Assistance to Ukraine comes in many forms—material supplies, caregiving, evacuation, psychological support to name a few. And the toll it takes on those providing it varies, also. One pastor bringing trucks to distribute food, water, and other necessities to Bucha told an interviewer, “The stories make me cry so much that I can’t stop. Probably when war is over, I will take days to just grieve over everything I have seen. Right now, I put it in a can, and I just store it away until I am ready to cry. Sometimes I want to cry, but I understand if I shut down into my weeping hole, I will stop moving forward and then a lot of people will not eat or have some strength …” 

As the war in Ukraine continues in its seventh week, let’s pause for a moment and pray for the caring, brave, exhausted and traumatized individuals who are doing what they can to help others endure the war. Than you for upholding these incredible servants!

• Let’s especially remember our partners and others traveling in and out of areas that have been heavily shelled. They have been witnesses to unspeakable horror. Please pray that they will gain access to trauma care services that can assist them assist them to process what they have experienced—spiritually, emotionally and physically.

• Pray for our partners serving those who are unable to evacuate by providing food, medicine, personal hygiene products, and water. Please pray for their protection along with provision and stamina to continue to serve all who come to them for relief.

• Ask the Lord to encourage those who are caring for orphans and vulnerable children, both inside Ukraine and in areas set up for refugees. Some are working to get the children trauma therapy and counseling. Others have enrolled children in schools or help them with online school lessons. Ask God to provide the necessary resources for them to care for these children while processing their own traumas.

• Please pray for the team helping 50+ aged-out teens evacuate from the East to safer areas in the West. They recently secured a home in Romania that is sheltering many of the aged-out teens who were able to evacuate, and are able to provide food as well as and skills training and coaching. Please pray for protection, logistics with evacuation, and provisions, as well as for wisdom and discernment as they navigate this situation.

• We know of a few teams that are providing trauma care services and support, one to Ukrainian caregivers on how to deal with the anxiousness caused by the war, either experienced by them or the children in their care. Pray that many will learn of such services and be helped!

• An additional team has recently added psychological aid support as part of services offered by their hotline, as well as legal assistance for many who have questions concerning evacuation to nearby EU countries. In addition, they continue their large-scale national effort to evacuate tens of thousands of orphans, children with disabilities, and families with children, to the West within Ukraine and nearby EU countries. Please pray for those working the hotline as well as safety, logistics and provisions for the daunting task of moving hundreds of children at a time to safety. They also need the Lord’s wisdom in the next phase of efforts during this time of crisis.

• Another of our team members has begun a project in Freiburg, Germany to provide psychological aid to evacuated orphans, vulnerable children, and their caregivers to help them process atrocities from the war. Pray for them as they provide this invaluable service, and for children and caregivers who have experienced immense trauma to be healed.

• One of our teams is supporting local churches and other organizations, helping transport Ukrainian refugees from the border to Bucharest. They are also working with national media (TV and radio stations) to correctly inform the Romanian population on the ways they can help and how to prevent child / human trafficking. Pray that the Lord would assist them in their efforts and also provide the necessary funding.

• Also pray for those, like one of our partners, who are helping to rebuild simple model homes for families. They ask for us to pray for wisdom in knowing what villages to start in and for The Lord’s provision.

• A organization with whom we work, along with several churches within their network, quickly mobilized and created Ukraine Bucharest Churches (UBC22) to serve Ukrainian refugees, providing critical care in multiple ways. Please pray for provision to cover the related costs, wisdom in navigating the details, and for refugees to see God’s love at work.