Eyewitness report from the Ukraine/Romania border

Filmmaker Matt Cooper (27) works part-time for Bible Society. While in Romania recently for the charity Big Love, he found himself at the Ukraine/Romania border. This is what he saw. 

‘It was snowing hard. The day had started out cold, at about -7 degrees. As we travelled towards the border, it got increasingly cold. By the time we arrived in Isaccea, a small town on the bank of the Danube, the temperature was between -10 and -15 degrees. It was the coldest place I have ever been. 

‘The people all around me had fled their homes in neighbouring Ukraine. Now, hundreds of them were waiting in queues on the other side of the river to cross on a tired old ferry. It brought them over in groups of about a hundred or so. 

‘On the Romanian side, in this place which surely had once been a very quiet crossing point, a market had been set up, only everything was free. There were stacks of animal carriers for people’s pets, hygiene products, toiletries, food and toys. People could take whatever they needed. There were food vans offering free food.

‘Everything was happening slowly and quietly. Everywhere there were people. There was such a sense of deep sadness. People genuinely looked like they had no words of hope left. But I also saw three ladies linking arms and smiling as if they were so relieved to be out of Ukraine. 

‘It’s the little things that strike you. I saw a mum with a baby in a pushchair and a little girl in a pink coat. They didn’t have a suitcase. The mum had a backpack and there was a plastic bag on the push chair. That was it. It was unreal. They had lost everything: jobs, home, everything. 

‘People took what they wanted and then mostly, boarded coaches to Bucharest. I remember one lady in a smart, branded coat, picking out two toothbrushes. I was struck by how much her life had changed in just a few short weeks. 

‘In the moment, as a filmmaker, you work. But afterwards, I became increasingly aware of how little my problems are, how lucky I am to have a home, to be able to afford toothbrushes, to be out of the cold. I am mostly thankful, but I also feel powerless at the scale of what I saw on the Ukraine/Romania border. That’s deeply painful. 

‘But there are things that we can do. We can give. We can make ourselves aware of other cultures and make sure that we don’t harbour prejudice to those who are different from us, and we can pray. That is what I have been doing. It seems like the best response in the face of the darkness that I saw. 

‘I’ve also been reminded of the story of Elijah. I was always curious that God’s voice wasn’t in the earthquake, or the fire, but was in a whisper. I feel a sense of God speaking in a whisper at the moment. We can all be still and listen to what he has to say.’

Matt Cooper was traveling with Big Love and Outstretched Hands of Romania. 

To donate to Bible Society’s Ukraine appeal visit our Ukraine page.