Bringing the Bread of Life to Occupied Mariupol, Ukraine

Bringing the Bread of Life to Occupied Mariupol, Ukraine…through Russia!

(A .pdf version of this update, with photos, is available HERE.)

Converge’s Ukraine Relief Fund has been able to send desperately needed resources of food, medicines, and hygiene items to the largely destroyed and Russian occupied city of Mariupol. Using on-going connections within the Russian Church, teams have traveled from south-central Russia into the ravaged city. For obvious security reasons, names of individuals and organizations will not be used.

Three nourishment centers for the local people have been established, serving lunch to 11,000 people, who also hear the gospel ofChrist. Seven teams of 5-6 people traveled to the city in August and September. Below are some firsthand reports from those efforts:

• It’s like a scene from a computer game. Empty streets. Bombed houses. Hungry children. Graves near playgrounds.
• “There is my apartment,” a man points out a black charred building with is finger. “Nothing remains by my memories.”
• A woman shares in a monotone, emotionless voice, “I would like to find and bury my sons bones. My daughter who was 17 ran to the well to get some water, but when she was running back home, she was caught in the crossfire. I saw her falling on her knees and her eyes closing forever. They cannot find my 5-year-old son to remove his body from the rubble.
• A team member shares: “People do not have water supply or electricity. Elevators do not work in apartment buildings. Shelves in the shops are empty, and people wait 10 hours for a chance to by petrol. People gather branches and use self-made stoves to make tea and cook whatever food they can. In especially difficult times cats are caught and roasted to feed families.”
• Daily Bible studies take place with 30 attending at one site. More than 300 people attend daily church services that are held in two shifts. Twenty-seven adults have come to faith, and 16 have been baptized.

The Ukraine Relief Fund is continuing to provide resources to local churches, pastors, and refugee services throughout the country – including in the Russian-occupied zones. To support these efforts, go to https://converge.org/missions/world-relief.

Pray for peace in Ukraine. Converge's Ukraine Consortium holds monthly online prayer meetings. Contact Dr. Dan Peterson (dan@convergemidatlantic.com), or Bob Marsh (bmarsh@converge.org) for information.

In addition, please pray for the workers (from many nations) who risk their lives to bring the Bread of Life and life-giving bread to the hurting, trapped, and displaced.