As soon as we came back from the second trip to Ukraine and as a result of the positive signals received from all sides, we started preparing for the third trip. Just like before, this trip involved telephone conferences with Ukrainian brothers to identify the needs, negotiations with stores to purchase the items on the list, servicing the vehicle and trailer, and, when time came, the loading of the goods and the long driving up north.

We began loading the van on Saturday, in Filiasi, with the goods collected there and those brought from Bucharest by brothers David and Chris (clothes for children, sleeping bags, medicines). I accompanied Bro. Raul to Bocsa. Sunday, after church service, we drove to Resita, accompanied by Bro. Lucian, and loaded the van and the trailer with the sleeping bags, inflatable mattresses and the pumps that we had bought there. At home, we loaded 3000 Gospel booklets and several sacks with children and women’s clothes and jackets, which will be distributed to refugees from eastern Ukraine by sister Allesia from Kropyvnytskyi.
 

The third trip to Ukraine actually started on Monday morning, April 11th, at 6 AM. We made our first stop in Timisoara, where we met bro Aurel Miclea, who brought us the blankets that we ordered there. The van and the trailer were full to the brim. After a 10 hour journey, we arrived in Sighet, at the refugee camp, where we unloaded all the goods that we brought, which were to be loaded in three other vans that were planning to travel to eastern Ukraine. We, then, drove 80 km south, to buy from a big retailer food, detergent and other things on our list. We left the store 12 minutes before closing times and headed back to the border town of Sighet. We, then, helped loading the vans with the initial cargo and also loaded them with part of what we got in the second cargo. After filling up the customs forms, we went to bed at 01:00 AM, closing a long, tiring but also joyful day.

On the next morning, we started our trip to Ukraine at 05:30 AM. We arrived at the border crossing in Siret, in north eastern Romania, at 11:30 AM, and around 01:00 PM we were in Chernivtsi, meeting the Ukrainian brethren and loading them with the goods from their list. They, together with the three vans from Romania, continued their trip to Eastern Ukraine, where they arrived after two days. The brethren distributed goods and Gospel booklets from us in Vinnitsia, Kropyvnytskyi and Dnipro, which lies 5 km from the front line of war. After we prayed, we parted ways. Raul and I drove to Storojinets, a suburb of Chernitvtsi, where we unloaded the last items that we had for Bro. Orest. The greatest struggle we had was with the very bad roads and with the sleet that we encountered while crossing several mountain ranges.
 

In the mean time, bro Aurel Miclea, back in Romania, was making preparations for the purchase of the cargo van. God worked miraculously in order for us to buy it. We praise God and thank you all that contributed toward its purchase.

We crossed the border back to Romania in the late afternoon, and drove all night. By morning, we arrived home. Bro. Ovidiu and the other two vans arrived in Sighet on Friday evening, bringing to the camp a few families of refugees and orphans from the front line.
 

This was the the most involved and exciting trip to Ukraine so far. We brought the largest quantity of goods, which reached the furtherest, we drove the longest (26 hours of continuous driving). Also, while transferring the goods to bro Mihai’s van, a fighter jet could be heard loudly above us. Whether it was Ukrainian or Russian, it was a matter of concern for Bro. Mihai, because he hasn’t heard them before there, and Ukrainians spare their jets, and take off only to engage Russian ones. But we praise God that the mission was accomplished according to His eternal plan, and brought Him glory!