The year 2020 is behind us. It was a year that will go down in history. The year in which everything suddenly changed for many people. Travel, too, came to a virtual standstill.
However, this should not prevent eight of our brothers and four fully loaded trucks with 22 tons of potatoes and 3500 Christmas packages from visiting our brothers and sisters in the Lord in Ukraine and Moldova and handing them the aid supplies.
Last year, we had the pleasure of collaborating with the municipalities of Salzgitter-Lebenstedt, Salzgitter-Bad, Broistedt, Braunschweig, Gifhorn, and Osterode on the Christmas parcel collection. In the end, we collected approximately 1,000 Christmas parcels with a total weight of over 5 tons.
So, on December 11, 2020, we set off with some brothers from Bremen, Lappenstuhl, Tostedt, and Salzgitter toward that country. We didn't know what to expect along the way or how we would get through the customs checkpoints. But we knew that we were traveling with the Lord and that He Himself was our guide.
I come from Salzgitter (point A on the map) and shared my truck with a brother from Lappenstuhl. We traveled with four trucks and eight brothers to transport the maximum amount of goods and donations across the border.
We met up with the other three trucks from Bremen on the A2 motorway heading towards Poland and set up our radios so we could stay in contact along the way. We shared our testimonies, sang, prayed, and discussed the Word of God. It was a good and uplifting fellowship, and we realized we were driving on a mission: on God's mission!
After a few hours, we crossed the border into Poland. After about another 12 hours of driving, we approached the Ukrainian border at Krakovets (point B) and asked ourselves: "What awaits us there? Will we get through customs quickly and without any problems?"
Salzgitter (A) - Krakovets (B) - Ivano-Frankowe (C) - Kremenets (D) - Pervomaysk (E) - Tatarbunary (F) - Izmail (G) - Oserne (H)
I had already been to Ukraine and other regions of the world several times, but I always feel a certain tension before crossing a border. Not all trucks got through customs smoothly. But after some difficulties, when a customs officer learned that we were transporting humanitarian aid, she simply let our truck and us continue on our way.
To effectively and simultaneously distribute the goods you had prepared to many people in need in eastern Ukraine, we split up. We continued on to Ivano-Frankove (Point C). Here, our goods were inspected and accepted by customs. We left part of our cargo, such as mattresses, beds, and clothing, in this town. From there, we continued on Ukrainian roads to Kremenets (Point D).
Here we met two of the other trucks to reload the aid supplies. Our truck was now emptier, and we bought 6 tons of rice, pasta, and buckwheat flour in the city. This food benefited many more people.
We reached our next destination on Wednesday, the fifth day after our departure from Germany. The town is called Pervomaysk (Point E). Things look very different here than in the West. There are few businesses, the people are poorer, and often can't even afford basic foodstuffs and other essential goods. In addition, the community is sheltering displaced persons from the Crimean region. That same evening, we were able to visit some of the families and deliver food to them.
Pervomaisk: Families receive Christmas packages and locally purchased food
The following day, we handed over the 180 allocated Christmas packages to the congregation, which the children were to receive at Christmas. At the same time, in consultation with the church council, we also gave the congregation (approximately 150 members) €6,000. This money will be used in the future to support refugees, mostly larger families and widows.
Despite the often deplorable conditions and scarcity, we encountered happy and, above all, grateful people here. From the bottom of their hearts, and often with tears of emotion, they thanked you and God for our visit and for God's thought of them. Later, back in Germany, we received further expressions of gratitude for the help we had provided. To God be the glory!
With joyful hearts, we continued our journey – past Odessa – and reached Tatarbunary (Point F), where we bought coal for widows in need to last them through the winter. People who didn't know how they would survive the winter were extremely grateful for this gift.
Our truck then headed towards our next stop, "Ismajil" (point G). Here we unloaded 1 ton of buckwheat, 2 tons of rice, 3 tons of pasta, and 1 ton of clothing. We saw radiant satisfaction, joy, and immense gratitude in the eyes of the people we met.
During unloading
The place is about 2,200 km from home; in a region on the Black Sea where, in 2020, the harvest was less than what people had sown. It's unimaginable for us what this meant for the people in the region. But God provides for His people. Our abundance becomes a source of life and blessing for other members of our faith community. We spent blessed hours with them in worship and at a heartfelt meal. It's wonderful to see and experience how God truly provides for us.
The next morning we drove to "Oserne" (point H), 15 km away. There we all met up again. Here too, we were able to encourage our brothers and sisters in several church services.
All glory and thanks belong to God alone, that He has moved your and our hearts to this good work. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and practice faithfulness” (Ps 37:3).
Municipality of Salzgitter
Dennis Sawtschuck
