Ukraine Update: Answered prayer for fuel

UPDATE: February 28, 2022

Thank you for continuing to pray for TWR’s partners in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Your prayers are heard in heaven, and their impact is being felt.

Among the prayer requests we shared on Sunday, Feb. 27, was that our Ukrainian director* would be able to fill his vehicle with gasoline. As you may recall, he and his team had traveled about 300 km (roughly 185 miles) on Saturday to a place that is still in Ukraine but farther away from the fighting. They needed a full tank in case additional travel became necessary.

Not only were motorists waiting in long lines for gas, but an 8 p.m. curfew meant our director needed to purchase gas before then.

Praise God! Although he had to wait for five hours, our director was able to buy gas in time. On Monday, Feb. 28, he was on his way to deliver fuel to some of his close contacts so they could continue their journeys.

God uses a false alarm

The search for fuel plays a factor in another story from Ukraine that illustrates how God’s hand is at work amid the horrors of war.

In this case, it was a member* of a TWR studio in Eastern Ukraine. He has been fleeing with his wife, their handicapped child and his mother, who also needs care, trying to reach the border of a neighboring country. On Sunday night, they were about to purchase gas at a station when warning  sirens sounded. They turned off the road to a settlement where God guided them to the woman in charge of coordinating temporary accommodations. Because of this, the family had shelter for the night.

It turned out that the sirens were a false alarm, and our team member was able to get gas for the vehicle after all. On Monday, they were back on the road.

Although this team member is in the age group of men required to stay in Ukraine to fight for their country, he has been given permission to leave because he is the father of a handicapped child.

United in prayer

In addition to the search for fuel and long waits, food shortages are affecting the people of Ukraine. TWR’s Ukraine director and his family, in addition to sharing fuel, also are eating less of the food they purchased so they can distribute more of it to others in need.

Our director’s mother-in-law also is with the family now, and she requires constant care.

Frank Stephenson, TWR Europe’s communications director, notes that believers in Belarus and Russia are in inner turmoil and shock about the situation facing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. For example, TWR’s ministry friends in Russia are sharing in “A Prayer Time for Peace” each morning. They must be very careful how they choose their words.

Although talks were being held on Monday between negotiators from Kyiv and Moscow, media were reporting that expectations were low, and the fighting continued.

Citing a Ukrainian official, the BBC reported that dozens of civilians had been killed in Russian missile strikes against Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. The United Nations refugee agency reports more than half a million refugees so far have fled Ukraine for neighboring countries.

*Names withheld for security reasons.

Please join us in prayer

• We thank you, dear God, for the marvelous answers to prayer large and small that we have already witnessed: blessings upon the Ukraine team member pushing toward the border with his family, including a disabled child and sick mother; the ability of the ministry to furnish food for some needy households; and gasoline for our team director so he can travel when necessary and even assist other refugees. We are deeply concerned for our co-workers, Father, and we are grateful for your provision and watch over them.
• Lord, please continue giving the Ukraine team director wisdom along with physical and emotional strength as he bears the weighty responsibilities of leading the ministry and ensuring the safety of his family as normal life collapses around him.
• Touch the lives of all our brothers and sisters suffering in this conflict, God, including those in Russia and Belarus. Although they are not under military attack, many believers in these countries – and especially those who serve with TWR partners – are experiencing emotional turmoil and deep concern for their brethren in Ukraine.
• As peace talks proceed in Belarus, Lord, work in the hearts and mind of national leaders and negotiators. Guide them toward an early peace and just resolution to this crisis.