[Asec] The "collateral damage" of Russia's war against Ukraine

[Mark Elliott]

[image: 81464ca3-13a8-4a4f-b254-86f8d4071bcb.png]
This morning I wept. What undid me was this photo of small orphans with
haunting eyes sitting in a row on what looks like a shelf, all little
girls, all with their legs tucked up under their chins, most
expressionless, some with bows in their hair, some wearing masks, some
looking back at the camera as if to ask us, the onlookers, "What is next?"

 Are they safe? Will they be safe? What will become of them? Darlene and I
have four children adopted from abroad, and we know first hand the long
term damage a past of abandonment can render in innocent lives. Yet these
young girls, already living with the pain of separation from parents, now
have heaped upon their fragile frames the traumas of war. They are too
young to comprehend the madness of Russia's war against Ukraine--as if any
sane adult can--but they are old enough to carry the emotional scars of the
conflict for a lifetime. As vital as material help will be, they will need
more than food and shelter and safety to overcome. They will need
compassionate counselors. I pray they will have them. Lord have mercy upon
them.

The photo that brought me to tears came with an appeal for help from A
Family for Every Orphan, a Seattle-based ministry we know through its very
able board member, Anita Deyneka. Anita and her husband Peter, of blessed
memory, befriended us as far back as 1985 when I was researching East
European mission organizations in the library and archive of their Slavic
Gospel Association in Wheaton, IL. Later, Anita served as president of
SGA's successor missions: Peter Deyneka Russian Ministries and Mission
Eurasia.

Anita, who also has children adopted from abroad, has chosen well in
helping A Family for Every Orphan in its outreach in Ukraine. We can as
well with prayers and donations. Find below information on what A Family
for Every Orphan is doing in Ukraine. Their appeal reads in part:

"As the devastation continues, especially in places like Mariupol, Kharkiv,
Bucha, and Kramatorsk, here are some specific things we can focus our
prayers on for Ukraine's most vulnerable. Please pray for God to provide:

   1. food, clean water, heat, gas, and electricity;
   2. safety and protection;
   3. any necessary medicines, equipment, and medical treatment;
   4. excellent ways for these young ones to deal with the many traumas of
   war--physical, emotional, and spiritual;
   5. adequate clothing and means for personal hygiene;
   6. for orphanage caregivers and others taking orphans under their wing;
   7. protection for those attempting to help with evacuation efforts; and
   8. ask that God would specifically encourage many current volunteers and
   caregivers to provide permanent, loving homes to these at-risk little ones.

Specifically in Ukraine A Family for Every Orphan is working to evacuate
orphans to safety; to provide food, shelter, medicine, and necessities to
children and families; and to provide refugee support to orphans and
families fleeing to Romania."

If you would like to donate to this ministry's outreach to orphans in
Ukraine the contact information is below:
                                                               A Family
for Every Orphan
                                                               PO Box
34628#37939
                                                               Seattle, WA
98124-1628

info at afamilyforeveryorphan.or <info at afamilyforeveryorphan.org>
                                                               Phone:
360-358-3293

https://afamilyforeveryorphan.org/


-- 
Dr. Mark R. Elliott, Editor Emeritus
East-West Church Report
Asbury University
One Macklem Dr.
Wilmore, KY 40390
859-858-2427
emark936 at gmail.com
www.eastwestreport.org
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