Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Greetings in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Thank you all for your prayers and so many emails asking about our situation. We remain in Bucharest, Romania about 90 miles as the crow flies from the border with Ukraine, and we feel safe here. As most of you know, originally my family and I were slated to move to Ukraine and teach there. In that year or so of preparations we feel in love with Ukraine. Every report of a new attack or bombing rips our heart to pieces.
During these times I am thankful for the cross. We are told that Jesus is the icon, or image of the invisible God in Colossians 1:15. We see that image most clearly in the crucifixion. With war, strife and images of death being feed to us 24/7 we can forget God’s deep love for humanity. But at the cross we see the reality. Our creator loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son for us. If He loves us so much as to die for us, He surely won’t abandon us. What’s more it is comforting to remember that the God who created and sustains the universe, the God that holds all of us in His hands, is the same God who died on the cross out of love for us.
Now, many of you have also asked how you can help. We all want to do something to help, and for the Confessional Lutheran Church in Romania the focus is on helping refugees. All the Romanian pastors are assisting and helping in the effort. Megan and I have also opened our home and hope to be able to provide refuge to the wife and daughter of a dear Ukrainian colleague. Some of our supporters have even wanted to come and aid the refugees with us. This is a noble desire, but currently there are plenty of local Romanian volunteers and government workers assisting the refugees. So what can you do? Most importantly pray! Please continue to keep Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in your prayers, pray for the family separated by this war, and pray for those providing aid. Pray also for the Russians, both the poor conscripts sent to the front, and for their leaders. But next if you can do more, please follow the link bellow to the LCMS’s website where they have options to help.
https://reporter.lcms.org/2022/the-list-changes-daily-help-for-ukraine/
Christ Bless you All,
Pastor Andrew Michael Johnson Fedder
Thank you all for your support and prayers. One Heavenly Father is a God of means. He uses us as the means and instruments to bless our neighbor, to be His hands and feet. Our work is made possible through your generosity and your dedicated prayers for us. If you would like to continue to support us please follow either of the links below.
