While in Romania I got the chance to ride in a transport car taking refugees from Craiova to Budapest. My team of 5 was scheduled to take care of those in the transit house, where families would come in and out constantly on their way to other countries. Because me and Caroline were admins, it was usually just my three teammates who went and would love on these families. I knew I wanted to be on the transport caravan cause I wanted to support my teammates. They had had a month of the constant cycle of getting to know someone, getting to care for them and love them, and then them leaving. They really wanted to see the whole process through as much as they could with this particular family they loved a lot and got to know more than others since they were at the transit house longer. I also wanted to go to have a good amount of time to chat with and support Raul. I knew I could learn a lot from him on the drive, and I also knew that I could support him and make it a little easier for him.
That’s what I went thinking I could expect, and those things happened, but they weren’t what left the biggest impression on me.
What left the biggest impression was the people who we were transporting. There was a mother and her two children. They had just got in the night before and were up early to be taken to Budapest. When we stopped for coffee, the 11 yr old son requested English breakfast tea, no sugar. We chatted about how mature of a drink choice that was and his mom said that he was kind of like a little grown up. As we drove along, sometimes the kids would nap, sometimes they would play with the toys and things I thankfully remember to bring, but most of the time they were either getting sick, or trying not to get sick.
As someone who has had a lot of transportation this year and feels sick most of the times, I empathized with them hard.
Just about every forty min someone would puke, we’d pull over, wait for them to feel better and load back up after giving them food and medicine.
Through all of it, the fleeing their country, the trusting strangers, the logistics of how they were going to get to the next place after Budapest, the grief of losing her husband, this mother was caring for her kids. She seemed only a little stressed, she was more resolute that she was going to be able to take care of things. The strength of mothers never ceases to amaze me, and having kids be car sick could have easily been the straw that broke the camels back. But she dealt with everything as it came and was so comforting and strong for her kids.
The other person in the car was a young man around the age of 19. He loved American and Russian rap, TikTok, and sports. He was on his way to meet his mother in Germany. He had been allowed out of the draft, cause his father had just been killed in the war.
If he hadn’t said that, you would have never guessed. He talked about how his father died a hero, and how this life is good even when there’s bad things that happen. I don’t think he was a Christian, but the way he encouraged people was incredible.
He helped the mother and her kids so much and would translate for them to us so we wouldn’t have to go through the phone. He would take their luggage, share his snacks with the kids, and always make sure they were all present and accounted for. I’m always impressed whenever teenage boys take responsibility, but especially the way this young man did blew my mind. I mean they were complete strangers until that morning!! But the common bond of being Ukrainian, and knowing the true reality of war, bonded them and they helped each other.
There’s probably a lot of other stories of incredibly strong people I met that month that had withstood immense tragedy. It was a beautiful month to watch as people truly cared for their neighbor, and didn’t let the hard circumstances around them, harden them as people. God is good, and the way He brought these people together is nothing short of a miracle!
Thank you so much for sharing these stories! They make the war seem personal, not something that’s happening ‘over there that doesn’t have any bearing on my life.’ Real stories of people’s lives which have been turned upside down, who don’t have a clue what their ‘tomorrow’ looks like, who have to make a new life because the dad has been killed, and by the way, when will they be able to grieve that properly? Probably won’t. The task of living day to day may consume them and help them forget the life that was stolen from them. This is a reminder to pray even more fervently for our brothers and sisters in impacted areas all over the world. Dear God, PLEASE bring your kingdom, the only answer to these overwhelming evils, struggles, and trials! In Jesus’ name, amen.