Mustard Seed Jersey Prayer
Update February 2023
There
are many encouragements in the Bible to cause us to pray, and yet so often when
problems arise it is not our automatic response to “take it to the Lord in
prayer” as the well known hymn “What a friend we have
in Jesus” tells us to do.
Our
Christmas aid consignment containing the Christmas shoeboxes arrived safely in
Romania in December with the Romanians taking approx
1500 either over the border into Ukraine or donated to Ukrainian refugees in
the country. (If you have not seen the newsletter with photos of the
distribution please either ask me to email you one or check it out on the
website www.mustardseed.org.je as I
believe it is worth reading).
However
what is not general known is that the paperwork requirements for that December aid
consignment changed dramatically from what had been perfectly acceptable for
the autumn consignment sent in late October arriving in Romania in early
November. If the paperwork requirements are not met correctly then the goods
will not be permitted to enter into the country. Because the Christmas
consignment was Christmas shoeboxes we were able to send them and provide
acceptable paperwork. But we are battling to understand the implications of the
new requirements for textiles which of course includes clothing and bedding. We
are blessed in that we have a number of people working to help us come to grips
with this. If this cannot be resolved we will not be able to send any further
clothing and bedding to Romania. An alternative would be to send direct to
Ukraine where there is certainly huge need but we would face a HUGE and
undoubtedly very costly challenge to find transport. We are fortunate in that
the Ukrainian trust we could donate to is close to the Romanian border.
So
please pray for favour and clarity and wisdom. Please pray God’s blessing on the
various people who are trying to help us resolve exactly what the Romanian requirements
would be and how / if we can meet them.
Please
uphold ALEX in your prayers as he works with Ukrainian refugees in the Mustard
Seed Romanian property Casa Rabi and he tries to resolve the impasse regarding our
sending aid to Romania from the Romanian end.
Also
uphold NELU in your prayers as he continues his work through the AVS trust
among the poorest of Romanians and also over the border into Ukraine – please
pray God provides the needed financial provision for him and his family.
Pray
for SORIN a pastor in Ukraine near the Romanian border as he works with many
displaced Ukrainians. He is a good friend of Alex’s and it was Alex who
introduced us to him.
Pray
for GABI and ION in Ukraine near the Romanian border (further west than where
Sorin is based) as they work with many displaced people. They are good friends
of Nelu’s and it is through Nelu’s
request Mustard Seed Jersey has been helping them.
One
verse of the hymn What a friend we have in Jesus says:
O what peace we often
forfeit
O what needless pain we
bear
All because we do not
carry
Everything to God in
prayer
Please bless us and our
work in Jersey, Romania and Ukraine with your prayers
Rose