Rebuilding shattered homes and touching broken hearts
A bright flash. A deafening ka-boom. Missile shrapnel streaked in all directions. Roofs collapsed and windows shattered.
Volodymr (pictured) watched in horror as Lyuba’s house next door burst into flames. A widow of 78 years old, Lyuba probably needed help! Volodymyr rushed outside to try to find her. With help from Lyuba’s son Yuriy, they spotted her. But her aged body was still. She had died under the collapsed part of the house. Yuriy rushed to the car to drive his mom’s body away, but the car exploded, spraying gasoline on Yuriy. He died three days later from the burns.
Volodymyr experienced firsthand the atrocity of war a little over 30 yards away in his own house. His roof was heavily damaged and some windows shattered. The first week of 2025 certainly looked bleak to Volodymyr and the other residents of the Kryvyi Rih residential area. He wasn’t the only one with a damaged house. Within 100 yards of the missile strike, three Christian families’ homes were also damaged.
Fearful, worried, and just plain tired describe what many Ukrainians are feeling. Dragging on for over three years, the war continues to bring suffering and hardship to many people on both sides.
We continue to rebuild damaged houses in areas across Ukraine deemed relatively safe. Most of these areas were at one point occupied by Russian soldiers. The rebuilding work is done by Ukrainian Christian contractors hired by CAM. The purpose of using these contractors is twofold: It gives them an income to provide for their families and enables them to reach out and bless needy people in their communities. The interaction during the building process has been an excellent platform to show Jesus and invite people to church.
You might ask, “Is it really wise to rebuild when the war continues?” While few places in Ukraine are completely free from danger, the front lines have not moved majorly over the past two years. Displaced people want to move back into their homes, but many cannot afford to fix their houses. This dilemma creates an opportunity for us! We can help Ukrainians fix their physical house needs and, through this connection, show that Jesus is the one who can repair spiritual needs and heal emotional trauma. The Lord is working in the hearts of the war-battered Ukrainian people. Various homeowners have repented and are now church members! One contact recently told us that spiritual hunger in Ukraine is even stronger than it was immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union. People are seeking!
Every building project is different, but the goal in each is to fix the house to the point where it is livable again. Repairing the roof and replacing shattered windows come first. Depending on the homeowner’s age and physical condition and the number of residents, only the main rooms like the kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom(s) may be fixed. At the time of this writing, 770 homes have been rebuilt, and 122 are in various stages of completion.
Our rebuilding budget for Ukraine this year is $2,350,000. The average cost of a rebuilding project is $8,500. If you choose to give a donation to cover the full cost of a project, we will assign a specific project to you and send you pictures and information about those helped.
Thank you, CAM supporters, for reaching out to the people of Ukraine in their time of trial. In addition to Volodymyr’s house, your support has repaired hundreds of homes over the past several years. If you wish to contribute to this work, your contribution will bless and encourage others waiting to have their houses rebuilt.
God bless you!
