Missionaries in Romania are pivoting to humanitarian aid work as Ukrainian refugees seek shelter from war.
More than 10 million Ukrainians have fled their homes since the Russian invasion began in late February. About 4 million of those displaced have left for neighboring countries. Most – roughly 2.5 million – have gone to Poland. But more than 600,000 have sought refuge in Romania.
Christian missionaries in these countries are opening their homes and churches and wallets to provide sanctuary for those fleeing the war. Missionaries like Tim and Caroline Bailey in Sighisoara, Romania.
The Baileys are missionaries with Youth With A Mission (WYAM) and work directly with orphaned and abandoned Romanian children through their partnership with the Orphanos Foundation. (Our church in Fort Collins supports the Baileys.) They are part of the member care staff in their region and are helping to coordinate YWAM’s response to the unfolding refugee crisis, as well as donating supplies and being a resource for friends in Sighisoara who are hosting families from Ukraine.
They are also working on finishing Elisha’s Room, a “ministry retreat apartment” that’s connected to their home. This space would offer respite and refreshment for Christian workers and foster / adoptive parents. But it could also be used to house aid workers serving in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees who need short-term housing as they sort through what happens next.
A refugee is not that much different than a foster child. Both have had their worlds torn apart. Both have been removed from their homes. Both feel the peril and uncertainty of the present – and the future. Both are dealing with physical and emotional traumas. And both need a safe place to lay their heads.
Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
forget not the afflicted. . . .to you the helpless commits himself;
you have been the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer;
call his wickedness to account till you find none. . . .O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
(Psalm 10:12, 14b, 17-18)
you will strengthen their heart;
you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
One of the unique tragedies of the situation in Ukraine is women and children are the ones on the run. Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 to 60 are being conscripted to fight against the Russian invaders. Through organizations like YWAM and missionaries like the Baileys, the promises of Psalm 68 are being made real.
Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
(Psalm 68:5-6)
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
You can help protect the fatherless, the widow, and sojourner by giving to YWAM Kyiv, the Orphanos Ukrainian Relief Fund (select “Bailey Ukraine Relief Fund” via the drop-down menu), or directly to the Baileys for the completion of the Elisha Room.
Let this song be your prayer for the missionaries and ordinary citizens across Europe who are serving as a type of foster parents to the millions in need of a home.
