More than 1.45 million people have left Ukraine since Russia invaded the country 10 days ago, the International Organization for Migration said on Saturday, sparking what the United Nations agency described as the fastest and largest displacement of people in Europe since World War II. This ”diaspora” is bringing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.

In November, Clear and Simple Media was asked to provide sets of our material to support a ministry in Estonia, one of those countries into which Ukrainian refugees are fleeing. Earlier today, we received an email providing us with an update.

Hello from Estonia!  Thanks so much for sending the hard copies and emailing the e-books!  These are fantastic!  I would like to start with using the simple stories book.  I meet weekly with groups of youth that are seeking and learning English.  I have a youth outreach center in Tartu, Estonia and use this location to meet with kids week after week.  We cook together, sit around a dining table, share a meal, and talk.  Youth come from sailing camps, orphanages, local churches, and the University of Tartu (right next door). I hope to possibly start another group for refugees that may be moving here from Ukraine.

One of the metaphors we use to describe what we do comes from Jesus’ parable of the sower. Because of the generosity of those who support us, we have been able to spread the seed broadly. We now have books in forty-eight languages being used in forty countries – and now in a country where they can become a tool to reach those who are fleeing from the ravages of war. God has given us the privIlege of sowing the seed. And God often surprises us with where it lands.