By Jayna Richardson
February 2024 marked two years since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. As countless lives have been turned upside down due to the ongoing devastation, faithful laborers have continued to provide help and hope to refugees.
Radu and Liuda Cucos, FamilyLife leaders in Moldova, became part of the relief efforts when they first opened their home to those seeking shelter in 2022. Since then, the nature of their work has evolved into a more structured approach, but their overall goals remain the same: to provide refugees with material assistance while also speaking to them about their need for Christ.
“To address this need, we organize several groups of Ukrainians during the week,” says Radu Cucos. “Each group meets weekly for a month with one of our missionaries to receive material aid and be guided in understanding salvation in Christ. It’s incredible to witness how each individual gradually discovers Christ as more than just a religious or historical figure.”
After four meetings with one such group, Radu and Liuda were delighted when five people expressed their desire to further study the Bible without receiving material assistance. At the fifth meeting, attendees were encouraged to read the Gospel of John at home. At the sixth meeting, one attendee named Olga, moved and filled with joy, exclaimed, “I haven’t read the Gospel of John; instead, I watched the movie ‘The Gospel According to John.’ But I never thought it would be so simple! It’s only through faith in Christ that I can be saved! I believe.”
Another attendee who works as a university professor and Doctor of Sciences confided, “I don’t come for material assistance. I come to hear about God.”
“Some have traveled long distances just to learn about God, while others have committed to attending church meetings regularly,” says Cucos. “Over the past few months, we’ve had 25 such groups, where more than 550 people have heard the gospel multiple times, and 42 continue to study the Bible.”
These individuals long to return home to Ukraine, but until that day comes, God is meeting their needs through people like Radu, Liuda, and many others. Pray for God to bring peace to Ukraine and for the seeds sown to bear fruit.
