Jerry's Trip to Ukraine

 Hi friends!

We're sorry it's been a few days since we last updated you - last week Jerry arrived home safe from Ukraine after a short trip to Vinnytsia to take humanitarian aid to a partner ministry there, along with 3 other PdF staff members. We're thankful to have him home safely again and we were all very happy to see him!

It was a little bit unnerving to find out that only 4 days after Jerry left Ukraine, the city of Vinnytsia came under Russian fire and there were air strikes on the outskirts of the city. Thankfully the ministry partners Jerry met in Ukraine are safe and their centre was not affected. Please continue to pray for them as they continue their ministry to refugees fleeing other parts of Ukraine.

Jerry filmed some video clips while he was in Ukraine and rather than explain his impressions in writing we thought we'd put together a video of Jerry's thoughts along with an interview he conducted with the missionaries in Ukraine describing their experiences since the war began. In the video he addresses our home church in Winnipeg, Riverwood Church Community, but the message is, of course, for all of you who are following our journey and supporting PdF's work with Ukrainian refugees through prayer and financial support. We hope you'll take a few minutes to watch.

If the video embed doesn't work, please CLICK HERE to watch the video.

Once again, we are SO grateful for all your prayers, kind messages, and financial support. Jerry, Ebbe, Florin and Ciprian from PdF were able to take over 5 thousand Euros of food, clothing, shoes, hygiene items and other supplies to the ministry centre in Vinnytsia. The team there will use these items to support the displaced Ukrainians who have fled there from places like Mariupol and other cities in eastern Ukraine, and they'll also distribute items to citizens in the nearby villages whose access to basic items has been cut off because of the war. 

Thank you also for your prayers for Jerry's health while he was away - his health remained stable while he was in Ukraine and when he arrived home he was able to see a doctor again and get better treatment. He's feeling much better now and we're so thankful he's healthy again. 

Please continue to pray for the refugees fleeing Ukraine. We continue to receive refugees at PdF, although the number of refugees has decreased and the demand for places to stay has slowed a little bit. We expect there will continue to be refugees needing assistance as the war continues, and we are eager to help in any way we're able.

The Spring Mission Bible School (which begins THIS WEEKEND!) will also be assisting with supporting refugees. One of the regular outreach opportunities for the students is with a group of 25 refugees staying long-term at a Christian camp just down the road from PdF. The students will be doing a weekly outreach event there and we look forward to finding other ways to support these families as the semester unfolds. Please pray for the upcoming Bible School semester and for the Bible School staff team as they work hard to prepare!

L-R: Christina (PdF's new Bible School Registrar/Assistant), Ana and Lukas (RAs), and Jerry

Jerry is also involved with helping to recruit and put together a team of volunteers to join the PdF staff to assist with the refugee efforts. We are connecting with a few former Spring Mission Bible School students, a couple of whom speak Ukrainian and Russian, and we're praying for the possibility of their help with translation, organizing and caring for the refugees who come to PdF, and help with practical tasks like housekeeping and meal preparation. Please pray for the right volunteers to come, and in God's timing. 

Please continue to donate if you are able. We know there's no shortage of reputable organizations accepting donations for Ukraine at the moment, but if you would like to be a part of the work PdF is doing to support war-affected Ukrainians in this corner of the world we'd be most grateful.

To cover PdF's costs for hosting Ukrainian refugees we've set up a special fund with Great Commission Foundation (our Canadian Mission Organization). Americans and Canadians can donate to this fund and the money will be sent directly to PdF's designated fund for Ukrainian Refugee support.

All funds raised will go directly to support war-affected Ukrainians here in Romania as refugees, at the border, and in Ukraine.

For CANADIANS: If you would like to donate to help cover the costs of PdF’s refugee support, please visit https://gcfcanada.com/torchbearers-romania/

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

For AMERICANS: please visit https://friendsgc.com/torchbearers-romania/ to donate

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

If you want to read about what PdF is doing in even more detail, feel free to check out PdF's 'Open Doors' Ukraine Blog here: https://www.pdf.ro/en/support-ukraine/

If you have any questions for us please reach out and contact us anytime. We'd love to hear from you!

Jerry - jerry.baker@pdf.ro

Chrissie - chrissiebaker@hotmail.com

Pray for Jerry in Ukraine

Hi friends,

Just a quick update to let you know Jerry is on his way to Ukraine today with Ebbe, Florin (PdF's director and assistant director), and Ciprian (PdF's cook). They're driving two of PdF's big vans and a trailer full of food and supplies into Ukraine. The current plan is to travel to Vinnytsia, and to connect with some ministry partners who are providing humanitarian support to displaced and war-affected Ukrainians. 

L-R: Florin, Ciprian, Ebbe and Jerry

Last night many of us from the PdF staff team worked together to pack the vans and the trailer with food and supplies, and the 4 men left this morning at 5am.

Earlier this week, we picked up all the hygiene items and supplies that the parents and students from the girls' school in Brasov donated. Yesterday we packed all these supplies into boxes and into the vans headed for Ukraine. 

We received so many clothes, toys, towels, baby items, hygiene items, and boxes full of brand new hats, gloves, socks and underwear to distribute, and we're so thankful for their generosity!

Please pray: 

- for Jerry, Ebbe, Florin, and Ciprian's safety while on the road.

- for smooth and safe border crossings and military check-point crossings inside Ukraine.

- for safety and security while they're inside Ukraine.

- for new relationships they'll build, and for God to show them clearly how PdF can continue to support and help. 

- for their wives, children, and the other PdF staff who will stay behind. 

- for Jerry's health. He currently has a small infection and some swollen lymph nodes in his neck and on the back of his head (he's otherwise feeling fine). He's on antibiotics, but he has pain in his lymph nodes especially while sleeping. Please pray for complete healing in his body as they drive.

If you want to follow along with their trip, please follow @torchbearersromania on Instagram where Jerry will be posting photos and videos as often as he's able. We'll also send out updates by email as often as we can. 

In related news, we have raised almost $60,000 (CAD) in donations so far for PdF's work with Ukrainian refugees. We are SO thankful to each and every one of you who have donated and we're so excited to see what God will do with these resources He's entrusted to us. So far your dollars have helped support refugees coming to our centre and helped fund the trip to bring aid to Ukraine. 

Please continue to donate if you are able. We know there's no shortage of reputable organizations accepting donations for Ukraine at the moment, but if you would like to be a part of the work PdF is doing to support war-affected Ukrainians in this corner of the world we'd be most grateful.

To cover PdF's costs for hosting Ukrainian refugees we've set up a special fund with Great Commission Foundation (our Canadian Mission Organization). Americans and Canadians can donate to this fund and the money will be sent directly to PdF's designated fund for Ukrainian Refugee support.

All funds raised will go directly to support war-affected Ukrainians here in Romania as refugees, at the border, and in Ukraine.

For CANADIANS: If you would like to donate to help cover the costs of PdF’s refugee support, please visit https://gcfcanada.com/torchbearers-romania/

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

For AMERICANS: please visit https://friendsgc.com/torchbearers-romania/ to donate

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

If you want to read about what PdF is doing in even more detail, feel free to check out PdF's 'Open Doors' Ukraine Blog here: https://www.pdf.ro/en/support-ukraine/

If you have any questions for us please reach out and contact us anytime. We'd love to hear from you!

Jerry - jerry.baker@pdf.ro

Chrissie - chrissiebaker@hotmail.com

PdF Ukrainian Refugee Update

Hi friends,

It's been about a week since we last updated you on what's happening here at PdF. We've continued to receive refugees at the centre and until now we've had 80 Ukrainian refugees stay, all of whom have moved on to more permanent situations in Germany or other countries. We expect more to come any day now.

The PdF staff is a little overwhelmed with the extra work hosting so many people requires - the office staff, kitchen and housekeeping teams are working hard to organize, accommodate and feed everyone, and the staff and volunteers are providing transportation and hosting the families, often on a last-minute basis as we're never quite sure when they'll arrive and how.

One evening we had the privilege of picking up a family at the train station in Brasov, a woman named Lubava and her son Iliya from the Odessa region. They taught us many Ukrainian phrases on the ride back to PdF and in his broken English Iliya made sure we knew how much he hates the jellyfish in the Black Sea and how much he loves football (or soccer, as North Americans call it). They've left for Germany to stay with Iliya's sister there, but we've kept in contact and we plan to purchase a football (soccer ball) online and ship it to their address in Germany for him. He wasn't able to bring his football with him when they left Ukraine.

Chrissie has also started a supply-drive initiative with the girls' school in Brasov to collect supplies, hygiene items, toys, etc. to give to the refugee families who stay at PdF, to those who stay at a neighbouring camp run by Biserica Speranta (Hope Church) in Brasov, and eventually to take to the border. It's exciting that the teachers, parents and students will be collecting so many helpful items, everything from new socks and underwear, jackets, hats and gloves, diapers and wipes, toiletries, toys for children, etc. that we can distribute.

We've set up a table at PdF that's well stocked with baby items, toiletries, hygiene items, and snacks so our Ukrainian friends can take whatever they need while they're here or for their continued journey. 

We've learned that writing and communicating in the Ukrainian language is a BIG challenge...Chrissie is very thankful for her connection with Mariia, one of the refugees who was here last week with her son Teodor. Mariia has been helping Chrissie with translation from English to Ukrainian via text and voice message since she has moved on to stay with friends in Germany. 

After meeting with a fellow missionary friend this week (his family lives and works in this area too) we've learned that the hundreds of thousands of refugees we've seen enter Romania so far is just barely the tip of the iceberg. There are so many more who are trying to cross the border with a 3 or 4-day wait or more. Unfortunately the grim situation at the border is intensified by the bribery taking place (we've heard it's 3000 euros for a man between 18 and 60 to cross the border despite the martial law requiring them to stay) and the risk of human trafficking to the women and children crossing alone. As if the situation wasn't heartbreaking enough already. 

While the situation in Ukraine intensifies of course we have feelings of fear and uncertainty but we can't stop thinking about how blessed we are to be able to help in these small ways. Every connection we make with a Ukrainian person here is so precious - each one is deeply loved by God. He sees them and He cares for them - whether they've put their hope and faith in the Risen Christ or not. It's our prayer that somehow they see and experience Him through each one of us at PdF as we serve.

1 Corinthians 7:17 "Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."

Jerry continues to work toward the Spring Mission Bible School that begins in 3 weeks and students are reaching out, excited for ways they can be involved to serve the Ukrainian refugees. It's impossible to plan anything concrete right now since the situation evolves every day, but we hope to take the group up closer to the border and assist however is needed. 

We want to say a BIG THANK YOU to those of you who have donated to cover the costs of hosting the Ukrainian refugees. Thank you for being a big part of what God is doing here. So far we've raised thousands of dollars and the donations just keep coming.

We know that the rest of the world is viewing the situation in and around Ukraine through the eyes of the media and social media. We absolutely don't want to downplay the devastation that's happening in any way - the situation is tragic and getting worse by the day - but we also don't want to sensationalize the work PdF is doing either.  For the PdF team, right now, assisting Ukrainian refugees looks like scrubbing toilets and floors, changing bedsheets, cooking hot meals, buying supplies, organizing, accounting, fundraising, communicating, making travel arrangements, and building relationships. It's not very glamorous, but we know that any work that helps provide a safe place for Ukrainian refugees and any work that shows love to them is the work of Christ, and we're grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. 

That said, as the situation unfolds the PdF leadership is looking for more ways the PdF team can help with the resources we have. PdF's Director Ebbe and Jerry plan to head up to the border in about a week to establish contacts with locals and churches there, and to find more ways PdF can help with the refugee crisis. They may even make their way into Ukraine to visit a church, depending on logistics and safety. We will keep you posted as the situation unfolds and PdF's involvement evolves. 

How can you help?

Please pray with us for the Ukrainian refugees in Romania, for their children, and for all the Ukrainian people who have been displaced by war and for those who remain in Ukraine - that God would provide for them, protect them, strengthen them, and that they would experience His goodness despite the destruction.

Please pray for us and for the PdF staff, that we'd act with wisdom and out of the love of Christ that is in us. That we'd have continued strength and energy to serve joyfully and that we won't become overwhelmed. That the refugees who come to PdF would experience the goodness of God as we serve them and love them.

Please pray for Ebbe and Jerry's trip to the Ukrainian border, for safety and provision, for good meetings, and that God would lead them to make the right connections He wants for PdF.

Please donate if you are able. We know there's no shortage of reputable organizations accepting donations for Ukraine at the moment, but if you would like to be a part of the work PdF is doing to support Ukrainian refugees in this corner of the world we'd be most grateful.

To cover PdF's costs for hosting Ukrainian refugees we've set up a special fund with Great Commission Foundation (our Canadian Mission Organization). Americans and Canadians can donate to this fund and the money will be sent directly to PdF's designated fund for Ukrainian Refugee support.

All funds raised will go directly to support war-affected Ukrainians here in Romania as refugees, at the border, and in Ukraine.

For CANADIANS: If you would like to donate to help cover the costs of PdF’s refugee support, please visit https://gcfcanada.com/torchbearers-romania/

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

For AMERICANS: please visit https://friendsgc.com/torchbearers-romania/ to donate

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

If you want to read about what PdF is doing in even more detail, feel free to check out PdF's 'Open Doors' Ukraine Blog here: https://www.pdf.ro/en/support-ukraine/

If you have any questions for us please reach out and contact us anytime. We'd love to hear from you!

Jerry - jerry.baker@pdf.ro

Chrissie - chrissiebaker@hotmail.com

PdF is Supporting Ukrainian Refugees

Hi friends!

We have a short update for you today on what's going on at PdF right now with the current situation in Ukraine and Romania.

Where we live and work here in Romania is only about 250km from the Ukrainian border - a border that’s now flooded with Ukrainian refugees trying to escape war.

Being so close to a war zone is a little bit anxiety-inducing for us Canadians but we're very thankful to be living in Romania, a country in the European Union and NATO, and a very safe area of Romania as well (around 250km from the border to Ukraine and just under 400km from the Black Sea).

Life in Romania right now is normal and peaceful and it's been encouraging to watch the Romanian people come out in support of the Ukrainian refugees who are making their way into Romania.

We are very aware of the fact that the world's eyes are on the Church right now - how will and how should Christians respond in times of conflict, danger, and intense need? How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need and demonstrate in action the love of Christ that is in us?

Matthew 25:31-40 says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Pdf has opened its doors to Ukrainian refugees over the last few days and so far we’ve had the privilege of hosting 41 refugees here at PdF. PdF plans to continue taking in refugees as needs arise in the coming weeks and months.

We’ll be providing temporary housing, meals, transportation, and other supplies and support as needed (toiletries, winter clothing, medicine, etc.), as well as ministering to the refugees and their children, sharing with them the love of Christ which is the foundation of our lives.

There is also a possibility that PdF may help support the efforts at the border, and Jerry is already working with the PdF leadership to plan ways to modify the upcoming Spring Mission Bible School program so the students can assist in the efforts to support the Ukrainian people. We'll let you know more about how this will look as time goes on.

We are expecting 10 students to arrive for the Spring Mission Bible School program that begins in less than a month and we're so excited to see what God will do this spring in the lives of the students and how He'll use us and the students in this situation.

In addition to the Bible School our family will help host groups and families of refugees who arrive, making sure they have what they need, praying with them, and coordinating the care for their time here. Chrissie will also help by coordinating the purchasing of needed food, supplies, or personal hygiene items.

How can you help?

Please pray with us for the Ukrainian refugees at PdF, for their children, and for all the Ukrainian people who have been displaced by war and for those who remain in Ukraine - that God would provide for them, protect them, strengthen them, and that they would experience His goodness despite the destruction.

Please pray for us and for the PdF staff, that we'd act with wisdom and out of the love of Christ that is in us. That the refugees who come to PdF would experience the goodness of God as we serve them and love them.

Please donate if you are able. We know there's no shortage of reputable organizations accepting donations for Ukraine at the moment, but if you would like to be a part of the work PdF is doing to support Ukrainian refugees in this small corner of the world we'd be most grateful.

To cover PdF's costs for hosting Ukrainian refugees we've set up a special fund with Great Commission Foundation (our Canadian Mission Organization). Americans and Canadians can donate to this fund and the money will be sent directly to PdF's designated fund for Ukrainian Refugee support.

All funds raised will go directly to support war-affected Ukrainians here in Romania as refugees, at the border, and in Ukraine.

For CANADIANS: If you would like to donate to help cover the costs of PdF’s refugee support, please visit https://gcfcanada.com/torchbearers-romania/

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

For AMERICANS: please visit https://friendsgc.com/torchbearers-romania/ to donate

**Please choose “Torchbearers Romania Ukraine Relief” as the designation.**

If you have any questions for us, please reach out and contact us anytime. We'd love to hear from you!

Jerry - jerry.baker@pdf.ro

Chrissie - chrissiebaker@hotmail.com