FRM Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 2022: Running for your life
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A FRM Leadership member is currently serving as a private contractor with Far Reaching Ministries (FRM), he has served on my board for 22 years and is one of my closest brothers in Christ. He was in Ukraine working on several of our Ukrainian refugee projects for FRM. We are feeding 15,000 Ukrainians a day and are halfway through a three-month commitment to do so. Your donations are having a profound impact amid hunger and desperation. We are partnering with
the Ukrainian Chaplaincy Corps, which has 25 chaplains overseeing the feeding project and 200 support staff. The need continues to grow, the FRM Leader has asked me to extend it for another three months. We discussed how difficult the coming winter would be, and I greenlighted the project through winter. Last week, the FRM Leader met with an elderly refugee and her mentally disabled 40-year-old daughter. The mother told him that they had run from the Russian army from the city of Luhansk to Donetsk to Dnipro to Poltava to Pryluky; literally, they were forced to live on little to no food for weeks. They were just trying to survive by staying one step ahead of the soldiers, which meant they had to move both day and night. These two women were utterly defenseless, terrified, and no threat to anyone–especially not an armed soldier, yet they were constantly under attack. This is hard to comprehend. I am a soldier, and I can tell you that while in battle, you can immediately recognize the difference between soldiers and elderly women and children. For soldiers to shoot at innocent civilians is inexcusable, it goes against the code for any man under arms. The women were homeless, dirty, unarmed, and weak. All this elderly mother was trying to do was save her child’s life! The attack on them was not an act of war but evil, senseless brutality. One thing that I feel that the “politically correct” world, and sadly even much of the
church, does not understand is that in order to stop bad men with guns, it takes good men with guns—because, without the gun, those evil men will never listen.
I am working with a FRM Leader and men who love the Lord and have military expertise (former Army Rangers, Delta Force, Special Ops training, and the like) to train the Ukrainian army. We want these men to know how to meet the medical and spiritual needs of the soldiers in their ranks. Our aim is to end the slaughter of innocents and to remind each man they must give an account before a holy God for every action. We are also assembling former Navy Seals and elite Marines to go and teach other skills such as knitting and needlework. Since I am unable to name the specifics, you will have to figure out what I am saying. During the flight of these two women, the mother was wounded by enemy fire. She was able to make it to a hospital but was not allowed to stay long. The hospital was so overcrowded with the wounded soldiers from the front line that she was forced to give up her bed. But, during her brief hospital stay, she had a surgery that was botched. She has several tumors and probably does not have long to live. I know she must be terrified of what will happen to her daughter if she dies, for I have a mentally handicapped son myself. The FRM Leader said that when he met the daughter, she was alone, sitting quietly and reading children’s books, unable to really comprehend what was happening. She was just scared and hungry. At times she would start crying but could not express why. After the two left the hospital, the daughter was shot; thankfully, her wound was not critical. These women made their way to one of the local churches and were offered shelter and a bowl of hot borscht (a cabbage and beet soup). The daughter, during a four-hour interview, just looked at children’s books but cry at times when her mother would tell some parts of their journey. When the mother told the FRM Leader that they had been given the soup, and how hungry they were, the daughter stopped what she was doing and commented on how wonderful and delicious the soup tasted to her. It made everyone smile. I asked the FRM Leader to get this mother the finest medical treatment available to them, and I will cover the cost. I then asked him to tell the mother that she should not worry, that we would look after her daughter. We will find a good Christian family who will care for her and ensure she feels safe and loved. FRM will cover the cost of caring for the daughter for as long as necessary, and I will keep my promise. I am the father of a handicapped boy, and he is the joy of my life. He has never been a burden and is actually very smart and kind. He has gone to college, received a degree, and works very hard to make a living. While he is smart, he will always be child-like at heart. This is one of the reasons I worked so hard to save and learn about the stock market, which I have done extremely well by God’s grace and faithfulness.
To me, it was never about making money to have the great luxuries of life; instead, I earn and save to make sure that when I am taken, those who cannot care for themselves will be taken care of. As I invest, I ask the Lord to bless not for some future mansion or yacht but so that I can assist those who are in trouble and need help. I can feel the pain of this mother, and I want her to know that God loves her, and she need not be worried. I know in the same circumstance; I would be unable to die in peace if I was unable to care for my child. One of the greatest threats in Ukraine is that millions of people have been displaced, their homes have been destroyed, and winter is ahead. Without having shelter, the people are in great danger of freezing to death. FRM is working to build simple temporary winterized homes for these people in safe locations. A FRM Leader was able to get a $200,000 donation from a secular organization for 40 of these homes. We want to help as many vulnerable women and children who, like this mother and daughter I told you about, have no one to turn to for help. We want to tangibly show them that God hears their prayers, that He loves them, and that we, as God’s children, are ready to help! The cold winter is especially hard on the elderly, and they will not survive without help. As shown in this newsletter, you can provide a home to be built for $4,500. We will also continue our feeding program. This is our opportunity to help the hungry and the homeless by demonstrating God’s love, compassion, and generosity. I believe that He is asking us to be His hands, His feet, and His ambassadors. Please pray and ask the Lord how you can get involved. Sometimes meeting the physical needs opens the heart to hear the Gospel. The devastation of war brings the reality of death and causes people to listen like never before. I know my ways are not orthodox, but years of war have taught me what to do in times of war. If the Lord puts it in your heart, we need your help and welcome your gifts to save as many as we can. In truth, you have not given to us but the Lord. The Shepherd’s responsibility is to protect the sheep. The wolf is not in danger unless he comes to kill the sheep; thus, we are here to protect those that cannot protect themselves. Unfortunately, Ukraine has many wolves hunting women and children.
Wes Bentley
Far Reaching Ministries