Nina eyed the last pieces of firewood in the shed. Not sure how she would keep her house warm during the long winter months ahead, she bowed her head and asked her heavenly Father to provide.*
Anatole looked both ways before he snuck into the fencerow with his saw. Yes, it was against the law to cut branches from live trees in these fencerows, but with his small pension, how was he going to afford enough firewood for the winter?
Vera squinted at the figures on the electricity bill. The cost had doubled since the start of the war. It’s going to take yet another loan, she realized. The cost of electric heat was driving her deeper and deeper into debt, but she had to keep the house warm for her sick daughter. If only there was a way to get firewood, she could avoid these high electric bills.
As the nights grew colder and the woodsheds remained empty, pastors who knew Anatole, Vera, and Nina reached out to CAM to ask if any wood could be provided for them. Winter is the most difficult time of year for these people as their living costs rise, but job opportunities such as construction and farming decrease. Firewood is especially in high demand as Russia targets and destroys power grids in the ongoing war.
Simply cutting some wood from a nearby forest is not an option for many people. Ukraine’s strict wood-harvesting laws curb deforestation but also make it hard for people who need to access firewood. Additionally, some forests near the front lines of the ongoing war have not yet been cleared of land mines. One grateful firewood recipient named Nadia explained to our staff, “You can hardly get firewood. It’s too risky to look for it in the woods, and in many of the tree lines, we’re not allowed to gather it.” In a neighboring village, two women were killed when they stepped on a land mine while searching for dead wood. Nadia typically heats only one room of her house during the winter and wears a jacket so she can keep the house at a low temperature to conserve firewood. “I try to be very thrifty and sleep under thick covers at night,” she said. Another recipient explained that he feeds his woodstove only once a day. Others add coal, small sticks, or scrap lumber to the firewood to make it last longer. In the most extreme cases, some have even burned trash in their stoves to add a bit of heat.
Words of gratitude spill from the mouths of recipients as firewood is unloaded at their homes. This winter, while they feed their stoves with hardwood logs, they will no doubt think of the supporters who make this possible. “Thank you to all who gave,” said one woman. “This year it was only God’s mercy that provided wood for us. We needed food for our mouths, but also wood for the stove’s mouth.” An elderly widow said, “Thank you so much. I have no idea what I’d do without help from the church. I have no words to express how grateful I am.”
As we enjoy our own warm houses this season, let’s not forget to thank God for this gift. If you would like to help provide firewood for widows, elderly, and others in need in Ukraine, your contribution will be a blessing.
