GNU Serves Ukrainian Refugees
Mar 21, 2015 1981
Refugee families and their children who were attending the gospel-based evangelistic program. Eliezer and Philip are at the rear.
In their recent trip to the city of Poltava, Eliezer Gonzalez and Philip Rodionoff found the small city of 300,000 people inundated with 10,000 refugees from the conflict in East Ukraine. The Lord provided GNU with significant opportunities to not only share the joy of the gospel with them, but also to minister to their material needs.
These refugees, from the war-torn cities in east Ukraine such as Luhansk and Donetsk, told us of horrific events, including having their homes shelled and flattened, the loss of loved ones, and having people buried in the own front yards They fled their homes with very little, and often with nothing. Understandably, some of them did not want to talk about their experiences.
Refugees with the book, Jesus Only
Eliezer and Philip shared the hope of the gospel with these beautiful people – nine refugee families attended the gospel-based evangelistic programme that they ran. They also made a monetary gift from GNU to those families, as well as giving them a copy of Des Ford’s book Jesus Only. Most of these people accepted the gospel, and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour as a result of the programme. Additionally, four refugees were baptised.
Ludmilla and Eliezer
Ludmilla, one of these ladies who was later baptised, said to Eliezer when she received GNU’s gift,
I used to be a business–woman in Luhansk. Thank you! I feel ashamed to have to receive help. I will find a way to work again and I will repay the money.
Eliezer said to her,
It’s a gift, like the gospel. You will never need to repay it.
A young refugee is baptised at the end of the programme
The refugees who accepted the gospel had a common but heartfelt message for believers in other countries:
If you live in a country where there is peace, then thank God that you have not seen war. Now we know how horrific it is. Please pray for us and please don’t forget us. Pray that God will never bring you through these trials, but if He does, be faithful and know that Jesus will always be by your side.
A store of Jesus Only books has been left in Ukraine to further minister to these refugees, and GNU is exploring further ways to further the gospel ministry to refugees and others in Ukraine.
– Eliezer Gonzalez
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