Spain (MNN) — Spanish truckers have agreed to “temporarily” suspend a three-week strike. They want better pay to compensate for rapidly rising gas prices.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made that problem significantly worse. Organizers of the strike say it could continue in the future, but the government has agreed to a discount on gas prices for truckers.
International Media Ministries operates out of Spain, and Denise Godwin says, “The fuel costs went up dramatically in just a few days all over Europe. On average, people are paying 20-50 euros more for a tank of gas. That happened in just a matter of days. There are some shortages in the stores. The most common shortage you see is no milk on the shelves.”
“A lot of people are saying, ‘All that was left was soy milk.’”
Godwin says the shortages remind people of much harsher conditions in Ukraine itself.
European churches
Across Europe, churches continue sending aid to Ukraine and taking in refugees.
In Poland, churches had stored up food well before the invasion even started. Godwin says, “Essentially, miracles happen every day that they’re able to fill a track and send it to the Polish receiving centers. Croatia has done a lot. Buses have gone from Madrid, bringing people from Poland all the way here.”
While transporting refugees, churches also need to be on the lookout for human trafficking. Women and children make up most of the refugees. Godwin says, “They’re trying to make sure it’s very official, that the buses and the people who go in the buses are checked carefully. Because trafficking organizations have gone to the border.”
IMM creates Gospel videos to share with Ukrainian refugees. Ask God to bring comfort. Godwin says, “It’s an important time to present a God who cares about them as individuals and what’s happening to them.”
Header photo courtesy of joapech, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
