Editor’s Note: The image and story below were provided by an SGA-supported church in Poland.

Here is the testimony of two sisters, Alexandra and Ekaterina, both Christians from Ukraine . . .

On that terrifying morning on February 24, the girls stayed in different places of the city, but they woke up at the same time from loud explosions. They immediately thought it was just a horrible thunderstorm. Then they heard on the news that the war had begun, but even after that, they did not fully believe it. The sisters also decided, as usual, to go to church for morning prayer meeting at 6 a.m. When they were driving in the city, they saw many people taking things out — suitcases and bags from, loading them into their cars and leaving. It was then that they realized a terrible thing had happened — the war, and people were fleeing it.

At first, Ekaterina and Alexandra did not evacuate, remained in the city and helping others as volunteers. The girls were striving to help those around them in need. In their “Tabernacle” church, they helped cooking hot meals for the homeless, pensioners and territorial defense fighters. In addition, they visited families in difficult circumstances: they brought them food and other necessities. Two more weeks after the war started, February 24 to March 8, the girls ministered for the glory of God, still staying in [a Ukrainian town]. They prayed and asked for God’s help and protection, as when they were going from home to home with aid.

Then they started shelling their town, and one of the rockets hit right next to their place in an area of private houses. As a result, twenty houses were totally destroyed. Thank God, there were no casualties, because at that time all were hiding in basements. Two people were wounded.

After that shelling, Alexandra and Ekaterina decided to leave this town. They agreed to travel together with two more girls from their church. However, there faced one big problem. At that time, it was already very difficult to find transport to leave the city. At first, the girls were looking for someone with a car among their friends, but with no success.

God’s miracle

Ekaterina recalls, “We started a long search for transportation in the Internet. We came across an announcement of evacuation operations of people, and they had 4 available seats in the car to the border with Poland. The driver of the car was a complete stranger to us. Then, we were very surprised how God was leading us. Later we found out that the man was a Christian and a volunteer. That is how he helped people evacuate from the city. We saw God’s hand in our salvation.”

The girls left [the Ukrainian town] on March 8. On the way, another pleasant surprise from God awaited them. At the checkpoint, men from the territorial defense gave them flowers, for it was the Women’s Day. On the way to the Polish border, they spent a night at one of the churches in [another Ukrainian city]. The next morning they were heading to the border. The girls shared: “And another miracle of God waited for us. We managed to cross the border in only half an hour. Other people told us that many waited in line for several hours.”

The girls arrived in Poland on March 9, spent the night in [a Polish city] and went to [another Polish city]. They said that they were going into a complete obscurity. All this time on their way by train to [a Polish city], their friends try to find accommodation for them. Ekaterina and Alexandra prayed and trusted that God would not leave them in a foreign country and would provide them a “roof” over their heads. He did show them His care through a Christian girl whom they helped once, back in 2014, when she had to run from [a Ukrainian region] and joined them in [the city where they once lived]. So, it was her turn when she could help them.

The girls’ loved ones remain living in different cities of Ukraine. Thank God, they are alive and they hope to meet with them soon. Now Ekaterina and Alexandra are looking for job, as do not know how life will turn out in the future. They do not make long-term plans. These two young Christian sisters look up to God for guidance and His continued help, because they trust Him as their Heavenly Father.

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In a time of great uncertainty, God is bringing help, healing, and hope to the people of Ukraine through SGA-supported pastors, churches, a seminary, and SGA-sponsored Compassion Ministry. Be a part of God’s incredible work with your generosity and prayer support.

Your gift of compassion helps struggling people with emergency aid that generally includes Scripture materials, food, medicine, warm clothing, and shoes.