As we are driving through sunny Germany it feels like the war in Ukraine is very far away, but nothing is farther from the truth. As we come closer to our destination Krakow I start to realize the severity of the situation even more. The past one and a half week we have been hearing and seeing the terrible stories on the news, but now that we are actually driving there within one day, it becomes more real. Before I write more about how things are on the road so far, let’s go back to the past few days when the Ukraine Relief Fund was put into place in a very short amount of time. When Jo-ine told me last Wednesday that they were planning to go to the border of Ukraine to deliver basic nesecities I was very surprised to hear how fast everything was set up. Saturday and Monday people could drop off goods at the Bredestraat 19 and the response was overwhelming. The message was shared from mouth to mouth and many people came to deliver toiletries, toilet paper, diapers, flashlights and other products. At some point a fully packed van stopped and what happened was that a whole neighborhood had worked together to collect as much as possible. I also remember when we where packing the truck how everyone that walked past, looked and when they noticed what we were doing encouraged us. It was beautiful to see the church being visible and active for the good cause, especially on a busy day in the city center when people are busy buying, being concerned with their looks and status. The contrast seemed so big. ‘You are the light of the world’ said Jesus, ‘when they see your good deeds they will praise our Father in heaven’. (Matthew 5:14 & 15) Being Gods hands and feet, that is what we are and the fact that so many people donated and shared what they have in time and money shows Gods heart for the broken and the hurt. The past few days was the body of Christ at work with all its different talents and capacities, so thank you!
So, eventually after spending yesterday a lot of money at the Sligro, the truck was fully filled and ready to go. Supplied with freshly baked banana bread for breakfast we started driving at 5am this morning. Redeemer Den Hague joined us in Dortmund and from there a slow heavy caravan of a truck, a van and a car started to cross Germany towards the East. As the hours past, God painted the sky in the most beautiful colours and we felt blessed to drive on such a beautiful day. After many songs from the 80’s, good talks, jokes through the walkie talkie and kilometers of concrete we had an amazing lunch provided by Redeemer Den Hague. The journey continues and we are so grateful to know that there are many people with us in thoughts and prayers. A few more hours to go and I am curious to see what will happen the following days. I will keep you updated.
On behalf of Redeemer Maastricht,
With love,
Hester
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