Planes and Trains. . .

by Dr. Phil

We usually don’t’ bore you with the details of how the sausages are made, so to speak…. in other words sparing you the travel details as to how we get there, but in order to provide a bit of context for my last trip to Ukraine this edition will be an exception. What used to be a straight flight to Kiev from Amsterdam and then a domestic flight to the eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporozhzia (Zap), has due to the war become a bit more complicated and took three days.

Once in Amsterdam, it began with a flight to Krakow, Poland and from there a three hour train ride to the western border of Ukraine to link up with another twenty hour overnight train across Ukraine to the east of the country. Unlike my return trip by train through western Europe to Amsterdam (long story), the Polish and Ukrainian trains were consistent and on time!

Zap is about 50 km from the front line and near the large nuclear power plant you have likely heard about in the news (currently under Russian control). While I was in the city, there were several missile strikes and evidence of previous strikes. Closest to home was the destruction of the hotel (two months before arrival) in which we always stayed while in the city. But after a year and a half of war, the air raid sirens are largely ignored as people go about their business (a skill I had to quickly learn, particularly when they went off while I was preaching!). At this time there are few foreigners this far east, but my goal was to personally encourage and affirm our friends and colleagues as they serve under difficult circumstances. While technology allows for video chats, the reality is that nothing replaces personal contact.

You’ll likely remember Max and Anya from previous newsletters. They have been our key MCNet partners in Ukraine for the last several years. Due to the greater exposure to attack of apartment buildings Maxym and Anya have moved from their flat and are staying at a small country cottage on the edge of town. Usually these summer garden homes have no indoor plumbing and limited power options. However, over the last year we have helped them put in indoor plumbing (most appreciated in winter) as well as made it a bit more livable, though it would still not be mistaken as luxurious! It was a blessing to be able to stay there and experience relative peace in the midst of the storm.

Wings Renewal Centre

Max and Anya’s vision to create a retreat or renewal center in this green space is becoming a reality. They use this facility to bring church folks and small groups out from the city, serving those who need a break and give them a garden setting in which to recuperate spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. What continually amazed me on my trip was the resilience and vision of the leaders we have had the privilege to serve, in the face of ongoing uncertainty and risk.  Instead of just pulling back and protecting themselves, they were reaching out and developing new ministries. Very humbling  and inspiring.

New Hope Center

While they also pastor a growing church, their primary ministry is providing leadership for their team that has been helping displaced families and meeting the practical needs through their New Hope Center. They provide beds and a place to stay for internally displaced people (IDPs), as well as providing services for children and youth. Those from their team who have remained in the city have been facing personal challenges, such as being separated from family and concerns for the safety of their own loved ones. Yet in the midst of these personal challenges, they have continued to carry the weight of responsibility of helping others.  Their resilience and strength was truly amazing to see, and was a real reflection of Christ living in and through them.

Messengers of Hope

While many families, and even some leaders, made the difficult choice to leave the country, it was a real blessing to meet other ministry friends and hear how they were doing. Jacob is a pastor who we have helped to train his young leadership and before the war he had one of the largest churches in the city. As the war broke out many of his young leaders (often young families) left and so he is now starting over in training a new team. Yet instead of retreating, the church has purchased their first property, an empty grocery store, which is in a great location (at a much reduced cost due to the war!).

Future Ministry

I also had the chance to meet with a pastor from Kharkiv, who we trained and provided materials in the fall of 2021, months before the war. At that time he had travelled the five hours to Zap with his team and coincidentally was in Zap when I was there again. Kharkiv is about 50km from the Russian border and was badly damaged in the ensuing battles. He shared how most of the church families had to flee to safer cities, including his wife and family. However, he remained and provided humanitarian aid and served the broken community. Another example of grace under fire. Please continue to pray for these leaders as they are Christ’s ambassadors in the war zone.

In a previous newsletter we introduced you to Willi who serves with a German mission as East Europe Director. Since he has been using our materials for many years (Germany, Ukraine, Uzbekistan), Karl and I met with him in Magdeburg, Germany in June and more formally invited him as one of our MCNet Coaches. My trip to Ukraine was planned for September in order to coincide with one of Willi’s training trips there. While we were there we (Maxym, Jacob and Willi) discussed the current needs of the church and what training would be necessary moving forward. One thing that has become clear is that in order to be relevant and effective in the future in Ukraine our materials will need to be translated into Ukrainian (up to this point we have been using our Russian translation). We are praying about the logistics as this will require quite a financial and personnel commitment.