{"id":45304,"date":"2023-01-17T14:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T05:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/?p=45304"},"modified":"2023-01-17T11:45:59","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T02:45:59","slug":"vomk-report-237","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/2023\/01\/17\/vomk-report-237\/","title":{"rendered":"More than 4,500 Christmas Care Packages Delivered to Children of Persecuted Christians"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45282″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”This December marked the first Christmas for Natalia Saveleva since the death of her husband, Sergei, in March. Sergei was one of five Ukrainian Christians who had been caring for 200 people living in a church basement in war-torn Mariupol since the start of the war in February. He and the other four were killed when a grenade hit their minivan as they were driving in search of medicine and supplies for those under their care.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:1.2em|text_align:left” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:700%20bold%20regular%3A700%3Anormal” el_class=”headline”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>When I was left alone without my beloved husband <\/span>Seryozha<\/span> (Sergei<\/span>)<\/span>, it was the most terrible and difficult day in my life,<\/span>\u201d Natalia told Voice of the Martyrs Korea. \u201c<\/span>I simply did not know what to do and how to live further. I also had to leave my native town<\/span> [due to the war].<\/span> I<\/span>t was impossible to stay there, it was very scary and unsafe. I just prayed that God would take care of me and send consolation<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Her greatest concerns were for her two <\/span>young <\/span>sons.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45285″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Voice of the Martyrs Korea is delivering more than 4,500 packages to children of Christians who are suffering in China, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Laos, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, and wherever North Korean Christians are found.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I was very worried about my children, they remember and ask for Dad<\/span>,\u201d she told Voice of the Martyrs Korea. \u201c<\/span>I explained to them as best as I could that he was with God and he was fine there and that we all needed to try to live such a life in order to meet him in heaven, where he was waiting for us.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]She was s<\/span>urprised<\/span> to be contacted by Voice of the Martyrs Korea, an organization which provides support for families of Christians who have been martyred or imprisoned because of their faithful witness to Christ. Voice of the Martyrs Korea Representative Dr<\/span>.<\/span> Hyun Sook Foley said they first learned about <\/span>Natalia<\/span> through their local contacts.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen <\/span>Christians, whom I didn’t even know before, started supporting me, I began to understand that God cared about me so much through His children, it was a great support and encouragement for me<\/span>,\u201d said <\/span>Natalia<\/span>. \u201c<\/span>When my children received gifts for Christmas, it was a great joy for them, I watched them all day how happy and interested they were in new toys, children need so little for joy, just to be loved and taken care of. I am very grateful to God for the people who took part in our life<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Christmas Care Package Mrs.<\/span> Saveleva<\/span> received was one of <\/span>more than <\/span>4,<\/span>5<\/span>0<\/span>0<\/span> which are being distributed <\/span>this holiday season <\/span>to children of <\/span>p<\/span>ersecuted Christians in <\/span>nine<\/span> countries by Voice of the Martyrs Korea, in partnership with Voice of the Martyrs Canada.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45279″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Sergei and Natalia Savelevs\u2019 two children show their Christmas care packages received from Voice of the Martyrs Korea. Mr. Savelev was killed March 9, 2022 by a grenade launcher in Mariupol, Ukraine while caring for 200 people in a church basement. Mrs. Saveleva received support from Voice of the Martyrs Korea, including a Christmas Care package for her sons.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]According to Representative Foley, the effort is not a mass distribution effort but instead a <\/span>completely personalized one, in which local Christians determine the contents of the packages according to local or family-specific needs. <\/span>Each package is built around a Children\u2019s Bible or other Christian children\u2019s book.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that not <\/span>all of<\/span> the Christmas Care Package recipients suffered personal loss like Mrs.<\/span> Saveleva<\/span>, <\/span>but all <\/span>are children whose families either currently live in or <\/span>have <\/span>recently escaped from countries where practice of the Christian faith is illegal or restricted. This year, that included children in Christian families from China, Russia, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Laos, Uzbekistan, <\/span>Myanmar<\/span> and North Korea.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45290″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”650 Christmas care packs were distributed to children in Laos. This Laotian boy is pictured with contents of the pack he received.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia, Protestant Christians have been facing constant suspicion and discrimination from their Orthodox neighbors because the Ethiopian president, who has been making war on Tigray<\/span>,<\/span> happens to be a Protestant Christian,\u201d said Representative Foley. \u201cThere are virtual famine conditions <\/span>in Tigray<\/span>, with Protestant Christians facing <\/span>particular challenges<\/span>. <\/span>So<\/span> we worked with Christians in the region to provide Christmas Care Packages of food staples and Children\u2019s Bibles<\/span> to 500 children<\/span>. But this was not just a humanitarian aid <\/span>distribution<\/span>. We worked together with the local Christians <\/span>and received a list of <\/span>each child by name <\/span>so that we <\/span>could pray for each one.\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Voice of the Martyrs Korea does the Christmas Care Package project annually. Representative Foley says the project has continued to grow each year.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]\u201c<\/span>In 2021<\/span>, with the help of our donors we <\/span>raised funds and distributed over 1,700 Christmas <\/span>C<\/span>are packages<\/span>,\u201d says Representative Foley<\/span>.<\/span> \u201cThis year we <\/span>exceeded 4,<\/span>5<\/span>00, with the help of Voice of the Martyrs Canada<\/span>.<\/span> In fact, we received <\/span>additional gifts from our donors in December that are enabling us to deliver more Christmas Care packages on through February<\/span>.\u201d Representative Foley notes that the ministry\u2019s emphasis is not on increasing <\/span>the <\/span>quantity <\/span>of packages distributed <\/span>but instead on maintaining the individual personal connection with each recipient family.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45294″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”500 children in the Tigray region of Ethiopia received a Christmas care package from Voice of the Martyrs Korea. This young boy is pictured with the children\u2019s Bible he received in the care pack.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley points to the story of a young Christian boy in Laos who <\/span>previously <\/span>received a Christmas Care <\/span>p<\/span>ackage. \u201cLaos is one of five remaining Communist countries in the world, and it is also strongly Buddhist. Christians, who are a very small minority<\/span> in the country<\/span>, are accustomed to a life of discrimination and difficulty, being cut off from <\/span>others socially and often economically. One mother whose son received a package told us, \u2018<\/span>My son is very happy for the<\/span> gifts.<\/span> He never got such a gift in his life. My son<\/span> prayed to God to give thanks. He was<\/span> running around to my neighbors and said<\/span> to them, <\/span>\u201c<\/span>This is a gift from nowhere!\u201d<\/span>\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span> <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley asks for prayers for the distribution of the remaining Christmas Care packages. \u201c<\/span>In <\/span>some of the <\/span>nine<\/span> countries where we are distributing this year, COVID, war, and close surveillance of local Christians <\/span>by authorities <\/span>makes <\/span>distribution challenging, especially because it is not a mass distribution but rather an \u2018underground\u2019 delivery to specific children from persecuted Christian families which must be handled <\/span>discretely<\/span>. Please p<\/span>ray for those who<\/span> are distributing the packs as well as the children who are receiving them.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45297″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”This Ukrainian girl show us the pack and Bible she received from Voice of the Martyrs Korea.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][vc_single_image image=”45299″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”These Ukrainian children hold the Christmas care packs they received from Voice of the Martyrs Korea.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that she is thankful to the Lord that none of the more than 4,<\/span>5<\/span>00 packages were intercepted or confiscated by authorities. \u201cI think this project is more miraculous than Santa Claus,\u201d she said. \u201cThese are real children in real situations of war, famine, and persecution. When we do our work successfully, then Christian children will say what the boy from Laos said: \u2018These are gifts from nowhere\u2019\u2014except heaven.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Representative Foley says that Voice of the Martyrs Korea anticipates all packages to be delivered by the end of February.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45302″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Christmas care packs that were made for Christian children living in the mountains of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:13px|text_align:center|color:%230f0f0f|line_height:1.45em” google_fonts=”font_family:Noto%20Sans%3Aregular%2Citalic%2C700%2C700italic|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][\/vc_section]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[vc_section][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”45282″ img_size=”full”][vc_custom_heading text=”This December marked the first Christmas for Natalia Saveleva since the death of her husband, Sergei, in March. Sergei was one of five Ukrainian Christians who had …","protected":false},"author":659,"featured_media":45283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[857,235,869,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-russian-special","category-special-column","category-china-special","category-vomk-report"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.2","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en","zh","ru"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"zh":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45304"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45311,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45304\/revisions\/45311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vomkorea.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}