WAR

 

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    This past week, we returned to Mykolaiv with 5 full vans of food. Mykolaiv is a city on the front lines of war. This is a story about my most dangerous day yet. 

 

       There is no going back.

    We had just passed the coastal city of Odessa and now working our way around a military truck.  I peered in as we passed by, the soldiers waving to us and some nodding their heads. It only took a second to notice these men, some my age and even younger. They are crammed in the back of the semi going to a place I cant even imagine. 

    I could sense these men were tough and so courageous, but I could see straight into their eyes,  a fear or a weariness. 

     They were on their way to Mykolaiv where Russians had been making an offensive. Were they on the way to the front lines? We also were on our way to Mykolaiv… 

     As we arrived to the church in Mykolaiv, we hear the news, we have to go quick. 2 vans to one location, and 3 vans following the military escort to another location. 

        I was in the group following the military escort, as we jumped in the vans and headed on our way. My team member turns to me and gives me the run down. The Chaplain has told us to put on our body armor and helmets, which we don’t have…. 

     The Chaplain has told us we have to move quick, the Russians are attacking and there has been small arms fire in the village we are going to.  The Russians could break through any minute, so we have to go FAST. 

      As we raced down the road away from Mykolaiv into the unknown, military presence was high. On the ride, I saw the Ukrainian military lining up with guns in hands and along the trenches.  All the while, soldiers digging more trenches.

     We take a sharp right turn unto a dirt road, right into the direction of the front. I see black smoke billowing on the horizon, in the direction we are going.    

              At this moment, things have suddenly jumped to a possible, no return. Fear tries to come in, but we are committed and there is no going back. I turn to my team member and tell him there is only one hope now, I pray a deep prayer asking for protection, and I connect to the speaker and begin to play “Surrounded, this is how I fight my battles”. The songs lyrics consist of this… 

 

This is how I fight my battles

It may look like I’m surrounded

But I’m surrounded by You

 

It is a repetitive song, which was perfect for our circumstances. We arrive to the old village, which looks straight outta the 60s Soviet Union. It is another village that had recently been liberated. 

    We back the vans up to a house that is taking the food, the neighboring houses are destroyed and around a dozen of people come to help, including a couple kids on bicycles. I hop into the back of the vans and begin tossing the food out into the long assembly line of humans we had made. We worked fast, building up a sweat, and then prayed and got out of there. As it turned out the village was actually safe that day. 

     The church told us, they are keeping only half the food for their village and they will take the other half personally to another church in a village further in, deep in conflict. Pulling out we stirred up the dust behind us, slowing down for not even a pothole.  Pedal to the metal to a safer place.  

      On the highway, an old lady was walking and saw us barreling down the road, she immediately stopped and stood up straight saluting us. That moment hit us hard and brought tears to many eyes. An old woman who looked worn and feeble just saluted us. This simple action spoke thousands of words, how thankful these people are.  

     As we get back, we are invited to some Uzbekistan peoples house, where we worship and pray, and I am met with overwhelming hospitality! I immediately bonded with these people when I told them I had lived in Kyrgyzstan a couple months ago.  The house was full of joy. 

     Sitting down at the table, we heard a number of testimonies, many people are coming to Christ. Testimonies of old people walking for days without food and sleeping in farmlands.

     One testimony, that sticks with me is from one of the women who fed me… she turned to the window in the kitchen and said every time the air raid sirens go off she gets on her knees, behind the brick wall in the kitchen and prays for protection. One day, as the siren was ringing, she was praying, and then a missile plummeted down and landed in her neighbors house, but it was faulty and did not explode!!  The missile could have blown up the block, and she would’ve died, but I believe God protected her and her household. 

       As we arrived back to the church after dinner, I heard something loud and looked behind me, missiles had just plummeted down behind us. 

     Later at night, the church we stay at, where many seek shelter begins to worship and pray as the air raid sirens are ringing. Bombs are falling and artillery strikes are pounding the city.

  This is how they fight 

 

    I go to the “attic” where we spend the night, the building is rattling from the bombs falling, all night long it sounds like the 4th of July.

       I pray and then sleep like a baby.  

   This is how I fight my battles, I let God protect me.

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:”

1 John 3:16-19 NIV

 

If you want to give, our vehicles are taking a beating, and food and gas cost a lot of money.  

https://ajesusmission.org/ukraine-response/.    

 

    No one on A Jesus mission makes a salary, all are self funded missionaries, money given goes directly to Ukraine Response.  

    We partner with churches, who will be there long-term for the people.  These churches don’t make people convert or follow a certain denomination, they just love like Jesus does and give to whoever is in need

 

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 This happened about three weeks ago, since then I have been back to Mykolaiv multiple times. Ukraine has made a good counter offensive in the region. But currently Mykolaiv is still getting bombed. Ukraine is losing around 200+ soldiers a day, from what I have heard. The future is unknown.

Last week, I visited a church we brought food to weeks prior. I was shown pictures of food bags, the people receiving, and heard about the need. Many people are displaced people as is, many peoples houses have been destroyed (last week I walked around the city before curfew, entire blocks of apartments ten stories high destroyed. Colored in a black from fire and windows busted out. 

One van load of food was able to feed 300 people for I believe two weeks, many receiving are the elderly, widows, and displaced people. 

Pray for us and Ukraine.

Mykolaiv is just one of the cities under constant fire.

-Sam Osuna