Day 2: 1,500 Refugees Fed

By John Ross · Ukraine, Romania

We headed to an undisclosed location in Ukraine along with Fight For Freedom,bringing in food and supplies from Romania.

It was the deepest we’d gone into Ukraine as a team and you could tell by the sides of the streets. Barricades were present, cement barracks were on the side of the road and soldiers patrolled with machine guns. The Russians had yet to make it this far into the country but as a strategic point along a River, the nation was in a constant ready mode.

As we neared closer to our drop off location, we came across beautiful castles, established in the 14th century. We all looked out our van in awe at the marvelous structures. Soon, we saw lines and lines of people. But then, in an instant, our hearts sank. We noticed the lines were going in two separate directions.

One line was vacationers going to the castle which met up with another line going the opposite direction, this line was for food. There were 1,500 refugees to the city that were waiting for Fight For Freedom’s arrival to pass out food and supplies.

More stories

Day 3: Renewal

In April 2022, while 501 Collective was in Suceava, we were taken to a house in a rural area. “I know these people who could really use some help,” we were told. The home had become unlivable. With leaks in the roof, animal infestations, and multiple hazards, the children had to move in with relatives to a safer space while the parents went through each day ‘surviving.’

Day 1: A Smile and Hello

Sometimes a smile, hello, and a mustache can make all the difference. Alec and I (John) were the first two to arrive in Bucharest. I met Alex at arrivals and we made our way to our Gate downstairs. We found a corner table at the café. Alex, rocking a fresh thick mustache spotted another thick mustache wearing guy walking by and said, “Hey, where you from?”

Meet Jack

‘We were driving around mines and dead bodies… and had to delete the photos from our phone because if the soldiers caught us with those, they’d shoot us right there. I was told at the Russian post that I’d be shot if I had any photos on my phone.’ “I am from Ukraine, from a beautiful city by the sea Mariupol. When the war began, I moved from my district to another, as they were already starting to shoot at our city. We were shelled for a very long time, we hid in a small basement. On March 13, we decided to leave the city with prayers, then there were no green corridors. We didn’t know about it, because we were cut off from the whole world, there was no light, no water, no communication. We prayed for a very long time and trusted the Lord. And we decided to leave. At the exit from Mariupol, there were mines, grenades, the corpses of the military, we only left with God’s help from there. When we arrived to a safe place, we drove for two days. The pastor of the local church received us and sheltered us. Then, through believers, we learned about this place, and came here (Emaus Center) to wait for my wife and children who are now making passports. From the very beginning of the war, I understood a lot, I didn’t pray often in my life, I wasn’t often at home, I devoted little time to my family, this is all wrong. Wherever I was, a shell could fly at any moment, but God heard my prayers, covered me and my family in His palms, and protected me all this way from Mariupol to Suceava.”