It gladdens my heart to know that in a world of turmoil (perhaps I shouldn't read the news so much), that there are still people with giving hearts. It reminds me of a particular song: "Love isn't love till you give it away..."
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Hi,
I thought you would be interested in this email describing this Ukrainian woman, and how others were reaching out to help. This work is supported by congregations other than the ones I go to Ukraine with, but it's good others are reaching out, too.
As you look at the photos of Magdalina at her sewing machine ..... notice her glasses. I wish I could send her a new pair!
Blessin's,
cindy
Tommy South wrote:
I got this from John Kachelman yesterday. He's in Ivano-Frankivsk now, doing some relief work in the villages as well as teaching. This gives you an idea of the sort of needs that exist all over Ukraine, especially in the outlying areas. Tommy
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Report #13-- October 23, 2007 from John Kachelman
Magdalina's Wheelchair
In today's report I want to introduce you to a lady that we first met in March named Magdalina. She lives in the village of Nebliv. She is 77 years old and for the past 24 years she has been confined to her small house. She has multiple physical problems, but the major disability is the fact that her hip joints have never functioned properly because they were not corrected at birth. She maneuvered around her house pulling herself across the floors and using a stick that has a piece of wood tied to the end that enables her to "hook" various things she needs.
Her house is not much more than a 10x12 room with an entry room through which you walk from the outside
to the inside. In our visit in March, John Durham had promised Magdalina that we would get her a wheelchair. We had intended the wheelchair to be delivered when the first container arrived; but due to a number of problems we were unable to deliver the wheelchair from that container.The container that Kathy Cadden filled and shipped out of Columbus, MS arrived as our second container into Ukraine. Ivan Skoleba worked to get the container shipped from Kyiv into Ivan-Frankovsk. As we arrived, Kathy's container was in the midst of distribution. There was a pallet box with five wheelchairs still available for distribution and John Durham said we needed to make certain that Magdalina received one of those.
When John came to get a van load of benevolence items to distribute in Nebliv, he took back two wheelchairs and one was earmarked for Magdalina. Today we went to Nebliv to deliver the snow boots and clothing to the mentally handicapped orphanage and to take Magdalina her wheelchair.
As we left for Magdalina's house, John told someone to get one of the "Family Boxes" that Kathy packed for her container. As we drove through the village the drizzling rains continued changing the dirt roads into muddy lanes with rocks sticking out of the puddles. We finally arrived and all got out and walked the distance to Magdalina's house. We entered and found her sewing on the oldest manual sewing machine I have ever seen.
She was surprised to see us and told us that she had been visited by Ivan, Sasha, and Julia. John asked her if she remembered us visiting in March and she said she did remember it very well. John pointed to the wheelchair and told her that we had promised to bring her a wheelchair so she could get around in her house better. As Ivan began putting the foot rests onto the chair, Magdalina could not stop crying and saying that no one had ever treated her in such a way as we were. She said that she often prayed for us and remembered the visits in the spring. She kept saying how thankful she was for the wheelchair and how much she prayed that God would bless our efforts.
She would hold her face in her hands and try to stop crying so she could talk more. "I apologize that I am not presentable for your visit," as she tried to adjust the head scarf. "I am not able to do anything in this house to make it able to receive guests as you."
At that time John Durham reached over and brought the Family Box to where it could be opened. As he opened the box, Magdalina's exclamations and tears increased. Inside these boxes Kathy puts a miscellaneous assortment of items that are needed in every day living. These are all packed inside a 5-gallon plastic bucket that serves a multitude of purposes. John pulled out and explained each item. There were dish towels, matches, plastic drinking glasses, mugs, candles, soaps, lotions, and fingernail clippers among the treasures in that bucket. As John showed each to Magdalina, she told us how thankful she was and how much she prays that God will bless us. When John showed her the matches Magdalina exclaimed, "Oh I needed these very much, but I do not have money to buy them. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."
Throughout this visit we have witnessed the wonderful gratitude that is demonstrated by the distribution of items in our containers. For all that worked and sweated and sewed and sorted and packed, Magdalina's tears and words are sent to you. You never probably thought you would be helping a totally disabled 77-year old widow who lives in a small hut at the end of a muddy path, but you did. Magdalina said that she has not been able to get out of her house in 24 years, but now with this wheelchair she will be able to go outside on the warm days and look at the grass and trees once again.
Thank you for being a part of this effort! "Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the widows in their affliction."
John Kachelman
Ivan-Frankovsk, UA
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