Helping Hands
The war in Ukraine is creating a state of emergency that is suddenly very close to us in (supposedly) safe Switzerland. A testimony, and a note of thanks.
There are multiple wars worldwide, as well as a great deal of misery and hardship, but few would have expected things to turn out the way they did—practically on our doorstep. We at Midnight Call Ministries International, along with our local church, are witnessing how seeming certainty can turn to great uncertainty within a very short period of time. The decision was quickly made that we wanted to help the helpers, and so it came about that our Maranatha House became a way station for refugees from Ukraine.
As I write this, we’ve already been able to support two transports of refugees, and pick up people in Dübendorf. It would be far beyond the scope of this letter to describe all the experiences we’ve had; suffice it to say, we can only praise and thank the Lord for His help through problems, big and small. Whether it was the challenge of getting through customs from Romania, arriving by car in Dübendorf, or being fully responsible for the refugees’ care, it’s so wonderful to know He is watching over it all.
The need is huge. These are new experiences that we’re going through. We’ve gotten to know siblings with only the clothes on their backs, or mothers and children who don’t know whether they’ll ever see their husband or father again.
We’re calling this campaign “Helping Hands.” The helping hands belong to the Christian relief organization Light in the East (https://www.lio.org/en/), which organizes the transports out of the war zone. Helping hands are also provided by the many volunteers from our church who keep Maranatha House running. Our guests, some of whom arrive completely traumatized from dreadful emergency conditions, aren’t just with us for a few hours; some remain for several days until good accommodations are found. A helping hand is needed simply to be there: working in the kitchen, washing laundry, navigating bureaucracy, or keeping the children occupied.
Therefore, a big thank you to all of our dear friends who make “Helping Hands” possible in the first place. It is a clear and visible testimony of Jesus’ love in action, for His glory.
Midnight Call - 08/2022
