Late in 1998, a catastrophe occurred in Transcarpathia. According to official sources, 6,754 houses were flooded, and 895 homes were totally destroyed by mud slides. Among the houses destroyed were 37 that belonged to Witnesses. Immediately, the branch in Lvov sent a truck to the area with food, water, soap, beds, and blankets. Later, brothers from Canada and Germany sent clothing and household goods. Witnesses from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia provided food and also sent construction materials to replace the destroyed houses. Many local brothers helped in the restoration work as well. Witnesses provided food, clothing, and firewood, not only for fellow Witnesses but also for others. They cleaned yards and fields and helped repair the houses of non-Witnesses.

The truth motivates a person to help and to support others. We especially felt this in 1998 when there was a huge flood in Transcarpathia, and hundreds, yes, hundreds of people lost their homes and all their belongings in one night.

Within two days, a group of brothers arrived on the scene and formed relief committees. These determined what relief would be given to each family, to each village. Two villages were especially hard hit, Vary and Vyshkove. Within only two or three days, plans were made as to which family would receive what help and who would help. Then our brothers arrived in trucks and began shoveling away the sea of mud.

They brought dry wood, which astounded everyone in this area. Non-Witnesses were amazed. One sister from Vyshkove was in the area where a team of brothers were shoveling away mud. A news correspondent approached her and asked: “Do you know who these people are?”

“I don’t know them well,” she answered, “because we speak different languages​—Romanian, Hungarian, Ukrainian, and Russian. But I know one thing: These are my brothers and sisters, and they’re helping me.”

Within two or three days, the brothers had sent help and taken care of these families, who were relocated to other areas. However, after half a year, practically all the houses of the Witnesses had been rebuilt, and the Witnesses were the first ones from that area to return to live in their new homes.