Martinsburg Union Rescue Mission Superintendent Tells Harrowing Stories from Ukraine
Pastor Tim Guerino of the Martinsburg Union Rescue Mission stands in front of the rubble of a bombed out home in Ukraine. (Photo: Tim Guerino)
Ukraine — Pastor Tim Guerino from the Martinsburg Union Rescue Mission is spending Holy Week in Ukraine.
He is working with other volunteers in the war-torn area to bring water filtration systems, housing, and hope.
He called in to the Panhandle News Network Wednesday morning:
In a note he sent out in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Pastor Tim There is devastation all around. “Along the way, we have experienced the war in one way or another,” he said.
He and a team are working to build homes for those impacted by the war, as well as setting up a water filtration system.
Pastor Tim said the residents have become accustomed to air raid sirens:
In one account of a middle of the night missile attack, he said it was like the 4th of July. “– around 2 AM in the morning as the sky lit up.” He tells our Marsha Kavalek how close the incoming missile attacks are getting:
During that attack, he said, ” The bunker is just several hundred feet down the road from us we chose to stay where we were at and ride it out.”
“On our way to a church to bring more encouragement and fellowship and aid, so that church can reach out to their community.
My prayer for all, as we come upon this Easter weekend is that the world would see the real answer to hate, and evil is a relationship with the God that created this earth, and that we will all answer to when the day comes when we leave this earth, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, and I pray that all who do not know Christ will come to know him as their personal Lord and Savior, and for those that do know him as the Bible says The love of Christ and his word will cast out fear and that love in Christ will keep us fearless as we walk throughout our day. Whether here and in Ukraine where war is raging or back home where we face our daily giants every day.
God bless you all,
Pastor Tim”
Pastor Tim was last in Ukraine two years ago.
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Earlier on Wednesday morning, Pastor Tim wrote an update:
Greetings from Ukraine,
Psalms 33 verses, 12 Through 22 and psalms 125 come to mind as we travel daily and face, the obstacles of war.
In the last 24 hours, we’ve been very busy traveling and heading to churches and bringing encouragement, through the fellowship and gospel of Jesus Christ, along with aid For those churches to serve their community.
Along the way, we have experienced the war in one way or another yesterday afternoon as we were sitting down for lunch the air raid sirens went off again. Setting in the restaurant I didn’t realize what was going on until I saw everybody getting up and leaving an orderly manner And then employees started to lock everything up and we got up and left.
Also got outside. The sirens got louder. We got in our vehicle and moved on to the next town.
Last night the town that we were stayed in as we’re traveling onto the next church the Fourth of July happened early around 2 AM in the morning as the sky lit up one of my labors in the Lord, called me and knocked on my door waking me up as the sky lit up where we’re staying. The bunker is just several hundred feet down the road from us we chose to stay where we were at and ride it out.
A very early this morning, that my sleep from last night events. On our way to a church to bring more encouragement and fellowship and aid, so that church can reach out to their community.
My prayer for all, as we come upon this Easter weekend is that the world would see the real answer to hate, and evil is a relationship with the God that created this earth, and that we will all answer to when the day comes when we leave this earth, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ, and I pray that all who do not know Christ Will come to know him as their personal Lord and Savior, and for those that do know him as the Bible says The love of Christ and his word will cast out fear and that love in Christ will keep us fearless as we walk throughout our day. Whether here and in Ukraine where war is raging or back home where we face our daily giants every day. God bless you all Pastor Tim.