Taking aid and hope to Ukrainians in need
Elijah Morar is the pastor of Rock of Ages Church in Oradia, Romania. Since the war with Ukraine began, he has been working hard to find homes for Ukrainian refugees. He has also been able to deliver much needed resources over the border into the Ukraine as well. Read about his recent road trip.
In the last few days I took a trip to Moldova and a short journey into Ukraine. It was a life-changing experience. We all imagine what things might look like until we see and hear people, and witness the situation with our own eyes.
My friend and I decided to take this trip rather than just sending goods to the people there. To be honest I wanted to make sure that all of our / your efforts are getting to the people that need it and not just to a storage place.
I could not imagine that this trip would be so emotional. We got to the border of Moldova, and we had to wait four hours for the paperwork to be cleared. Then we headed to the customs office in Edenet. It brought back so many memories of the times when we were under the communist regime.
It was late that day, after 20 hours of driving, that we got to the refugee centre. Over 800 refugees were pretty much stacked like sardines into a building.
When we got there, we realised that this war is real. Seeing people with bullet wounds (kids, mothers, teenagers…) takes a great toll on your emotions.
It was amazing to see how love and compassion are an international language. No, I was not able to play with the kids, no, I was not able to share Jesus by preaching to them, no, I was not able to hug them and tell them that I love them. The only thing that I was able to do was to weep with them.
We unloaded the goods from our truck and everyone who was able helped us. The mayor of the city told me that this was a gift from God because they had absolutely nothing and people had missed meals already because there was nothing left to give them. They told me that they have no money for bread and water. When they saw the goods, it was their turn to weep… to see mothers and kids eating for the first time in 24 hours was emotional!
When they saw the goods, it was their turn to weep… to see mothers and kids eating for the first time in 24 hours was emotional!
We took some of the goods to a Ukrainian storage unit about 25 miles from the border. That part of the drive was quiet, although the level of stress and the tension was sky-high. Then we headed home, knowing that we had done everything we could.
It was a good feeling, and I was glad to cross the border into Romania again! We were the only car at the border, and it was after midnight, but we still had to wait at the border for 40 minutes!
We stopped for the night in a motel. No, I was not able to sleep, but at about 3am I think my brain finally shut off after over 30 hours of being on the road. As I am writing this, I think about what a mother of 8 kids told me when I gave her a bag full of goods: “God still has His angels… sometimes they are in the form of humans…”
It was good to serve, but none of this would have been possible without your help. I want to thank you so much for all you have done! Yes, God has His angels - and sometimes they are in the form of humans.
It was good to serve, but none of this would have been possible without your help. I want to thank you so much for all you have done!
Rock of Ages Church has received support through Union Mission for their efforts in church planting in Romania. Find out how you can partner with us: