Ukraine War Hits Costa Rica

This past Sunday we had several new visitors at English Christian Fellowship. Among them was a young couple with their young son. It turns out that they are Russians who fled their country as the war was beginning in Ukraine. The young man was born in Ukraine, but years ago immigrated with his family to Russia. As a strapping mid-twenties young man, he was certain to be drafted to fight for the Russians against his own people.

The young couple described a nightmarish scene in the airport as they tried to get out of Russia.  The Russian officials eventually relented and let them leave. With only a few suitcases, they first fled to Turkey. Once there, they discovered that Costa Rica has a generous tourist visa allowing visitors to stay for three months. As a result, they arrived in this neck of the woods a few days ago.

It's one thing to learn in the news about millions of people being displaced by the war in Ukraine. It’s another thing to have one of those displaced families show up on your doorstep. What an amazing opportunity! We feel blessed and privileged.

Our new Russian friends are vibrant Christ followers and finding a Jesus-centered church was a top priority after arriving in Costa Rica. Our billboards continue to draw guests every weekend.  But our Russian guests, along with many others who have visited, found ECF through our updated website. We thank God for these means of communication!

They are currently staying in an Air B&B, but they are looking for more permanent housing with a limited budget. The young man is REALLY big, so he’s at a loss to find clothing to fit him in Costa Rica. Pam is traveling to visit our California “kids” next week. She plans to bring back some XXXL clothing. Imagine fleeing your home and leaving behind most of your clothing, household items, vehicles, etc. That is what our new friends are facing.

If you would like to contribute to their resettlement fund, please go to ECF’s website. On the GIVE link, we have set up a Resettlement Fund that will be channeled directly to our Russian refugees. Thank you in advance!! What an honor to assist these new friends!

Pam has a lovely Christian woman who assists with our deep house cleaning once a week. When Brenda heard the story about our Russian visitors, she teared up and said, “Pamela, if you had not come to Costa Rica, they would not have found the refuge that your church is providing.” That makes it all worthwhile, doesn’t it?  

As I’ve said many times in this blog, when we launched into this new chapter, we had no idea what was awaiting us. We just knew that God was calling us to step into deep water. Now we know that part of the reason for being here is to be a refuge for a beautiful young family that was thrust out of their homeland. Pam and I are glad we are in Costa Rica to play a small part in the story of redemption that God is writing in their lives.