Some more details about the town of Semenivka, mentioned in yesterday’s post. The farmer/evangelist there known to Sergiy, named Andriy/Andrey -spellings of towns and people vary according to Ukrainian/Russian spellings – is very active in the church there and in bringing humanaitarian aid. Due to the circumstances below, he needs a vehicle, some kind of pickup truck, to use in this work as well as on his farm. If you could contribute to such a vehicle, please mark your donation “Pickup” and see the bank details here :  CEPartners » Give

Here is Andriy’s situation in his own words:

We, the Gridnevs family, Andrey and Natalia, our two children Matthew (8 years) and Katya (6 years), till 03.11.2022 lived in the village of Leonovka, Novgorod-Seversky district, Chernihiv region (our village is 500 meters from the border with Russia). From February 24, 2022, to 02.04.2022, we were under occupation, and from April to the present day, our village is under constant shelling from Russia. On 03.11.2022, our household, vegetable gardens, and the house came under artillery fire from SAU. We decided to move to Semenovka, Chernihiv region, where our parents live, we rented a small house next to our parents.

 In the village of Leonivka, we had 25 hectares of land, our land is near the border, and under constant bombardment from mortars and heavy artillery, our land is also mined. We are growing potatoes, pumpkin seeds, buckwheat, and crops.

 In connection with the difficult situation in Leonovka village, this year we are renting land in Zhadovo, in a safer area.

 We are in great need of a working machine for agriculture. We will use this car to go to the fields, to carry seeds, fertilizer, and all kinds of agricultural utensils, to bring in the harvest.

 In addition to our earthly work, we are Christian volunteers in our area. We help military personnel, families whose fathers were killed in the war, orphans, poor people who are barely surviving in this difficult time, retirees, families with many children, and all people who live below the poverty line.

 Every week we feed poor people in the city center and go out to the villages. We really, just really lack a vehicle to serve the people.

NB  The pickups being taken out to Lviv next week, are going to the army; however the drivers from here have kindly allowed us to use them for taking our aid for the region around Semenivka.

On the anniversary of the invasion, Sergiy reflects on the year in this moving report ; 

Realis Feb 2022