Spokane Christians Rescue 62 Orphans from Ukraine

Spokane Christians Rescue 62 Orphans from Ukraine

I was honored to lead a wonderful team of Polish and American Christians to rescue orphans originally located in Mariupol, Ukraine. We were on the phone with our daughter when the invasion began. We heard machine gun fire in the background. It is important that as the body of Christ we move beyond prayer to action. This was not about religion or politics but helping children in dire need get to safety.”  ~Pastor Matt Shea

by Shari Dovale

Last week a group of dedicated Christians, led by Pastor Matt Shea from On Fire Ministries in Spokane, Washington, flew to the Ukraine to evacuate 62 orphaned children and their 2 adult caregivers.

With the assistance of more Christians in Poland and Ukraine, they were able to pull the children out of the War Zone they had been living within. It took roughly 3 days from the time this team of good Christians left Spokane for them to deliver the children to the prearranged facility in Poland.

The children were in an orphanage in Mariupol, one of the very first places hit in the invasion. Pastor Shea told us that he had been on the phone with people in the orphanage when he could hear machine gun fire in the background.

The children were evacuated the next morning to a town called Zaporizhzhia, where the nuclear power plant is located that was just attacked by the Russians. The children were then able to get on a train to evacuate even further west as the Russian army moved in.

This was a joint endeavor by Christians from the United States, Ukraine, and Poland. Logistics were carried out with food, water, and buses ready to travel waiting for the US team on arrival. After roughly 72 hours, and only about 4 hours of sleep, the children were delivered safely to those waiting for them.

These children had experienced the horrors of WAR first hand, and have come through it bravely and courageously.

We spoke with Pastor Shea after they arrived in Poland. While discussing the people in Ukraine and how they are perceiving Vladimir Putin and the Russian army, he tells us, “Based on what I saw, and the attitude of the local people, they are in this for the long haul. We also saw multiple billboards cursing Putin along the road. The right to bear arms is becoming inculcated into Ukrainian culture.”

“To the people in Ukraine it is crystal clear. Putin is evil, everyone here knows he is, and they are fighting a communist.” Shea continued, “They are fighting for their Freedom.”

Pastor Shea wants every Christian to remember Psalm 68:5 (NIV). ‘A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.’  Because Christianity isn’t about talk, it is about action.

Additionally, Shea warns us that most of the information coming to you is totally wrong. We have to be very careful that we are doing our due diligence in investigating the truth of what is happening.

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