Break Murphy’s Law and do good works!

People may stay in comfort of their homes, be replete and content with life and pretend that nothing is happening around. People may feel indifferent to other people’s grief, sorrows and pain, and think that this would never happen to them.

   The other day I’ve come across an interesting saying «Break Murphy’s Law – do good works».

  The Bible though says: “…earn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17)

   Plain word like mercy, compassion and goodness are commonplace but they seem to become out-fashioned for the life in the  21^st century!

  People who are going through hard times are in need of assistance. People who are experiencing difficulties grow in number: the war on the east of Ukraine brought destruction, misery, fear and tears to the people of Luhans’ka and Donets’ka oblasts. There is hardly a home where the trouble has not come to, but these people suffer the most now. People experience stress, anxiety and fear on the background of war. Many have left their homes in search of new places, where they need to readjust to new and not always comfortable living conditions and to be content with the little they have. None of them was prepared for such a turn in their life, and no one can ever get accustomed to the war. In a nutshell, their life has been split into “before” and “after”. The refugees leave their homes with the whole household, having left behind all their possessions, to save their children and elderly from the horrors of war. With fear in their eyes children still remember explosions and shell craters all over the place, destroyed houses and apartments …. The displaced people from the eastern regions find new life full of problems, especially with winter looming.

   The team of the City Aid Center is making every effort to address the needs of the displaced people and mitigate their troubles. They are in need of warm closing, warm blankets, beddings, hygiene items, foodstuffs and medicines.  The war that came into their life unexpectedly has ruined their dreams and plans.

   The life of those who has not left their homes and still reside in the war conflict zone is not easy at all either. They are confused and desperate: oftentimes they do not have money to resettle, or they have no place to leave for, or they are scared to leave their home, their possessions and home place where they lived all their life…

  Our latest trip to Luhans’ka oblast in November 2014 left an indelible mark on us. We were distributing the aid and talked to people. It was evident that mostly the people who stayed are the senior citizens, families with many children, single mothers and bed-ridden disabled people. People in general live in poverty, and the war only added to their poor state. They are out of money, they lack food, warm clothing, basic hygiene items, medicines, and other essential things for normal life. It was striking to see that some people do not have any footwear, and it is when the winter colds  are coming ….

   In one of the villages that we have visited, we met a man, 47, who was disabled from childhood, and the only delight in his life was playing harmonica. He has been bed-ridden for all his life, but his eyes are sparkling with life when he is playing his harmonica!.

   God provided us the way to come and see the conditions in which people live on the east of Ukraine and hear their stories and needs. We had a chance just to talk to people, to give out food, warm clothes, hygiene, medicine, small presents for the children, to give the New Testament and Christian books, and also to share with them about loving God who is able to change their hearts, and bring new hope for life. Many would hold the New Testaments in their hand and were moved to tears ….

   Two days passed very fast, and we came back home late in the night, being tired, but good tired.  We were happy to share even a dab of goodness and warmth with those who were tired of hardships of war.

  We give thanks to God for being with us and His protection on all our ways; we are thankful to our friends and our brothers in Christ from Chernivtsi, Kiyv and Germany for our mutual efforts and for doing good works as one great team in Christ’s name.

 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up”(Galatians 6:9)