For several years now, CBN-Emmanuel with the support of its Partners has been providing the conflict-affected people of eastern Ukraine with wood-burning stoves, heating boilers, firewood and peat briquettes.

On Christmas day, CBN’s friends in Europe also joined in to help by raising funds to provide 22 families with solid fuel (1 ton of peat briquettes per family).

On January 12,  CBN-“Emmanuel”‘s team went to the villages of Troitske and Luganske to deliver the long-awaited warmth. During the trip, we heard dozens of stories authored by war.

Viktor and Raisa have been friends for their whole lives. They were classmates and they became godparents of each other’s children when they had their own families. They were friends and had much fun rejoicing with their children and grandchildren… until the war came to their village. In January 2015, a projectile hit killing Raisa’s husband with a shell right in the heart. The same year Viktor found out about a throat cancer and he had a surgery after which he is not able to talk. Now they are the closest people who are learning to understand each other without words. Viktor’s wife came across a trip wire and the shells damaged her legs badly, but the couple is praising the Lord that she is still alive. They thank missionaries for helping them, for singing songs and talking to them about God… And the only thing that they need the most is peace – a lot of peace, to cover both sides of the conflict!

In order to survive in this freezing winter, four brothers moved together into one small house in the outskirts of their village. Missionaries found them there and they started a home church in their house. When I asked one of them “How is this helping you in your life?“, the answer was “It helps us a lot! These missionaries are doing a great job! They teach us to forgive. What do you do when someone has done something bad to you? It appears that you need to forgive. It’s not that you should let them beat you again, but rather to step back and forgive them and not to let these people into your life any more. This would be a wise thing to do“.
These four adult men have seen so much pain in their lives. But God has not left them. He found them in the outskirts of their village and made their small home a place of prayer and salvation. And He also delivered some peat bricks to make them warm. He is an amazing God!”

We thank all friends and partners CBN EUROPE,  who answered the call for help the conflict-affected people of Donbass!