Featured Photo: Gif, John, Tanya and Gennady. A thank you certificate from Cherkassy City Hospital #3 was presented in recognition of commodities received in a container shipped in June.
Today was filled with meetings and discussions of how the Lord’s Church is assisting multiple communities in the midst of the traumatic upheavals resulting from Russia’s invasion and occupation in Ukraine. I met with three separate groups that had received items we shipped.
The first meeting was with representatives from Cherkassy. This is a Region in the middle of Ukraine. I have previously posted reports from Slava, the preacher. A very good work is being done in that location. In discussing our operations with the representatives, I told them we work through local congregations and they instantly said “We know of this Church.” That was good news and speaks commendably of the congregation in Cherkassy. This congregation is partnered with the Chase Park congregation in Huntsville. Go back though reports and you will often read of Chase Park. Will Tucker is the youth minister there and Will has helped tremendously in efforts.
Once we established a connection and identity of the Church with the Cherkassy representatives the meeting became even better. It is always great to hear compliments on how the Lord’s Church is impacting the community and because of its work the Lord’s Church is held in high esteem by those in the local administration.
Cherkassy Region has received over 100,000 displaced people (IDP) from Bucha and other devastated areas. These IDPs plan to remain in Cherkassy. The Region is welcoming them but that influx is causing a tremendous strain on the community. It was encouraging to hear of the plans and dreams of the Region to care for the IDPs and welcome them into the community. The Church can offer great assistance in this and by its good works can become an even greater positive factor in the community.
The NGO that helped us work in Cherkassy is also working in six other Regions and is anxious to partner with the Church to bring help into these areas.
Another memorable visit was with a group of surgeons working with facial reconstructive surgeries. They are doing an amazing work and no where else is this kind of surgery being done. They are using 3-D printers to form parts of the jawbone, eye socket, and other skeletal structures that have been destroyed by munitions. The before and after photos are amazing. They told us that they were very thankful for the medical disposables that they had received from our containers and they keep these secure and use them frugally. They had some photos and Gif and I could identify some of the boxes that we loaded. Especially visible were the boxes that CURE sends marked “NO EXPIRED DATES.”
One last mention is a visit with members of the Regional Military Hospital in Kyiv. This is the largest military hospital in Ukraine. We visited with one of the surgeons who described the procedures practiced. He remarked that, because of the environment on the frontline, many come with tissue infections and that causes pain and lengthens their recovery. He remarked that often the wounded have to remain where they fall for a lengthy period. The wounded cannot be retrieved and treated because of the heavy shelling and the ever-present drones that will attack any moving object. So, the wounded remain down until it is safe to get them evacuated.
Those many boxes of “miscellaneous medical supplies” that are loaded into containers may not seem like much to those of us loading, but the surgeons over here say they are truly a blessing. Whoever thought that the Lord’s Church would be blessed by shipping donated medical disposables halfway around the globe? But… “even a cup of cold water” results in blessings if given in the proper manner!
In all meetings today we discussed the urgent need for the rehabilitation programs we are forming. There is a great need and every meeting is emphasizing this need. Encouraging to me is the ready acceptance of my point that “spiritual rehabilitation” is the critical step in the process. It seems that our plans are becoming known and one of the things brought up is the rehabilitation efforts. Gary Jerkins and Ron Swang will be arriving at the end of October to further establish efforts to begin a “behavioral counselling center” in Ivano-Frankivsk. I cannot state how critical this center is in the efforts of the Lord’s Church. At every meeting today the deep emotional scars and crises resulting from the war were mentioned. We begin in Ivano-Frankivsk and then possibly expand throughout Ukraine with the Church being known for this ministry!
Thanks to the supporters of UKRAINE MISSIONS for the funding that makes such actions possible. Through your giving the Lord and His Church are magnified!
Below are some photos of today’s meetings.
John L. Kachelman, Jr, Ukraine Missions, Dalraida Church of Christ, P.O. Box 3085, Montgomery, AL 36109
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