With temperatures dipping well below freezing, many Ukrainians are struggling to stay warm this winter.
A staff member in Ukraine said, “Power outages have become very frequent lately, with hundreds of thousands being left without water, electricity, and heating for up to several days at a time, which means there are many cold people.”
For the elderly in Eastern Europe and especially Ukraine, winter brings many challenges. Many of these people live alone, don’t have an income besides a small pension, and have no way to heat their home other than to buy expensive firewood. This creates the struggle of having to split their small pension between heating, food, and often medicine or other necessities.
Kateryna is an elderly widow who, like many other elderly people in Eastern Europe, lives without any children nearby. Because of a recent knee surgery, she uses the money she usually spends on firewood to purchase needed medication.
For Vera, a lady in Ukraine, the cost to buy enough firewood for one winter would be several months’ pension. The ongoing war, frequent power outages, and an unusually cold winter all make this struggle so much harder.
How can we make a difference?
Providing nice, dry firewood makes a big impact for these people—strengthening believers, reminding them they are not forgotten, and giving unbelievers a glimpse of Christ’s love.
Seeing the beautiful pieces of cut, dry firewood, one pastor lifted his hands in the air, shouting “Hallelujah!” into the sky. He explained, “Our church never got firewood before. This is a treasure. This is like gold!”
Please pray for the lonely and hurting people in Ukraine.
