Meet Sergei Buchin! He is the parishioner of a Baptist church and lives with his wife Nadezhda in the remote village of Chasiv Yar, Ukraine. When the war began, Sergei and his wife made a decision, at the risk of their lives, to stay in Chasiv Yar to help others.
Most of the people that live around Sergei and his family are elderly women over 70 years of age. Life in the midst of war-torn Ukraine is incredibly difficult for them, and so Sergei and Nadezhda assist them as much as they can. They deliver water and food to the old women and help to close broken windows and repair their roofs after shelling.
On Sunday, Christians in the community gather at Sergei’s house to pray, socialize and sing psalms, as all the churches were destroyed. Sergei continues to work at his job in the utility company where they unload humanitarian aid, dig graves, bury the dead, watch over power generators, clear the rubble after shelling and repair the rooms where water tanks are located amongst other tasks.
Since Sergei spends a lot of time working and helping other people, he has no time to stand in line to get water. Thankfully, Evgeny, one of our local partners, was able to bring water directly to his house for his family and the elderly neighbours whom he shares his water supply with.
Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more dangerous for Evgeny to drive to Sergei’s place. He reported that during his last visit, an enemy drone flew at him. Thankfully, there was a strong wind and the drone could not aim and flew away.
It is easy to forget that millions of people in Ukraine are facing this sort of reality, where churches are destroyed, water is a scarce resource and enemy drones lurk around the corner. Yet people like Sergei, Nadezhda and Evgeny represent what a loving and generous community can look like in hard times. We are moved by their selfless decision to remain in Chasiv Yar and serve their neighbours, even at a cost to themselves.
Leave a Reply