elderly ones are at-risk, some of our members got the idea of buying groceries for those who are especially in need.
By God’s mercy, for this act of care and goodness we were able to gather fairly quickly enough funds to purchase food for 80 parcels. Some of the funds came from our church budget. Brothers and sisters of the church donated more. Also, friends of our church gave, including the BIEM mission, for which we sincerely thank you!
Every package included a variety of things, such as flour, sugar, sunflower oil, tinned fish, meat paté, cookies, chocolate, and tea. Elderly and disabled believers received such blessings of food from the first and second Baptist churches, to the glory of the Creator. Some unbelievers in town also received one.
Later, in a supplemental message, Mrs. Sofia Buyko shared the following…
I personally received the task of delivering one food parcel to a Christian widow. When she opened the door and saw such a large package of food, tears appeared in her eyes. She shared that she had asked God for help. Her supplies were very meager, and she hadn’t been sure she would have anything to eat within a few days.
A different sister who’s well along in years, who herself is in difficult straits, asked whether there might be someone else who needed these groceries more than she? This showed once again how the quarantine has rallied our church. Each of us was thinking more about someone else than about self. Praise be to our loving God for that.
If God’s children always have hope despite difficulties, then people who don’t know Him have panic and hopelessness.
When a deacon was delivering food parcels to needy unbelievers in town, he saw bewilderment in their eyes. For them, his arrival was like thunder coming from a clear, sunny sky. It was hard for them to believe that others could simply care about them and bless them in such a way.
For us, this act of doing good and expressing care opened hearts for the Gospel and created an opportunity to fulfill the Word of God, in which it’s written that we should love, not in words only, but also in deeds. We thank God that His love and mercy cover us all the days of our lives.
Meanwhile, the first Baptist church in Bilogorodka had similar opportunities for glorifying God. Pastor Anatoly Kosyanchuk expresses it this way:
Knowing the needs of several church members, especially in the quarantine conditions, other members of the church who were able took part in giving to aid those with needs. Food parcels were purchased and distributed to their homes. And right away, people in town started talking about how we in the church care for each other. Praise God that we were able to do this. Prayer groups share their needs by telephone, and while on the line the two people then pray for these needs. Previously, these groups prayed for needs twice a week, but now nearly every day.
We sincerely thank you, too, for your prayers, your support, and help. May the Lord bless you and protect you and help you to get through these difficulties in the name of Christ and for His glory.
In the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, BIEM’s Yura Levtseniuk volunteered his services for driving medical personnel to and from the hospital during weeks when public transportation wasn’t running. He writes:
Thank you very much for the sincere prayers of our beloved friends! We praise the Lord for you! God is good to us. Throughout the course of this whole quarantine, my family and church have been totally healthy. The Lord used us during this time that has been difficult for everyone. In our city, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ was glorified through the ministry of “Lviv’s Angels.” This is a divinely appointed time, which we must use, and it won’t be repeated! A large number of medical personnel were evangelized. Many gospels were distributed. Doctors received the Word of God like never before! Violetta and I still transport doctors from the nearest villages to work. And this is effective, because it gives us a whole hour to talk about Christ with them. Please pray for the village of Tulygolovy, which is 50 kilometers from Lviv. People have already asked that we come to them even after the quarantine, and I’m thinking of organizing a Bible study group there. Pray that this would develop.
In Drogichin, Belarus, the Ryzhuk family had opportunity to come to the aid of needy ones. Nikolai shared the following:
While distributing sacks of groceries to needy ones, I was particularly burdened for one family. About 7 months ago, a woman and her 4 children began attending our worship services. We decided to take that family some groceries, and to use this opportunity to get better acquainted. The woman’s name is Lena. The 3 older children attend school, but not the youngest one. Lena told a little about her difficult life. After her fourth child was born, her husband deserted her and went to live with his mother, because as he said, “I’m not able to feed you. Live however you want.” Two years have passed since then. The government gave her a two-room apartment. There’s practically nothing in it. The things she does have are all old and worn out. I was amazed at how this woman lives without grumbling.
I asked why she is missing teeth. She said her husband hit her, and she has no money for a dentist. Another thing that amazed me is that she doesn’t ask our church for any assistance. So, our heart-to-heart action brought her special joy. I recorded a bit on video about how she lives. Great gratitude to you for all your love and your prayers for us. May the Lord abundantly bless you, your families, and your country!
In Chervona Sloboda, Ukraine, a town that had been particularly unfriendly toward believers who came with the goal of planting a new church, the church received a very unexpected request for aid. Vitaly Yurchenko wrote…
Recently, the mayor of Chervona Sloboda fell ill. She needed emergency heart surgery. She herself couldn’t pay for this operation and asked whether we could help. We took up a special collection for her and delivered the funds. We prayed for her and telephoned her to express our care and support. Valentina Nikolaevna (the mayor) was very thankful. The operation was successful, and Valentina promised to come to church to thank God for His help. Back when friends had come from the U.S. to serve widows, Valentina Nikolaevna attended that event. She really enjoyed it, and she was thankful for that ministry. We hope that our mayor will open her heart to Jesus Christ. We ask that you, too, pray for her.
In Mizotsky, Ukraine, Pavel Usach was able to soften hearts at another orphanage with a gift from America—pillows! Here are his details:
I’m sure you remember buying pillows for the boarding school. Those pillows stayed in my house for several months because I couldn’t get them to their destination. I recently contacted the administration of the orphanage by phone, and I was allowed to take 49 pillows to the Mizotsky children’s home. We were welcomed by the director and headmaster of the school, and they were very happy, because we hadn’t forgotten them, even in such a difficult time. Many thanks to everyone who had a role in buying these pillows for children who will come go there for the new school year. Imagine how those children had been sleeping on pillows that were bought back in the 1990s, that is, pillows that are more than 20 years old. It will be such a pleasure for them to receive these wonderful, soft pillows that were purchased in the USA.
That is why we sincerely thank you for such a wonderful sacrifice and for the opportunity to serve together the One God, doing good deeds for His glory. I think that this gift will help us to ensure that we don’t have any obstacles to visit the children there during the new school year.
In conclusion, here is a separate thought-provoking message from Eugene Buyko, who serves as BIEM director in Ukraine:
A Mosaic of God’s Love
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
When are the Lord’s goodness and blessings sweeter to the heart, during days of plenty and abundance, or during days of sorrow and sadness? Now, during the time of quarantine, when all around there are feelings of anxiety and fear, we children of God do not cease to rejoice in the mercy of the Heavenly Father and to lift up prayers for His care about our needs.
Today we’d like to tell about BIEM’s container of humanitarian aid from American brothers and sisters for the Ukrainian people. The container traveled a difficult road, burdened by changes in the bureaucratic system in our country. Due to many checks and various new laws, the timeline for opening it got delayed for months. While the process of completing the paperwork was still being done, we asked, “What’s taking so long? Why so many obstacles?” So, it turned out, dear brothers and sisters, that we received your gifts, not before New Year’s Day as expected, but during the time of quarantine. Then we understood that God has His timing for everything. He unceasingly cares for our needs. After all, before the New Year, the situation in our country was stable. Humanitarian aid was not perceived to be so valuable as it is now, during the time of isolation, when funding is so limited, yet needs are so many.
How is it possible to describe receiving gifts that we have from you by God’s mercy? Certainly, humanitarian aid can be measured according to physical categories—weight, length, height, etc. On the other hand, this aid is the story of people, like a mosaic that takes shape into a wondrous picture of God’s love.
Let me start with an 84-year-old widow, a cancer patient for whom every step is very difficult. What do adult Pampers mean for her? Thanks to them, she can wake up dry after a night of sleep. This is such a valuable blessing and impermissible luxury in Ukrainian reality, that no one who hasn’t looked after elderly, ill people can understand the joy from such a gift.
Nor the smile on the face of a 16-year-old teen, afflicted from birth with children’s cerebral palsy, sitting in a wheelchair, thanks to which he can now move comfortably. After all, before this gift, his parents could set their son only on a tiny, old child’s wheelchair that didn’t meet the boy’s needs.
In addition, in one children’s home for children in western Ukraine about 50 pillows have been provided. And let us emphasize, that kids in this establishment have slept for 30 years on the very same pillows. No one ever changed them. You can’t help wondering, How does a child feel in that first moment when he lays his head on a fresh, new pillow?
Furthermore, gifts in the form of clothing, domestic items (dishware, blankets, pillows, sheets) were received by two rehabilitation centers and a boarding school near Kyiv. The mosaic of God’s love sprinkled blessings on residents in Bilogorodka, Chervona Sloboda, Ternopil, Kyiv, Desna, Lutsk…
Many children received terrific toys, such toys as they couldn’t dream of during the quarantine. After all, the parents’ primary concern was how to make enough money to buy them food.
Dear brothers and sisters, we sincerely thank you for caring about our many needs: beginning with children’s beds and things for babies, ending with essential items needed by elderly people to maintain a quality of life. Thanks to your gifts, prayers of praise are rising in many homes all over Ukraine!