There is a small, unimportant border crossing on the Tisza river at a town called Tiszabécs.  The Tisza river is the border between Hungary and Ukraine. 

The only thing that makes it notable now is that there is a flow of desperate people, fleeing from a brutal war, who are escaping across the river into Hungary.

Tiszabécs has a lot of poor people. People who understand what it means to have nothing. 

It’s amazing how the common everyday people in this small town are responding to the plight of the refugees coming out of Ukraine.

We drove 6 hours from Southern Hungary to bring about 2000 pounds of food, clothing, medicine and tents up to these border areas.

As I walked into the compound of the local church where we were offloading food, it was a hubbub of activity.

Along the sideyard of the church, men were hooking up lighting in a couple of ‘FEMA’ style portable housing modules full of mattresses. There were a couple more small cottages with mattresses all over their floors.

A Generator was running and power cords went everywhere.  Lots of kids were running around playing.  I met the Vice President of a biker club there.  He and a very middle-class family man were working together stringing extension cords. 

Refugees were sitting on beds in some of the rooms. Other places there were only people’s bags sitting by beds.

Walking back farther I reached the outdoor kitchen.  A group of ladies under the direction of a very capable leader were cooking chopped cabbage and green spices over a barrel stove fire. 

They had a dishpan of chopped cabbage cooking on the cut out top of a barrel.  A wood fire was burning in the barrel underneath.

Other ladies brought up a large plastic baby bathtub full of freshly peeled and cut up potatoes to cook.

Once both are cooked, they will be mixed and cooked down into soup with a big smoked ham hock to make a simple dinner for an expected 200 people. 

When evening comes, trains and busses on the Ukrainian side will drop a couple hundred people off to be processed through the border. 

People who have been running for days.  Traveling catch as catch can.  These people will be hungry and the church ladies made enough for everyone to eat and have seconds.

It’s a very simple kitchen, run by some very poor people who have very big hearts.

They have taken the little they have and are offering it to people who have nothing.  Just a few days ago, many of the refugees probably had much more than these people in Tiszabécs.  Nobody cares about that now. Disaster and war have brought everybody together.

The people of Tiszabécs have mobilized the little they have to be the first line of defense against hunger and homelessness on the south bank of the Tisza river, in northern Hungary!

Your gifts and prayers are so important! Thanks so much for being a vital part of everything that we are doing over here!!

Blessings,

Allen & Katy Lake, Directors, Harvest Eastern Edge

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