Hi Friend,
Dr. Sandra Varney
If you are getting this letter, then I know that our paths have crossed in some way where you know at least a portion of my life’s story. The fascinating story of rags to riches, of a refugee escaping from communism to become a naturalised citizen in the land of the free.
Born in a barn fleeing from Ukraine in WWII, becoming a refugee in Germany, transitioning to an immigrant in America and then achieving abundance in the land of opportunity. I often used to ask God, “Why me, Lord, why this life story for me?” Then the Putin war broke out, and it all became clear very quickly.
The Ukrainian portion of my heart was heartbroken and the American portion was desperate to do something…to somehow give back after all the abundant blessings I have received in my life. It is now my turn to give back.
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In May, I went to be a translator in a Ukrainian refugee camp in Germany. There, I met some Singaporean volunteers, and fostered a friendship that blossomed into a 3-week trip to Ukraine and Poland in August. Finding critical needs in Ukraine where we could help was our focus. Working through established organisations already on the ground was the venue. Love On Ukraine (LOU) was birthed as the conduit for giving.
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The immediate urgent need on people’s hearts that we heard repeatedly was housing. The devastating, destructive effects of the war have left people without adequate shelter or resources to protect themselves from the harsh looming winter weather ahead.
With almost the same heartbreaking urgency, we heard about the emotional trauma that this war has inflicted on adults and children alike. Much healing over several generations will be needed before the Ukrainian people can feel secure peace in their heart again.
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Please consider giving as your heart directs to at least one of the needs described in the following pages. Options to donate are listed toward the end of the presentation.
Yours Faithfully,
Present Destruction
Children looking at rubble remains of their home – what a traumatic event for a child to bear
Destroyed homes
Machine gun fire on seats and walls
Transforming destruction into an art form
Meeting Needs for Winter
DIMA – “MY HOME” IN MOSCHUN, BUCHA AND BEYOND
“My Home” is providing winter housing for villages devastated by bombings:
Dima is a young man who quit his job as a builder to start My Home project, an initiative to provide emergency housing for the communities of Moschun, Bucha, Irpin and beyond. My Home has currently built 110 prefabricated homes. Dima has also established food and clothing distributions centers in the villages and has held community gatherings over barbeque dinners twice a month to encourage fellowship and a sense of community.
How You Can Help My Home Initiative
Please donate money to build a house, multiple houses or just a portion of a house. Each prefab home will be delivered and installed in a 2 week timeframe on a family’s home lot. These homes can last 3-5 years to shelter families from the harsh winters while they start rebuild their permanent home.
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Cost of each prefab house: $4,000 delivered from Poland and installed on sit
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Installation time: 2 weeks – “walk in and live” ready
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Amenities: fully furnished with new living necessities even dishes, silverware, coffee pot
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Goal: to build 400 houses by winter.
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Outreach: a Welcome bag containing Christian material of hope and food staples will come with the delivery of each house.
Newly delivered house
Home lived in for 4 months
Meeting Needs of the Heart
Mission To Ukraine (MTU) meets the needs of the most vulnerable
Ira is a young woman who heads up MTU. She and her staff work tirelessly to bring dignity, hope and assistance not only to the most vulnerable people -- people who often have no voice in the Ukraine society -- but now also reaching out to the people that have been traumatised during these difficult times of war, especially children.
How You Can Help Mission To Ukraine
Please donate to MTU for the following needs:
Crisis Pregnancy center: They serve pregnant women who have lost their husbands and are facing life defining decisions amidst incredible hardships. They walk beside women who have chosen to carry their babies to term and provide emotional support and financial assistance for 18 months after the birth.
Families in Need of Help: An outcrop from the crisis pregnancy center are families in need of further assistance, such as those with special needs children and their siblings who are often lost in the shuffle as the family struggles with the high care demands of a special needs child. There are 500 such families that are presently being supported. There are another 180 more families in need of various help.
MTU also partners with churches and non-profits to supply summer camps, youth group activities, and after school events for siblings giving them a chance to temporarily set aside their “adult” family responsibility and recapture a few hours of childhood.
Love On Ukraine Team with Ira in the middle in white
Give Electronically
Credit card or e-Check (For US givers)
To give a tax-deductible donation on-line, click here to DONATE
(NOTE: we are utilizing my husbands charity called Cities Project Global to service the donations. Be sure to type LOU on the comment field)
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When the website appears, click the “Donate Now” button
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Choose Credit Card or e-Check option
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Fill-in the needed information on the form
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Also be sure to type ”LOU: MyHome” or “LOU: MTU” or both in the comment box on the form
For further information about our work in Ukraine:
Kindly email Sandy personally at SandraDVarney@gmail.com. She will be delighted to respond.
Above shows a screenshot of how the National Christian Foundation page looks like.
Please check that the link is as follows, beware of phishing sites.
Use above button to link to page
Give by Check
To give a tax-deductible donation by check:
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Make check payable to: Cities Project Global*
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Write “LOU: MyHome ” or “LOU: MTU” in the memo line on your check. (Write 2 separate checks if you are giving to both.)
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Send your check(s) to Sandra Varney, 10332 Eclipse Lane, Great Falls, VA 22066
For further information about our work in Ukraine:
Kindly email Sandy personally at SandraDVarney@gmail.com. She will respond quickly by phone or email.
*Cities Project Global is my husband’s charitable organization. He has kindly offered to process Love On Ukraine donations through his charity and absorb all the processing costs. That is why writing “LOU” on the memo line is critical.
My Personal Blessing from God
Once inside the borders of Ukraine, I reached out to my relatives to say that my feet were standing on Ukrainian soil. You can imagine my cousin’s shocked surprise and my tearful delight.
She insisted on coming to see me so I found a day where I was not critical to the team. My cousin OIya and some of her family traveled 3 hours from their village to meet me in my hotel in Kiev.
The challenge was that Ukraine had a 10 o’clock curfew, so they had to be back home by then.
The reunion was emotional beyond description. After an initial flood of tears, we jumped in right where we left off the last time I had seen them 15 years ago….and never stopped… trying desperately to take advantage of our brief time together that we were so grateful for.
Midday, the Singaporean team surprised me with getting rooms for my relatives in the hotel so they did not have to travel back the same day. My cousin Olya and I talked and giggled into the early hours of dawn like two college kids.
I promised my family that I would NOT enter Ukraine if the war continued to intensify. With continual prayer, I knew God would guide my decision. I did not contact my relatives in Ukraine before the trip.
Sandy & Olya
