Voice of Ukraine

From Jamie Peipon (Day 608): It is exactly one miserable year and eight exhausting months since Russia launched their full-scale invasion.

In the picture you can see some of the hands that have received what we have packed for the Crates for Ukraine program. These pictures come from our partners in the Kharkiv Presbyterian Church. It is exhausting to work and contribute toward this project for a third time. I understand. Please believe me when I write that I am sick and tired of Crates for Ukraine and that I would be thrilled to never see another crate ever again as it would mean the war would be over. I’m tired of my Amazon recommendations being flooded with tourniquets and blood clotting gauze under the caption “your favorite items.” I’m tired of thinking about what it means that all of this gear is actually needed and is being used for its intended purpose. But let me tell you that the people in these pictures want the Crates for Ukraine program to be over and done with more than any of us and have not gone a day of the last 608 days without being directly impacted by the reality of war.

Is there a good reason that a church, our church, should participate in a mercy ministry program for those on the other side of the world? I think of Genesis 3. God’s creatures rebelled against Him and made themselves His enemies. But He was full of mercy. The first and most important mercy He extended to them was the promise of a Savior. But what was the next thing He did? He relieved their suffering and sorrow by swapping their pitiful, self-made, fig-leaf outfits for actual clothing made of animal skins. Now there is surely more going on in this verse than God simply clothing our needy and miserable first parents; but surely there’s also not less than that. The God of all creation, in the first moments after being rebelled against, took time to make clothing for Adam and Eve. He is so good, kind, and loving that He provided for their comfort and dignity in the most distressing and traumatic moment of their lives. What an opportunity we have to reflect that character as we participate, yet again, in the Crates for Ukraine program!

Now that groups here in Jackson have had the opportunity to “adopt” crates locally, we want others to also have the opportunity to participate. Below is an Amazon list containing the items and the quantity required to fill a single crate. If you purchase items through the list, they’ll ship to First Presbyterian Church – Jackson and will automatically be removed from the list. Once we have all the items needed to fill this crate, we’ll open another list up and do another one!

Many thanks for your faithful participation!

“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”