It is Krasnogorovka. This is the hall of “Christ the Savior Church.” The church service will be started in half an hour, and yet the people come here earlier to get warmed. It is not always possible to lift the temperature in the apartment till 10 degrees above zero even with the help of the stove. And it is warm in the church. The brothers installed a big heater and held the water heating pipes in the hall and continue to stoke the fire day and night. Someone often fell asleep directly at the sermon. It happens when a person gets warmed and relaxed. They are not awakened and let to get a few minutes of rest to forget about winter and cold.

A low think grandmother entered the hall. She wore old coat and had a thick woolen shawl on her head. This is grandma Vera. Vera Voeikova, though she sometimes can’t even remember her last mane. She forgot her maiden name at all. She is 87 years old but still holds on. She even goes along the icy road to the church service. I approach her and sit down beside her.

– How are you, Grandma Vera?

– How am I? I’m fine! – She smiles in response. – I cooked potatoes yesterday… I still have some soup. I will heat it and eat for supper today. I don’t cook much… How much do I need? I have a small pot for two plates. I have water and porridge…

Vera reveals the secrets of her life to me for a long time. She will talk for hours if I don’t stop her. She has no one to talk to at home. Just a cat…

– Have you firewood? – I asked. – What you heat your stove with?

– You will not believe it, – Grandma Vera rejuvenated at once. – The firewood in my house was almost over. I cried and prayed. I used to pray: Lord, it will be very cold outside in a month or two and I already have no firewood, just a small heap of thin branches. How will I get warmed? Where will I get hot water for a cup of tea? And do you know what happened?

– What?

– I woke up in the morning and looked out of the window…And I saw a huge heap of firewood in my yard! Not round lumps but real already chopped firewood. Just take them and put directly into the stove! It is a miracle… The Lord sent me firewood, imagine?

Grandma Vera wipes the tears, still wants to say something, but the lump in her throat does not let her breathe out. She tries to calm down … Sometimes I hear only parts of her words – “It is the Lord …”, “right in the yard …”, “I look in the morning …”, “you would not believe …”

Firewood in the middle of winter for grandma Vera is certainly a miracle. They are chopped and not bought for the money. You can’t buy firewood for your pension now in Krasnogorovka. They are delivered into her yard. It is a miracle! We see miracles in Krasnogorovka every day. The trucks with firewood come to the town. They are unloaded right in the field, from where the people carry firewood to their homes on the sledges, bicycles or just pull the bags with firewood on the snow… But Grandma Vera…

The brothers in Christ chop the wood in the yard of the church every day for her and other elderly and weak widows. They work from morning to night and chop tens of cubes. Then they load the car and deliver firewood to grandmothers’ homes. So what, that they were not warned? So what, that they didn’t knock the window late at night? The elderly lady will wake up in the morning and see everything by her own eyes. She will say thank you to the Lord.

Whom else? It is He – God – motivates you, Partners of “Emmanuel” Association, to donate money for Krasnogorovka. Your money became food, clothing, stoves, medicines … And now they become firewood. A widow will get neither tea, nor soup, nor warmth without them…

Only God could make your hearts so kind. You often don’t expect even gratitude and it is enough for you when people say: “Praise the Lord!” Without them, the widow … no tea, no soup, no heat in the house … Only God could make your heart like that. Often you do not expect even gratitude – enough that people say: “Praise the Lord” This is a changed heart! Remember how Green in “Scarlet sails” wrote: “It is easy to give the penny when for a person the main thing is to get dear penny. But when the soul conceals the seed of fiery plant – miracle – make them a miracle, if you are able. You and that person will get new souls…”

Thank you. Thank you for everything you do.

Gennady Novikov, the press center of “Emmanuel” Association

We just remind that “CBN-Emmanuil” continues to help the people from the South-East of Ukraine.
To transfer financial support, enter here
Or inform us about your desire to become a partner by calling us at 0800-50-77-50.