Cleaning Toilets for Ukrainians

Imagine you are one of the thousands of refugees who has chosen to leave your home town in Ukraine fleeing for your life. Eventually you get on a train out of the country and into neighbouring Hungary. You are exhausted, you are worried, you have left loved ones behind who you don’t know if you’ll ever see again. And then you think about where you have arrived- in a different country not knowing where to turn. Well Christians amongst others in Hungary have been looking after the tidal wave of refugees streaming into the country. I received an email from a Christian pastor Adam in Hungary who writes this… 

“Here is one story that just happened yesterday. The railway stations in Budapest are overloaded, they simply don't have the capacities to welcome tens of thousands of refugees arriving on train. The [portable] Toi-Toi toilets are few and dirty. The situation is chaotic. So yesterday my friend, Hamar Dani, took 25 men to one of the railways stations. They helped the tired mothers to carry their suitcases. They helped organise lodging and transportation. They observed what was needed to be done so refugees were more welcomed. They bought cleaning materials and they made sure the refugees could use relatively clean toilets. The railway company would not clean the toilets as often as needed, so a team of Christians clean them!” 

I was astonished. It’s just one of a number of stories in the email of Christians going out of their way to serve their fellow human beings. 

The email goes on to talk of Christians driving into Ukraine against the flow of traffic in weather that is 10degrees below freezing to deliver aid and give people lifts out of the country. 

 It is astonishing. It reminded me of a verse in the Bible that says “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”. 

When Jesus changes your life, it helps you to change others’ lives. Thank God for every light that is shining in this tragic situation, and may he give each one strength. Thanks for listening.

Charlie Newcombe 16/3/22