An Update from Our Crisis Response Team Helping Ukrainian Refugees

As temperatures dropped last month, our team provided warm blankets, clothes, food, and more to hundreds of Ukrainian refugees in Moldova.

Small things bring big happiness

This past month our Moldova Crisis Response saw increased need in several areas due to dropping temperatures and fewer places offering resources for Ukrainian refugees. One of the ways in which our team at Justice & Mercy Moldova (JMM) maximizes our efforts to serve as many people as possible is through our clothing “store.” It offers a unique opportunity for refugees to come to a central location and find exactly what they need.

During one day of shopping, a woman looking for small shoes caught our attention. We went to assist her and learned that she is a mother of two, alone in Moldova. Her youngest can’t walk yet, but he needed shoes to keep his feet warm, which proved hard to come by. Our team helped her find the perfect pair, along with warm clothes for her older son.

When the baby got his new shoes, he couldn’t take his eyes off of them! He played with them the rest of their time in the store. It served as a poignant reminder to our team that something simple can hold a world of meaning for refugee families who’ve lost everything. As Cezara Moscalciuc, Head of the JMI Moldova Crisis Response Department, writes, “We are so blessed to be part of such small things that bring them big happiness.”

Your continued generosity makes these beautiful moments possible. In September, we were able to provide clothing for 44 families, made up of 124 people.

Sweet gifts for tiny hands

During the past month, many places in Chisinau that had been resources for refugees to find food and hygiene supplies closed. Although they hadn’t offered much, a family could cobble together enough from them to provide for themselves. With the closures, our team at JMM received an influx of requests. As always, we did our best to help every family and show them the love and grace of Christ.

Over 150 refugees from 43 families received food and hygiene supplies last month because of donors like you. One of them was a single mother who called us for urgent help. She was alone with three young children and didn’t have diapers. In her desperation, she also asked us for anything else we could spare.

Our team jumped into action, providing her with not only diapers, but also dairy, meat, grains, baby and kid foods, and hygienic supplies. When we arrived, the mother pulled us into hugs. She was surprised we had come quickly and brought so many things. Her little girls immediately grabbed the cookies from the bags. It was a bittersweet moment, as the mother explained that since they’d arrived as refugees, she couldn’t afford anything special for her children. Our team assured her that we would be here to help meet their needs.

Care For Two Refugee Centers for Ukrainians

This past month, we also met critical needs at two refugee centers. The Costesti Refugee Center contacted us worried because they didn’t have enough food for everyone in their care. Our JMM staff responded quickly and brought all the items requested from a long list, including: vegetables, dairy, meat, grains, and fruit. Afterward, the mayor reached out to thank us for this effort.

The Dumbrava Village Center also called us in need of medicine for their whole camp after a wave of colds and viruses came through. They house about 100 refugees, many of whom are children. Because of donors like you, our JMM team could say yes to this big request and provide enough medicine to help all the children and families at the center.

Medicine turned out to be a major need in September. One particular call came from a refugee with an urgent request for her husband. He had had a cerebral stroke and required a type of medication that they couldn’t find in drug stores. Thankfully, our medical assistant was able to order it from a big depot, and in a few days, we brought it to the sick man. His wife expressed deep gratitude for Justice and Mercy Moldova’s care for “every little person.”

Prayers for the future

Please continue to pray for the Ukrainian refugees and for God to show us how to meet their needs. Our team in Moldova has suggested some ways we can pray together:

• Please pray for protection from the cold weather.
• Keep praying for the refugees who are looking for jobs in Moldova.
• Pray for the refugee children who are studying online or going to school in Moldova.
• Pray for our staff to have continued wisdom and strength.
• Pray for the donors who are helping to care for the refugees.