Written by Martin Stan…
Greater LOVE Hath No Man
In early March of this year I was privileged to be part of a small team that delivered supplies to villages in southern Ukraine in the Kherson region, a very active war zone. This team was led by 2 NGOs, Mercy Projects and Freeway Kyiv. This region has been under constant siege by Russian forces causing mass destruction of homes, schools, medical facilities, markets, etc. There has been significant loss of lives and many families have fled to other locations. Stanislav is one of the villages that we visited. It’s not possible to put into words the level of devastation that we witnessed first-hand in March.
We were enthusiastically welcomed into the home of Pastor Nikolai and his wife. We received amazing hospitality as they gave up their own beds and served us an abundance of delicious foods. We spent a couple of nights and days delivering supplies and visiting people that were still living in their homes. Nikolai and his wife were so full of joy and they were very committed to remaining in this village even while constant shelling was happening. They considered it a privilege to serve and minister to the local people as lives were being devastated by the enemy. They truly counted the cost of serving others.
On the morning of August 13 the home of Nikolai was heavily shelled by the enemy causing irreparable damage. As a result of the shelling, Nikolai entered eternity leaving behind his wife, kids, and grandkids. The truth of the matter is that everyone in this village knew Pastor Nikolai and his wife including the Russian army that previously occupied the village before it was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November 2022. Nikolai and his family were at risk and known for helping others rebuild their physical and spiritual lives. There is no question that they were in the crosshairs of the enemy.
A great verse states “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
The above video is Pastor Nikolai praying for the safety of our team as we passed out stoves and supplies in a village in March 2023. The following video (below) is what remains of his bombed out home, where he was killed. The voice is his daughter’s, as she tours the shell of what was such a warm and loving home that Nikolai had made so many fine touches to.
