Featured Photo: This family did live in Lugansk until Russia invaded. The husband was in Ukraine’s merchant marine and away at sea when the invasion started. He returned to Ukraine and joined Ukraine’s Navy. His wife and baby were evacuated to Odesa. They have been receiving relief supplies from our containers! THANK YOU for your compassion!
FAMILY BUCKETS–AN INCREDIBLE IMPACT!
The FAMILY BUCKETS have made a significant and amazing impact in Ukraine. There is a constant flow of communication, from every part of Ukraine, regarding the distribution and results of these buckets. Here is a report from our sister Lyuba Wharton describing how the Family Buckets are impacting her family in the USA and in Ukraine. It is encouraging to read and I know you will be uplifted by her words!
” Hello, John, Thank you very much for your message. Our house was full of children for a few days, and we were quite too busy to respond to our messages. We have just one grandkid left with us now.
“Thank you very much for everything you do for people in Ukraine. The Church construction project in Ivano-Frankivsk you started 6-10 years ago was extremely audacious, you have faith in Ukrainian people. And you never give up.
“The war disrupted life in Ukraine. Every family in Ukraine has been experiencing some hard consequences of war: some lost their loved ones, some lost homes, some sent their sons and husbands to defend Ukraine and are concerned about their lives, some had to drop everything and flee because of the danger in their city and the order to evacuate. Millions of Ukrainians are refugees now, in western Ukraine, and abroad.
“My sister Nadya never planned to leave our native town Toretsk, in eastern Ukraine even though the mayor of the city demanded evacuation. Nadya is disabled, she can hardly walk, but under pressure of her son Sergei and his family, who made it alive from Mariupol, Nadia risked taking a long trip to Ivano-Frankivsk. Her son, his wife and two daughters have been staying in Ivano-Frankivsk since April. They were welcomed by the members of the Church of Christ family in Ivano-Frankivsk.
“Nadya knew she would not be able to carry much during her complicated travel: by car, then by bus to Dnipro, then by train. She left her apartment with a small bag, took only documents, medicine, and a couple of changes of clothes. We are so happy she survived the trip and joined her family in Ivano-Frankivsk. The Church members in Ivano-Frankivsk were very kind and understanding. Six members of my family were provided with lodging, some clothes and food.
“On June 14 after Sunday worship the truck arrived and delivered buckets! All the refugees were offered these 5-gallon buckets filled with amazing gifts, all kinds of goodies and necessities. This was a very joyful occasion and for some moments everybody was smiling and joyful. It was surprising to me and William to see the photos Ivan and Svetlana Skoleba sent to us. We saw Nadya as well as other people got the same color buckets our family members in Vidalia, Georgia, packed! It was fun for Ukrainians to look at all the gifts American people packed with love.
“Nadya said that when the time comes and she would be able to go home, she may not be able to travel with all the beautiful things she received, but she will not leave the bucket behind, she will want to have it at her home in Toretsk. It will be great to fill it with clean drinking water!
“May God bless all the Christians who organized the Family Bucket project, and all those who generously donated funds and time for this Project.
“We are grateful to many Churches that responded to our request to help Ukraine and provided generous donations. The University City Church of Christ where we attend donated $35,000. The Central Avenue Church of Christ, where our daughter-in-law grew up, filled 1,050 buckets and involved the whole city in this project. The small city of Vidalia, Georgia, where our son Michael and his wife live now packed 400 buckets yesterday, on June 28!
“We can make a long list of different Churches, businesses and organizations that united and worked together in their cities and filled the truckloads of buckets! We are overwhelmed by the desire of the people in the USA to help Ukrainian people in need. With great love, Lyuba Wharton”
The Family Bucket project has been so successful, in many amazing ways, that we have been begged to continue collecting and shipping these.
We are calling for as many individuals and congregations as possible to join with us in this second phase of the Family Bucket campaign! A list for items to pack into the buckets has been revised and is available at Dalraida’s website (https://www.dalraida.org/helpukraine/) or you can download it here:
2022-06-29-Family-Buckets-Hygiene-BagsWe are also purchasing commodities to pack inside the buckets. YOU can participate in this project by urging your congregation, civic club and friend to pack buckets, or donate money so we can purchase items to pack in buckets, or donate money to assist with transportation and distribution costs. The important factor to realize is that YOU can do something in this project!
Those in the Montgomery area can get buckets and lids at the Dalraida Church of Christ. Filled buckets can be delivered to the Dalraida Church or to Jerry Max Morgan and Jerry Moore in Holly Springs, MS. As news of this second bucket progresses there will be others drop-off locations added (I just have not had time to confirm them yet).
This is an URGENT request and we need YOUR help.
Donations can be mailed to: Dalraida Church of Christ, Ukraine War Relief, 3740 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36109 or online giving at the WAR RELIEF link on Dalraida’s website (https://www.dalraida.org/helpukraine/). For more information please call:
John L. Kachelman, Jr 901-626-4538
Andrew (Gif) Gifford (770) 596-6545
John L. Kachelman III (334) 868-1900
John L. Kachelman, Jr, Dalraida Church of Christ, Montgomery, AL
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