The war in Ukraine has catapulted many of us into untrodden territory, forcing millions of people to flee westward to escape the bombs and missiles being launched on them. Last Thursday the LCMS requested me to provide pastoral care to three Ukrainian refugee families heading toward Germany and provided me with their contact info. The next day one of the families texted me, indicating that they would arrive at Hamburg’s main station in about 40 minutes’ time: a mom and her teenage daughter (whom I will call Nataliya and Mikayla). The husband was not with them because Ukrainian men must stay and defend the homeland (!). I called their host here in Hamburg and we met at the platform only minutes before their train pulled in. It had at least twenty cars and we had no idea in which one our guests were traveling. We split up, not having a clue whom to look for. Slowly making my way through the crowds, I held up my home-made blue and yellow sign with their name on it. As the Lord would have it, Nataliya and daughter disembarked right in front of me, with Mikayla spotting my sign. With tears of relief running down their faces after five days on the road, I welcomed them. We found the host, whose husband Hans had been waiting with the family van in the parking lot. When we got there, I asked the little group whether they would mind if we had a prayer of thanks for their safe arrival. The Ukrainian ladies nodded in agreement, whereas the host looked skeptical: “Praying is not really my thing, but Hans is Catholic, so… well… alright.” We prayed and I noticed the Ukrainians make the sign of the cross as we concluded. The next day, the host called me with the happy news that her guests were doing well. Before hanging up, she added, “Oh, by the way, thank you for praying last night. I’m not really into all of that religion stuff, but somehow praying to God felt good. It gave me peace.”
tiewsfamily.org 