When war starts, those with disabilities suffer the most. One of their greatest needs is healing and encouragement as they deal with deep emotional scars from the war.
Read more about how Joni and Friends is serving people with disabilities amid war in Ukraine.
Donate to support our efforts in Ukraine and Eastern Europe.
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Oh, friends, we’ve helped rescue over 600 Ukrainians with disabilities.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and add to that number hundreds of Ukrainian caregivers and family members. Just because the war in Ukraine is not at the top of your newsfeed does not mean the fighting has stopped. And so, even now, we are continuing to work tirelessly with Galyna, our country-coordinator in Ukraine, to rescue even more Ukrainians with disabilities from that war-torn country. You’ve heard me say, when Russian rocket strikes hit a city, it is the children and adults with disabilities and the elderly who suffer the most – they cannot quickly grab a few things, rush out the front door, and make a mad dash for the bomb shelter. It’s often every man, every neighbor, every apartment dweller for himself. And so, the disabled are left behind, exposed, vulnerable, and in great peril.
But we’ve been working with Galyna and other Joni and Friends partners in Germany, Holland, and Poland to help rescue these people and provide safe housing. It’s been a difficult challenge, but Galyna told us, she said, “[Joni], I’ve seen so many miracles!” Like this one. A disabled man who was living on the eighth floor in a building right next to a Ukrainian military compound – he was convinced his life was over. He had never been interested in a relationship with God. How was he, a man in a wheelchair, going to get down eight flights of stairs and out of the warzone? Well, when this paraplegic and his wife were evacuated to Germany, he declared, “Oh! Maybe God is real! Maybe he really does have his hand on me!”
In fact, it is the deep, emotional scars from the war that present one of the greatest needs. It’s why our Joni and Friends team came alongside our partners to organize Family Retreats in Germany and the Netherlands. We even sent families to our Family Retreat in Hungary. And you know what touches me most? Many of those who attended our Family Retreats, they’re mothers with disabled children who were forced to leave their husbands behind in Ukraine. Their men are on the home front, fighting the war. These women are filled with anxiety for their men. They haven’t seen them in months. They’re caring for their special-needs children and their siblings, all the while worrying and wondering about their loved ones left behind to fight. At joniradio.org today, I have posted a poignant photo of one Ukrainian mother at our Family Retreat. She stands there comforting her weeping daughter, while holding the hand of her disabled son in his wheelchair. You’ve got to see it. I posted it at joniradio.org and I want you to take a long look at the photo; it’s a compelling picture that represents hundreds of evacuated families, worrying and wondering about their husbands and fathers still serving on the front lines. So please, would you pray for these mothers? For their anxious children? For their husbands back in Ukraine?
And I will be bold to ask for your help as we continue to support and serve these evacuated families and as we plan more retreats and getaways in 2023 so that we can show Ukrainians the hope and hands-on help of Jesus. Along with the photo, I have posted a link so you can give toward our efforts to serve many more Ukrainians with disabilities in the coming months. Psalm 82 commands us to “rescue the weak and… deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Oh, friend, it’s a wicked war. So please, would you help us rescue more of the weak and deliver them out of Ukraine and into safety? Help us rescue the needy. Help us deliver Ukrainians with disabilities from the hand of the wicked. And to find out how you can do just that, go to joniradio.org. Again, joniradio.org. That’s your good word today from Joni Eareckson Tada sharing hope.
© Joni and Friends