Reformed Presbyterian Church of Central and Eastern Europe

A short update on the Ukrainian war situation and its consequences

Dear Brothers in the Lord,

This is my second communication on this terrible conflict. A week has passed since my initial letter was sent out and – humanly speaking – seeing the big picture, things don’t look too encouraging. So here is a brief update of what happened and what can we expect (although I don’t claim to be a prophet).

First, we are thankful for your prayers and for the help we received from you through various channels. The Lord provided enough to cover the immediate needs (food, shelter medicine, cleaning supplies, fuel, etc.) of the refugees who came or were directed to us. In my estimation we have now the means to handle the situation for three weeks, even with full housing capacity. Until now we have had 28 refugees here in Miskolc and 30 in our Budapest congregation. Some of them are still here, others left. Yesterday we were also able to carry across the border some funds for those who remained or are stuck in Ukraine. This included help for brothers from our sister-denomination there. The other good news is that until now, no man was taken into the army by force.    

Secondly, the military actions have intensified by now and are covering a much larger area. The number of victims have been increasing – sadly many are civilians; this is first hand information (not fake news) from those who are staying with us. Initially I thought that this would be a ‘blitzkrieg’, a quick war, but this seems less and less probable. The more the war is prolonged; the situation is getting worse and worse. More people will leave their homes and some will never return to their mother-land. Others will probably try to stay even risking their lives and facing hardship. But both groups will need help: those who want to settle in Hungary and those who have to rebuild the ruins at home in Ukraine.    

Therefore, thirdly, my request to you would be to persevere in prayer both for the refugees and for us (we have never been in a situation like this before). Please pray for those in the war zone: for peace or at least a cease-fire. Pray for those who are under tremendous spiritual pressure facing the decision to leave or to stay. Pray for strength; we are just at the end of our first week, but due to lack of sleep, fatigue is palpable. And if the Lord moves you as you pray – please be ready to give. My suggestion is to set apart your gifts and do not send them over at this time. We will wait two or three other weeks to see how the situation evolves and what kind of support will mostly be needed. Then we will notify you. Our church created a special account for this purpose and you can donate using the information below:

https://budapestipresb.hu/update-on-ukraine-ukrajnai-beszamolo-feb-28-2022-how-can-we-help-hogyan-segithetunk/ (scroll down)

We will also name a few Christian aid organizations which are partnering with us in this.

Again, let me know if you have any questions or even if we can help you. Some of you may have friends, brothers who have to flee Ukraine. If so – and they choose the Hungarian route – we will try to help them and offer shelter.

As a personal remark, seeing these refugees reminded me again – among other things – that we are pilgrims on this earth. Many people lost their homes. But our Lord went ahead to prepare a home for us. (John 14:1-3) So we should not fear. We are heading to a home which is secured, which will not be bombarded, confiscated or robbed. The price of this housing is already covered in full. And our reservation there is not for a week, or a month, but for an entire eternity. What a wonderful Lord and Savior we have!      

I hope to write you another update next week – Deo Volente.     

In His service,

Rev. Imre Szoke

Miskolc/Hungary