Comfortable, warm, and grateful this Christmas season

Anastasiya and her younger sister Khrystyna smile despite the frosty landscape around them. The sisters live with their parents and brother in a clay house in a village near our Ternopil site. Their mom, Halyna, does all the many daily household chores and cares for the children. These duties prevent her from finding work outside the home. Their dad, Serhiy, had seasonal work that ended in the pandemic, and has had serious health concerns, and so is unable to take steady work. The family's budget has shrunk considerably.

The family was thrilled when, five years ago, Anastasiya was chosen by a Chalice sponsor. Two years later, Khrystyna entered the program too. To Serhiy and Halyna's delight, the girls both started regular correspondence with their sponsors. "It is touching for them to see a very sincere interest to their family of the sponsors' part, who show their love and care," describes Luba, the Ternopil site director.

With the financial challenges they are facing currently, sponsorship has meant more than ever. Halyna used the girls' autumn funds for essential groceries. When the sponsors sent a thoughtful gift of special money before Christmas, Halyna bought them both new pairs of winter boots. She was also able to buy her children modest Christmas gifts, which brought everyone immense joy.

"{Sponsorship} has helped the family more than just get by, it has helped them to live through these difficult times with dignity," writes Luba.

Another challenge Halyna and Serhiy faced was heating their home. It is heated with wood, but with their loss of income, the firewood was too expensive. They had been foraging branches from the forest, but it was never enough. Thanks to generous supporters of Chalice's home heating fund for Ukraine, the family received the funds they needed to buy enough wood for the winter.

"The family celebrated Christmas in warmth, comfort, health, and feeling grateful to the Lord for the sponsorship program," says Luba. "They send prayers for their wonderful sponsors and ask God for the best for them."