Franklin Church helps Ukrainian Refugees in Moldova

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WSMV) -Some Tennesseans are in Europe helping Ukrainian refugees.

Members of Rolling Hills Community Church in Williamson County have people helping in Moldova, a country that borders Ukraine.

The church said they wanted to go in and help through Justice and Mercy International; a non-profit the church started.

Chris Hardy and Rachel Trammell are from Nashville but are currently in Moldova, roughly 2 hours from the Ukrainian border.

Both Hardy and Trammell said they felt it necessary to be in Moldova to help and they described the atmosphere in that small country as sadness and fear.

“We started seeing the news of this crisis on TV and we said we have to go help,” said Rachel Trammel a member of Rolling Hills Church and Volunteer with Justice and Mercy International.

“We knew that our staff was giving their lives in service to these refugees coming from Ukraine and we felt we couldn’t allow them to do it all by themselves. And we needed to be here to support them,” Hardy said.

They can help through Justice and Mercy International in the form of essential resources to keep Ukrainian refugees warm and comfortable.

“We’re providing resources for them. Food, hygiene supplies like toothbrushes. Some of them have left home and have nothing. So, we’re proving the hygiene supplies, food, blankets, beddings heaters, anything that they might need for shelter and warmth,” Hardy said. “We’re also working to resource a refugee camp which we were at yesterday thus far they’ve seen 900 refugees come through this camp,” he added.

Lead Pastor Jeff Simmons of Rolling Hills Community Church said the church is no stranger to Moldova. Through Justice and Mercy International, they have been helping Moldova for over 15 years and have about 40 people on the ground.

“We have four transitional living homes through Justice and Mercy International that we’ve turned into refugee sites that they’re helping refugees that are coming,” said Jeff Simmons, the Lead Pastor Of Rolling Hills Community Church.

“There are about 30 churches that we’re working with who are housing refugees,” said Hardy on the ground in Moldova.

Hardy and Trammell are working with Alina Magdaliuc, a Moldovan who works with the non-profit. Magdaliuc said they were in disbelief when the Russian invasion started in Ukraine.

“Then we actually saw people coming and it was hard because it was only women and children mostly can cross the border. And that’s hard. They have to leave everything behind. They have to leave their husbands, their fathers, their brothers, their houses. Everything they have. They just leave that behind and they come over,” said Alina Magdaliuc, the National Director For Justice And Mercy International For Moldova.

Magdaliuc said getting to the border is no small feat for Ukrainian refugees.

“A lot of them walk by foot because they don’t have transportation. Some of them stand in line for 10 hours or more carrying their children and their things they wanted to bring with them. This is why some of them when they get here, they’re very sick because it’s snowing in Moldova this week, said Magdaliuc.

“We decided we wanted to make a difference. This isn’t the time to try to evacuate, this is the time to engage. As a church, as Justice and Mercy International that’s immediately what we thought about. is how can we help, can we make a difference at this time,” said Pastor Simmons.

The Nashvillians who work with Justice and Mercy International helping in Moldova shared some of the stories of the refugees in the camps.

“I talked to this young woman who was 3 months away from completing her undergraduate degree in Odessa Ukraine and now she has no idea what her future looks like,” said Trammell.

“We met a 16-year-old boy, and he was out of country with his siter when the war happened and his parents both mom and dad and brother are still in Odessa. And now he is in a refugee camp with his sister by himself. And I think the burden were carrying is just overwhelming,” said Hardy

“Its heavy. I think Heavy is the main word I will use even more than sad because the need is so great and we just want to do everything we can to alleviate that need,” said Trammell.

Justice and Mercy International is looking for donations to help efforts in Moldova. If you would like to help, visit here.

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