Good And Bad News From Ukraine.

On December 20- just 5 days away from Christmas- 2900 explosions occurred in Ukraine as the war continues with heavy artillery and gunfire on the front lines.

"A spokesman for the Ukrainian military, Col. Andriy Lysenko, said that five soldiers were killed and 16 wounded during the day-long battle and that Russian-backed separatist forces had attempted to break through government lines. It was the largest single loss of life for Ukrainian troops in five months."

Once a food surplus nation, now more than a million people need some form of food assistance due to the economic and political fallout from Russian aggression.  More than 1.6 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced due to the conflict.  According to the World Food Program, the price of a basic food box has increased 42% in one year.  Economic fallout and inflation affect all Ukrainians- even those far from the front lines.

Now for some good news! 

In 2015, Mission Without Borders supported 500 needy families in Ukraine through the Family to Family sponsorship program.  This is in addition to the 8000+ children sponsored in 52 state-run homes. 1350 Ukrainian children were able to attend summer camps and 130 young people obtained vocational training in the missions training center in Sarny.  These training courses lead to government approved certification and jobs!

There is so much bad news all over..every morning on the news there's another murder (and another murderer coddled with 3 hots and cot)  I like what Mr. Rogers said in a column:

"Always look for the helpers," she'd tell me. "There's always someone who is trying to help." I did, and I came to see that the world is full of doctors and nurses, police and firemen, volunteers, neighbors and friends who are ready to jump in to help when things go wrong.

So that's my goal and challenge for the new year.  But I want to take that one step further.  This year be a "helper".  I may not be able to solve all the economic problems in Albania but I can make sure K and his family have a good Christmas dinner.  If you're already helping (and everyone is to one extent or another), maybe stretch yourself just a bit and try to help a little bit more this year- even this Christmas.  Pray about it.  I know Mission Without Borders can always use your support- be it a monthly commitment or one time gift.  I probably won't write anything until next week so

Merry Christmas!

1.5 million #Ukrainians are #food insecure, meaning they are at increased risk of #hunger and suffering. 300,000 of these people are severely food insecure and require immediate assistance. During #winter the situation for vulnerable Ukrainians is critical as many can't access the basic essentials they need to survive. Internally displaced #refugees and Ukrainians living in parts of the country affected by the ongoing #conflict with #Russia are particularly vulnerable during the cold season. What's more, those living in #rural areas are almost twice as likely to live in poverty as those in #urban locations, and are most at risk of being cut off from sources of food, #fuel and #energy. We help fill the gap in vulnerable people's care by providing vital material assistance to people and families living in poverty. #charity #nonprofit #foodsecurity #urgentresponse #urgentneeds #crisis #easterneurope #snow #cold #family #childpoverty #children #homeless #instadaily #instagood #igdaily #picoftheday

A photo posted by Mission Without Borders UK (@mwb_uk) on Oct 25, 2016 at 8:59am PDT

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