Ukraine Series: An Overview
Just a few days after Russia invaded Ukraine, OMS missionaries were among the first to cross the border between Hungary and Ukraine to begin providing relief and support to the Ukrainian people. A small group crossed the border into Ukraine on February 27, carrying a van filled to bursting with basic non-perishable food to be shared with the lines of people waiting at the border, attempting to flee from Ukraine. What we didn’t know at the time was that this would be the first trip of many. Thanks to our partners and missionaries, OMS has provided almost 500,000lbs of food to Ukraine since the war began.
After the initial trip and seeing the great need, the team kicked into high gear, creating a multi-pronged approach. Missionaries from across the region travelled into Hungary and up to the border to help. The biggest need to begin with was simply helping people get out of Ukraine safely and figure out their next steps. For this, translators from the OMS team in Israel, where there exists a large Russian and Ukrainian population, were invaluable as they cared for people at the border; offering them help and hope in their native tongues. Many of those fleeing had destinations in mind, but because they had fled so quickly, they needed help with rides to Budapest in order to catch trains and planes to their final destinations, as well as find places to stay. In this way, the team stepped up, making multiple trips a day to shuttle people into the major transportation hub of Budapest.
Many people also needed short-term accommodations, and for this purpose, the OMS Ministry Center in Budapest transformed into housing with multiple cots, a shower to get clean, laundry, and even toys and stuffed animals to comfort little ones.
After the initial waves of people escaping the country, it became clear that supplies were still desperately needed within Ukraine, and this led to phase two of the relief effort. Working alongside national partners in Hungary, the team created a schedule for ordering and delivering food almost six days a week from March until July. On Mondays, a team loaded up multiple large transit vans with literal tons of food and crossed the border to deliver to partners within Ukraine. They would then return to Hungary to pick up another load and repeat the process the next day, until Saturday, often waiting in line at the border for 2-5 hours at a time. After delivering food to our partners in Ukraine, the food was then shared with cities in need, including Kharkiv, Bucha, and Mariupol.
As the war continues today, it is clear that the need is still great. This has led to phase three, in which our focus is even more targeted. OMS missionaries have returned to Kyiv to minister to their communities and people, providing physical help, and even more importantly, spiritual support and prayer during this difficult time. Teams outside of Ukraine continue to deliver basic food supplies to our partners, but on a reduced schedule as their focus has narrowed in on specifically supporting the network of pastors they have come into contact with in Ukraine. Most of these pastors are absolutely worn out. They have been giving everything to their communities for the past nine months, often leaving themselves and their families with nothing.
And because they never fled their homes, instead choosing to stay and serve their communities in the midst of war, they do not qualify for any Ukrainian governmental relief and often go without because of this. In order to fill this gap, OMS is now focused on creating Pastor Relief Pallets of food and supplies to sustain our network of 320 pastors and their families for a month at a time.
We continue to covet your prayers and donations as this war drags on. Together we are able to be the hands and feet of Jesus for those in desperate need.
