Ukraine Refugee Aid
The war in Ukraine has displaced hundreds of thousands of people who are now fleeing into neighboring countries. One of them Is Romania where we have been partnering with the Richard Wurmbrand Christian School for years now. Cristi Lucaci is the headmaster of the school and a leader in his church. He, his staff, and people from his church are already working hard to serve the needs of these refugees. Below you will find updates from Cristi about the situation and the different things they are doing to serve and love those coming to them.
If you would like to contribute to their efforts in serving these refugees you can make a donation to Double Oak Community Church and choose the designation “Ukraine.” 100% of those contributions will go to the Wurmbrand Romanian Children’s Foundation which is managing these relief efforts.
But I also hope you’ll pray! Below you’ll find the names of specific families who have had to free Ukraine and are now being taken care of in Romania. Many times on the news we see people and have no idea their names or who they are. But we can pray for very specific people by name in the midst of this crisis. Please join me in praying for them as well as for Cristi, his staff at the school land the people of his church as they serve in Jesus’ Name.
Updates:
May 27, 2022
Our students put together another big load of backpacks with the gospel brochures, food, toys and stationary and we got them in the hands of Ukrainian children. Please pray as they read the brochures that the Lord may touch their hearts and minds.
I just got back home. Picked up a group of 35 kids/teenagers. They traveled for days from Poltava. They are going to stay with us for the next weeks. Please pray that they would be open to the Gospel.
Here are two lists of names we would ask you to join us in praying over.
April 14, 2022
Hope for Ukraine.- Evangelistic packet. Our students put in the bags: a gospel presentation in Ukrainian, toothpaste, toothbrush, crayons, snackbars, food cans, toys. We already filled up 200 of them.
I went to Ukraine to take supplies and encourage my pastor friend who is doing incredible work. His name is Vitali Rusnak. They need a van to shuffle refugees from the war zone and take the supplies that we deliver to them in those areas. There is a church in Germany who are paying 50% if we put 50%. Here are some pictures of the people in Kyev that they help.
-Cristi Lucaci
March 20, 2022
These people are coming to Iasi. The children are from orphanage. They are going to stay with us long term.
March 14, 2022
Another update from Cristi Lucaci, the headmaster of the Richard Wurmbrand Christian School:
Hello, Adam!
I was invited by Newsmax television to talk about the refugees from Ukraine. What is the situation at the border? What is the general impact we have on these people? What was our inspiration to help?
“Our school bears the name of Richard Wurmbrand who was a refugee and had a big heart for children and orphans. We were also inspired by Jesus Christ who himself was a refugee at one point in his life. So, we wanted to share our love with the Ukrainian people and give them hope!”
Please pray for me as tomorrow I am traveling into Ukraine to take supplies to our brothers.
Miss you!
Here is a list of medical supplies that are needed for the Ukrainian refugees. A small team will be taking these supplies in person to Iasi once we’ve collected enough. You can drop these supplies off at the Connections Desk in the Commons at Double Oak Community Church—Mt Laurel.
materials for treating wounds and burns including sterile wound care component and dressings
sterile bandages, gauze, etc.
Tegaderm
hemostatic agents and dressings
gloves (small, medium, large)
sterile gloves (size 7.5 and 8.0)
peroxide (small bottles)
alcohol (small bottles)
syringes (2cc, 5cc, 10cc, 20cc, 50cc) and associated needles of various sizes
suture kits / staple kits
Prolene sutures (2-0, 3-0, 4-0)
intubation kits and tubes
Braun Original Perfusor Line (150cm)
Braun Original Perfusor Line UV Protect (150cm)
Braun Mini-Spike (green)
antipyretics
antivirals
broad spectrum antibiotics
imipenem
Aminoven Infant 10%
tranexamic (Kapron, etc.)
ceftriaxone
naloxone
atropine
anti-inflammatory agents
cold medicines
pharmacetron
flashlights / penlights
scalpels
tweezers
sleeping bags
March 12th
During the last days in Iasi, we have helped with hosting a total of 95 refugees, of which half of them stayed more than two days. They came from different cities: Vinitsa, Kharkiv, Odessa, Kharkov, Kyiv, Dnipro, Bila Tserva and Nikolaev. Most of them want to head for Western Europe, although they have no relatives or friends who can help them there. We also have families who want to settle down in Iasi and they want us to find housing for short-time, in the hope that the war will soon end and they will return to their homes.
On March 7th, we organized a special program and a dinner dedicated for the Ukrainian women who arrived in Iasi. The lady teachers and the mothers from the school wanted to offer the refugees a time where they would find a welcoming community and encouragement. They also raised money to help our guests. The ladies shared about their experience with the war, the pain they have been going through not knowing what is going to happen to their loved ones and how they left behind everything, trusting God.
Bad weather does not help at all. For instance, on Friday, at the border it was 14°F and it snowed heavily. Russians bombed an area where there a sports camp was held in Ukraine. Seeing the desperate situation, the Christian teacher who was leading the camp took an old bus and drove with the 40 teenagers to the border. They contacted us and we helped them with accommodation and meals. It was heartbreaking to hear that these teenagers left their families behind, but they had to run to save their lives. We had an amazing time singing and praying together with them. Indeed, we came to realize that, nowadays, the words of the song “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow!” have a deeper meaning.
Throughout the time we have received refugees, our students and parents got involved with whatever they could: finding transportation, buying groceries, changing and washing linen, cleaning, preparing and serving food, donating clothes and shoes.
We would also like to thank you for making it possible for us to serve Jesus and to bring hope to these people. We have seen that together we can make a difference in the lives of these people who are going through such terrible times.
In the last group we hosted, God blessed us with the joy of having a larger family of Christians with whom we praised our Heavenly Father. This family preached the Gospel to the other refugees who did not know God. We praise God for the seed that was planted and we pray that it would bear fruit.
February 28th
Thank you very much for your support. We watched your service online yesterday.
We already helped 14 Christian families from Kiev and we gave out around $5000 for different needs: food, hygene products, diapers, green cards for travelling, food, trasnspoetation.
I am sending you the list with their names so the church can pray.
1. Bielousov 2 adults + 6 kids
2. Lubenskyi 2 adults
3. Okishor-Lazarev 3 adults + 3 kids
4. Stavisuk 2 adults + 3 kids
5. Radchenko 1 adult + 2 kids
6. Orlynskaya 1 adult + 2 kids
7. Gusar 3 adults + 2 kids
8. Gusar relatives 2 adults + 2 kids
9. Palatov 2 adults + 6 kids
10. Palatov 2 adults helpers
11. Trokoz 3 adults + 3 kids
12. Trokoz relatives 3 adults
13. Trokoz relatives 2 adults + 2 kids
14. Kotilskyi 2 adults + 4 kids
Our teachers are hosting the families in their homes. They are from Kyev and Cernauti. We pray with them and we are trying to provide encouragement for them.
We are going to buy bunk beds and mattresses so more people can have a place to sleep.
We partnered with Camp Cristia where they have over 100 refugees. Every two days we are sending over our students to help in the kitchen, to chop wood for heating, to take care of the little children, etc.
I will send more pictures.
Be blessed!
February 27th
Good morning!
We are at the border and we are helping with 100 refugees. We took them to camp Cristia. They are from Kyev and Cernauti.
We told one boy that we are going to pray for him, he replied: “Don’t pray for me, pray for my father who fights!
We are waiting for 30 people now in Iasi. 12 children and 18 adults.
Thanks for your prayers!
February 26th
Since you mentioned there are people who want to help, I am sharing this with you.
There are two buses with refugees that are going to arrive today in Iasi and we are going to provide them with lodging, food, hygiene products, etc. They are evangelicals, mainly women and children.
We have already been to the border and we some refugees in our homes already. Some of them are in transit and some are going to stay long term.
There is a 12 mile long wait at the border. One family who we have been waiting for left the car behind and the husband is walking his wife and daughter to the border and then he is heading back.
I attached several pictures from the border.
