Evacuations Continue and Rehab Resumes

Last week, the 9th group of people with disabilities and their family members evacuated to Europe. This group included 43 people from eastern regions of Ukraine. 

It has become increasingly difficult to find places in Europe able to house people with disabilities, so please pray for this provision as the need for these evacuations does continue. Agape will continue to receive, house and feed refugees with disabilities, but as of today we are also back in the swing of rehab. Our patient load is decreased as our about 1/3 of our employees are not in Ukraine and our rehab team consists of only 6 people at this time. But we are thankful to be able to take this step and open our doors again to those in need of physical rehabilitation! 

In my previous blog, I wrote that we were in need of one or more buses to replace our rapidly declining ones. Praise the Lord, funds were provided and two buses found in Germany!! One bus has been purchased and is already at Agape and the second one is in the process of being purchased this week. Thank you to all who prayed and gave financially toward these much-needed buses!

Also in recent weeks, Sveta, Alina (our speech therapist) and I made another trip to Budapest to receive money donated by so many of you for Agape. God blessed the trip, we were able to see a bit more of the city, and also got to tour the apartment our new friends in Budapest are renting for Ukrainian refugees. 

While we have partially resumed "normal life" with the beginning of rehab today, the war in Ukraine continues to be seen, heard, and felt. A fuel shortage has resulted in hours of waiting lines at the pumps, if you can even locate a gas station that still has the type of fuel you need. Prices are understandably rising for everything. Air raid sirens continue to go off at varying frequencies. The fighting in the east is never far from anyone's mind. And the need for prayer and divine intervention to end this war is known by all.  

Please continue to pray with us for a Ukrainian victory in this war, for the safety of civilians and soldiers in the fighting zones, for the provision of fuel across the country, for the church to continue to be agents of assistance and be faithful to share the gospel, and for the work of Agape as we mesh refugee care and rehabilitation. Thank you again to all who support us with your prayers and finances! May God be glorified in the work of His servants! 

Keeping on!

Our work at the Agape Rehabilitation Complex continues. In the past weeks we have continued to receive refugees from the eastern regions of Ukraine. Most have arrived in small groups, slowly filling Agape to capacity. As of today, all rooms are full and almost every bed in the rehab gym is occupied. But tomorrow that will change as the next group of people with disabilities and their family members will be evacuated to Europe. 

The previous evacuation group departing from Agape

This group includes families from Kharkiv, Izyum, Mariupol, and Donetsk, among other cities. Some of them know they have lost all they left behind and others are still unsure. Here are bits of some of the stories I know: 

- Yuri and his sister came from Kharkiv. Yuri has been a quadriplegic since 1989. Back then, there was no available physical rehabilitation in Ukraine, only periodic visits to sanatoriums for procedures. Due to his injury, there is little Yuri can do for himself, but he had a home that had been adapted and a lift that his sister used to transfer him. They know that is all gone now and upon arrival at Agape they realized his sister did not know how to physically assist him without that equipment. So, Sveta and I got to spend a few days training her to move him in bed and transfer him to and from his wheelchair. They don't know what awaits them in Europe, but we are all thankful she can physically assist him now. 

- Masha and her mother and brother came to Agape from Mariupol. The story of their evacuation is one of the most difficult ones to hear as they lost their husband/father in the process. He went out first in search of transportation and never returned. To this day they do not have any information about him. Later, Masha's mother found a way out of Mariupol with her two children. Although her brother's disability is the most obvious of the family, Masha also appears to have a mental disability and her mother possibly a psychological disorder. Their family has been with us for a couple of weeks and Masha has become the favorite playmate of the daughter of one of our employees. Last week, Agape was able to help Masha celebrate her 6th birthday! 

- Ira and her 81 year old mother came from Izyum. Ira, who is a believer, shared some of their story during the service at Fimiam Church on Sunday. As is the case with most, their evacuation was a harrowing experience and they were thankful to find in Agape a peaceful place to stay. Each evening after dinner at Agape, someone leads an time of testimony, possibly singing, and fellowship with the current residents. This is led by men from various churches in our city. At the end of this time last Saturday evening, Ira's mother repented. Ira shared how she has tried for 15 years to talk to her mom about God, but she didn't want to listen. Her mom would say, "I know the Lord's prayer, that's enough." But in God's providence, He used a war to drive her from her home and across Ukraine so that He could not only save her physical life, but her eternal soul. I bumped into Ira on Monday morning in the hall and she swung open the door to her room to reveal her mother sitting on the edge of her bed, bent over and reading the large print Russian Bible she had been given. I wish had a picture, but trust me that it was a beautiful sight! As long as a person has life and breath, they are never too old for the salvation only God can give! 

- On Saturday evening we listened to the evacuation stories of 2 families from Mariupol and Berdyansk, all of whom are believers. Both families lived for a more than a month in their occupied cities without water and heat. They told of the "down to the bone" cold they felt, even long after arriving in a heated facility. They told of traveling through many Russian checkpoints on their way out of occupied territory, of the questioning, pilfering and even theft of their belongings. And then they told of coming to the first Ukrainian checkpoint and the utter joy they felt to see Ukrainian colors on the soldiers uniforms, to hear "Greetings to you" in Ukrainian when they rolled down the window, to be welcomed and treated kindly. Some cried and others screamed, but all reactions were expressions of joy to be out of the occupied territory and reunited with "their" people. While listening to them, I found my mind thinking their immense joy was just a foretaste of the profound joy they, I and other believers will experience after death when we leave this earth and find ourselves welcomed by God to our eternal home!!

So what else have we been up to? Well, we organized a food drive for people with disabilities who have not evacuated to Europe. Last week we were able to pack 100 bags with groceries and hygiene products and deliver them to the homes of adults and children with disabilities.

Those of us currently working at Agape have also had a few gatherings to celebrate birthdays or just have some needed time of fellowship together. 

This was a "big #" birthday so we had to order some good stuff to celebrate

A drive-by surprise to serenade our speech therapist on her birthday!

So what is next at Agape? Well, as of today we have a timeline of May 2 for restarting rehab on a limited basis! We have many questions to answer and details to work out, but that is the current plan. We will continue accepting refugees, but the number will have to be reduced. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find places in Europe ready and willing accept people with disabilities, so the evacuation process will likely continue to slow down as more time is needed between groups to work out all the details. And we are receiving more and more phone calls from people with recent injuries or diagnoses who are in need of rehab. So we will attempt to do both rehab and refugee care simultaneously for a time. Please pray for us as we work out all the details. Many of our employees are still in Europe with no time frame on when they will return to Ukraine, so operating at full capacity is still in the future, but we plan to get started.

Also, I wanted to make you aware of our need to purchase one or more used adapted buses for Agape. Two of the three buses we currently have were barely making it before the war. And now with all the driving, often on bad roads, since the war started, all three buses are going downhill fast! Agape staff in Europe are searching for buses in Germany and we hope to purchase as least one, maybe more, to bring to Ukraine. Because of the war, customs fees for bringing vehicles into Ukraine from Europe are minimal, so it is also good to take advantage of this time. Will you please join us in praying for this need? And also prayerfully consider a financial contribution? Below are pictures of our buses from several years ago. They don't look this good now and they don't run reliably either. 

If you need information on how to make a donation, please refer to the previous blog post. 

Thank you once again to all who support us prayerfully and financially.

Home again

Sveta and I returned to Lutsk last Friday!! Thankfully, the drive back was uneventful and without delays. We only paused a couple of times at checkpoints, but encountered no long, slow lines this time. There were many more checkpoints than on our trip to Uzhhorod, but they mostly just waved us along. 

Before leaving Uzhhorod we were able to make another trip to Budapest to receive cash from America for Agape. One positive aspect of this war and the resulting displacement and travels for us has been making some new friends. Davide and Orsi welcomed us into the home for the night and we enjoyed our time of fellowship with them. This godly couple is generously and selflessly giving of their time, finances, and home to help Ukrainian refugees. And there are thousands more people just like them all across Europe who are assisting Ukrainian refugees in some way. It is a blessing to now call this couple our friends! 

Thank you once again to all who have generously donated!! We brought most of the money back with us to Lutsk, but we were able to use some to purchase medications requested by Agape that were not available in Lutsk. We probably stopped at 10 pharmacies across Uzhhorod, but were thankful to be able to send back most of what was requested!

Doesn't look like very much, but about $800 worth of needed meds

I am grateful to be back in Lutsk and helping at Agape. It has been such a joy to be reunited with friends who are still here and try to connect more with friends who are in Europe. 

We are all praying for an end this war so that everyone can come home and rehabilitation at Agape can resume. But until then, Agape continues the work of receiving refugees and evacuating people with disabilities and their families to Europe. Another group of about 60 people was evacuated on Sunday and the next group is scheduled to depart this Friday. 

Loading the buses on Sunday

With the rapid and large turnover of people at Agape, laundry is a big task for which Sveta and I are now responsible. Fimiam Church and another local church also bring us their bedding when refugees depart from their facilities. So we stay pretty busy with that task, as well as helping clean Agape and prepare the rooms and rehab gym for the next arrivals. 

Hanging bedding literally wherever we can

Rehab gym ready for next round of people

For now, that is the update from here. I want to thank everyone once again for your outpouring of support!!! For those still interested in making a financial donation, you may do so via: 

1. agapeukraine.com: select the English version of the website and click on the "Donate" button

2. Christian Health Service Corps: Text CHSCUkraine to 41444 or at bit.ly/CHSCUkraine. 

The funds will reach Agape via either method. 

Please continue to pray with us for:

- An end to the war.

- Safe evacuations of people with disabilities and their families. Currently the majority of people we are evacuating are coming from the "hot spots" in Ukraine. Pray for transportation to be found and for them to safely get out of those cities where the fighting is strong.

- Physical strength and perseverance for those serving refugees, both at Agape and many churches, organizations and facilities across western Ukraine. 

- Wisdom to discern when/if Agape should resume rehabilitation. That is not even a topic of consideration at this time, but as more and more soldiers are wounded the need for rehabilitation grows rapidly. Please pray we will understand when we should be ready to resume rehabilitation and on what level. There will many questions and few easy answers when this topic does come up for discussion.

- The light of the gospel to go forth in the darkness of war. 

Thank you for standing with us in prayer!!

Quick Update

Let me open by saying THANK YOU to all who have prayed, contacted me through various means to offer encouragement, offered to assist in any way, and donated financially!! The outpouring of support has been almost overwhelming (in a good sense) and such a blessing in these days of war in Ukraine. SO many people have contributed financially. The sum total of donations to date is beyond what I could have imagined or projected and donations just continue to come in. On behalf of all of us here, I say to all who are donating, "Thank you so much! We will continue to seek to be good stewards of these funds in meeting the needs of Ukrainians with and without disabilities in these days." 

Many of you have continued to reach out to me personally. While I desire to respond to each person, I cannot always find the time for a detailed reply. So here are some highlights of the past week for me. 

While in Uzhgorod, we have been:

- Doing rehab with Vasya (our former patient) for a couple of hours each day (we are currently staying in his house where he no longer lives). His wife, Maria, is super busy as they are hosting many refugees as well as continuing their work with girls who have aged out of the orphanage. Our time with Vasya allows Maria to focus her attention and efforts on the needs of those living in their facility, knowing her husband is cared for and active. 

- Volunteering at the large operation taking place in Uzhgorod to feed refugees, both those living here and those waiting in lines at borders and checkpoints. It's amazing to see the scope of the work and to assist even in small ways, such as washing dishes or making sandwiches. 

- Traveling to pharmacies to collect medications requested by Agape. Yesterday we were asked to buy as much seizure medication as we could find. Many children with disabilities who are coming through Agape as refugees are in low supply and the local pharmacies are also out. Unfortunately, that is almost the case in Uzhgorod as well, but we were able to find a few boxes to purchase and will continue to search. Today we received another long list of medications to purchase, so we will set out tomorrow to work on finding them, Lord-willing. Money received from your donations is giving us the possibility to meet these needs for medications. So again, thank you! Please pray that we will be able to locate all the medications on the list and in the quantities requested. 

On Saturday morning, Sveta, her mom and I set out for Hungary. God blessed the trip and we were able to cross the border in 1.5 hours and make our way to Budapest where Stacy, our new friend, was waiting to welcome us. She is the acquaintance of a friend of a friend - I think! She took me in for 4 nights and helped me accomplish many tasks! Sveta and her mom flew to Berlin on Sunday so her mom could live with her brother. While waiting for Sveta to return, Stacy and I set about understanding how we could receive cash from America. The process had several bumps along the way, but in the end we made it back to Ukraine with much cash from donations in America and Europe. So thanks again to all of you! 

We plan to repeat this trip early next week to retrieve more cash, Lord-willing. Then we will determine how best to get this cash back to Agape. Using the traditional method of transferring to a bank account here is still not a good idea according to our Agape accountant, so we are maximizing our means of obtaining cash. Please pray with us that the current avenues do not close for us and that if they do we will be able find alternate means quickly to continue to receive cash. 

Agape and our ministry have also been very active. The third group of people with disabilities to be evacuated to Europe left Agape this morning. We are thankful that the first two groups are now settled in various locations in Germany. All of the groups include children and adults with disabilities, some of their family members, and additional caregivers from our team as needed. Many different organizations throughout Europe are willing and able to assist in evacuating people with disabilities and providing them with housing and care. People are being so generous with their time, energy and resources. God is truly using His people all over the world. Here are few pictures of some of the groups in transit:

The parting of a young girl with a disability and her grandfather, who is one of our Agape employees, at the border. 

The plan, of course, is to continue these evacuations, so please join us in prayer for the planning, coordinating, and transporting of these groups. And then pray for them as they settle in foreign countries where they cannot speak the language. Pray they will have access to translators to be able to communicate and also for the necessary medical care. Several of those who have already evacuated have pressure sores that require specialized medical attention. This is being sought with some of our German partners. Please pray the right medical personnel can be found. God knows the needs of each of these people evacuated, both those with and without disabilities. Please pray they will know God's nearness even in a new, foreign place and thank God with us that they are now out of a country at war. Please pray that many more will be able to be quickly evacuated to safety as well. 

Agape has also been busy hosting refugees who are traveling toward the Polish border. Large groups have come through and even our rehab gym has been turned into overflow sleeping quarters. 

Agape employees as well as volunteers who are still in the Lutsk area have been working to feed refugees, keep the facility clean, receive and distribute humanitarian supplies, and perform so many other tasks. Please pray for sustaining strength as many of them are unable to go home for days at a time do to the constant work. Please pray for the continued provisions (food, medication, etc) necessary to care for the continual flow of refugees. 

Thank you again to all for your concern, encouragement, contributions and prayers. I tried to highlight throughout this post ways that you can join us in thanking God as well as ways you can pray. There are many, many more than the ones I listed, of course, but I trust God will lead you in how you should pray. 

I want to close with two "contrasting" pictures from Budapest of the Hungarian parliament building. In the daytime, this building does not particularly stand out amidst the surroundings, other than due to its sheer size. But at night? Against the backdrop of darkness, this same building absolutely shines in splendor and cannot be missed! 

May the light of Christ continue to shine spectacularly through His children against the backdrop of the darkness of great evil. 

And when the world sees it, may they magnify our great God! 

Needs

For those who have expressed a desire to assist...

Finances are needed to meet the following immediate and near-future needs of Agape, our ministry and our friends and acquaintances with disabilities:

- Fuel for our buses which are being used in the evacuation of people with disabilities to Europe

- Electricity and gas bills at Agape so that they are not shut off as people with disabilities as well as refugees are continuing to reside in Agape

- Money for use on the road for those being evacuated. The first group is currently on day 3 of their travel due to a variety of circumstances. They have obviously required stops for food and sleeping in hotels. The second group is soon scheduled to depart Lutsk and additional groups may be formed as other organizations in Europe are willing and able to accept them. So money to help support their travel is a need. 

- Food and medicine for people with disabilities and their families who will not or cannot be evacuated. 

As stated in my previous post, donations can be made on the English version of agapeukraine.com. 

Please pray for the first group of evacuees, which included 35 people with and without disabilities. WE are thankful they were all allowed across the border. Pray they will soon reach their destination and be able to get settled and recover from their travel. The second group is projected to have up to 40 people and be departing as soon as all arrangements can be made. Please pray for the entire group to also be allowed to cross the border and for their travel as well. Please pray for those in Lutsk who are working tirelessly on all the details needed for these evacuations. Also pray for those who are working at Agape to serve people with disabilities who cannot be evacuated or are awaiting evacuation and for refugees who are staying in the facility. 

For any who may have additional questions, I can be reached at cmoss19@hotmail.com. Thank you for your prayers for Ukraine and desire to assist!!

War

War came to Ukraine this week, Thursday morning for us to be exact. We awoke to news of a Russian invasion with explosions in and around Kyiv. While processing this news still lying in my bed, having just opened my Bible, I heard a strange, unfamiliar sound of something flying through the air followed by an explosion that felt and sounded all too close. I jumped up to look out the window, fully expecting to see smoke, but there was none in view. Soon afterward came a second explosion, then quiet for a time, then two more explosions. Lutsk, my home for the past 8 years and the home of so many people I know and love, was under attack. I wanted to deny it, but my own ears had heard the unmistakeable sound and my own body had felt the rumble. Thankfully, this was the end of the explosions in Lutsk, but it was only the beginning of a completely new and unknown life in Ukraine. War had come to our country and even to our own city. 

We went to work at Agape as normal that day, even though things were far from normal. Our administration decided all patients would go home and Agape would close until it became clearer what war in Ukraine would look like and how our area would be affected. So we set about discharging patients and preparing Agape as per our leadership's instructions. Blocks, purchases long ago for future construction at Agape and standing in the nearby field, were brought by men and stacked in front of all first floor windows. People, our own people, would be living in Agape. For example, families who live on the upper floors of a 9-story building with no basement in which to take cover. And people with disabilities for whom it would be difficult to rapidly get to shelter at the sound of air raid sirens. Each night the number of people residing in Agape has grown and at least once they have all taken cover in the basement, bumping people in wheelchairs down the stairs and remaining there for several hours. 

When we finished work and began parting, it was unlike any other departure from Ukraine. This was not a closure for the winter holidays or for quarantine. None of us were going on vacation. Agape was closing because of war and we didn't know when or if we would see one another again. The following phrase has been spoken many times in the past few days when parting with a friend: "We will see each other again. If not here on earth, then in heaven." It's a sobering and difficult thought to realize it might very well be true that I will not see some of these beloved people again on earth. But, it is also a hope-filled thought to know that, as believers, this world is not the end of our existence. Eternity with God awaits, sooner or later. War heightens that awareness! 

It became apparent that we would need to depart Lutsk and so plans were made and remade and remade. By God's grace, friends in Uzhgorod, a Ukrainian city on the border with Slovakia and Hungary, agreed to receive us. So, for the many who are wondering if we are safe and have contacted me through various means to ask, now you know that yes, we are safe, praise the Lord. This is a peaceful and safe city with even the street lights still aglow when we arrived late last night. 

On Saturday, we drove through the Carpathian Mountains to Uzhgorod. Along with Sveta and I is her mother and a family from Kyiv. We have been given a house to live in by a former Agape patient and his wife. They have not been able to reside in this house since his traumatic brain injury several years ago, but graciously opened it up to us. God is good! Another young woman and her 12-year-old daughter made the journey with us and were welcomed by a local church. They are originally from Luhansk and fled the war there in 2014. They told us how they fully expected to return just a few months later, but haven't been back in the past 8 years! That thought was sobering to me as I drove away from our home yesterday, believing myself that I will be back before long. Will I really? Have I spent time with beloved friends, worked in Agape, worshipped at Fimiam Church, fellowshipped and studied the Word with my brothers and sisters in Christ at our home church, gone for a run in through the streets and fields and along the river in our village, sat and read by the fire in our home...for the last time? Would I really be back? I prayed so, but the uncertainty of it all made for a great internal turmoil while driving away from Lutsk. 

I honestly struggled with what to think and feel yesterday. I had no intense sense of fear that was driving me to depart, and so there was also no sense of relief as we drove away. There was an awareness that this was the right thing to do at this time, but that was also mixed with a lot of sadness, uncertainty, and questions. The first two hours of our drive is a very familiar stretch of road. I began thinking of all the times I've driven it and the reasons for traveling it. We go that way to get to the Lviv airport, either to take a trip ourselves or pick someone up who is coming to visit us. Or we go that way to get to the mountains for our summer vacation or our winter ski trips. Until this particular day, traveling on this stretch road was taking us somewhere exciting and adventurous or to someone we love and haven't seen in a long time. But not on this day. On this day we were refugees. We were leaving our home, driven by war to search for a safer place and not knowing when or if we would return. 

Our journey should have taken 6-7 hours under normal conditions, but in a country in a state of war it took over 15 hours with nearly 8 hours spent in long checkpoint lines. It was an exhausting day, but we were warmly welcomed when we arrived. 

Checkpoint line through the mountains

What else can I say of what I've witnessed, heard and experienced over the past four days? Here are just a few things: 

 

- Ukrainians are fighting! We know and read how the army is fighting and many volunteers in recent days have joined them to fight with weapons. We are thankful for their resolve, skill, and courage. We pray for their safety, strength, and victory. Average citizens, young and old, are also joining in the fight in whatever ways they can. Men are building checkpoints at strategic locations to protect their cities, villages, homes and families. They are standing guard, ready to defend by whatever means they have available. 

Men from Fimiam participated in building several checkpoints

- Ukrainians are helping one another! I can only begin to tell you how many ways this is happening. From gathering supplies (food, clothing, bedding, etc) for refugees flocking to the western cities and heading to the borders, to providing housing in churches for anyone seeking shelter when the air raid sirens go off (which is happening more and more frequently in Lutsk), to participating in the building of homemade checkpoints, to giving money to meet a variety of needs, to driving a bus full of women and children to the Polish border (men ages 18-60 are not allowed to leave Ukraine but are sending their families), to cooking meals for those seeking shelter in Agape...the list goes on and on and every person seems to be finding a way to help another. 

 

- Ukrainian churches are active! They are meeting the needs of people in their immediate community. Fimiam and other Lutsk churches are open for local citizens to seek temporary shelter or for refugees to find a place to reside. Once there, people also find food and encouragement from church members ready and willing to serve them. Churches are also out in the community seeking ways to help refugees and meet the needs of the citizens. And each evening Fimiam holds a time of general prayer for anyone able to attend. 

The "partially" underground Fimiam Church gymnasium, prepared to welcome shelter seekers. 

Sand bags to block the windows

These are difficult days and there is no guarantee of the final outcome of this war. So we plead with God for a Ukrainian victory, for the protection of citizens and soldiers, for our government leaders to have wisdom, for world leaders to maximize their assistance to Ukraine, and for peace to return to this country. Please continue with us in these prayers. We know God is in ultimate control, not any man. 

Thank you to the many people who have contacted me through various means in recent days and weeks. I have not yet been able to respond to each one personally, particularly over the past few days. But do know that I am blessed and encouraged by each message, inquiry, and especially declaration of prayer! The outpouring of love and prayer has been truly amazing and encouraging! Thank you!!!

Some people have inquired as to how they can assist financially in meeting needs in Ukraine. The needs of Agape, our ministry and people with disabilities will be fluid. Agape is closed indefinitely (meaning no source of income for Agape and ultimately its employees depending on the length of closure) and many of our people with disabilities are going to attempt to travel to Europe to be housed by some of our partners there. Needs have and will arise and they will vary as the days pass. If the Lord leads you to participate in meeting these needs, the best means to is through the US non-profit organization Agape Ukraine, Inc. Donations can be made on the website: agapeukraine.com. Select the English various of the website and you will see a "Donate" tab. Thank you in advance to any who participate in this way. 

Please feel free to share this blog via personal means of communication with anyone who may be interested. I only ask that you not publish any of this information or the link to this blog on your personal social media accounts. Thank you. 

Again, thank you to all who love and support Ukraine. We are in God's hands and pray for His mercy and a rapid end to this war.