336 days later: a look into Ukraine

It’s hard to believe, but the war in Ukraine has been going on for almost one year.

The devastation is heartbreaking: the stories of lives lost and cities leveled makes us angry. We grieve with our brother and sisters in Christ who are living through this suffering.

We want you to hear from our Ukrainian partners themselves. Here’s what our friend Ivan says:

I express our deepest appreciation for your support during the ten months of the war. We have learned a lot about God, His mission, and the church of suffering. First, we learned that the mission is only possible with the incarnation, with honest and involved presence with people. Second, a true mission is only possible with compassion. Compassion was a fancy word before the war. Now compassion for us is to suffer with people, to suffer together. It is about having the same tears and scars our society has. We know how it hurts when Russian missiles hit a campus, an apartment is destroyed or looted, or when someone must lead a funeral for graduates. This makes us and our mission authentic. Third, we are still learning to be a community of hope amid war and suffering with our fellow citizens. How to anchor our hope, not in what we see and feel, but in the truth that God is Immanuel, He is with us. Jesus did not cancel suffering; He came to suffer with us. He did not cancel death; He defied it. Russian rockets fly over our heads during this season. We have no fear because we know He is with us, and many of His disciples around the world stand with us. Dear friends, by your prayers and support, you help us to be an instrument of love and hope for thousands of people. May God bless you for your global vision and generosity.

Our partners from the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary continue to bravely distribute food boxes and Bibles, supporting not only soldiers and chaplains but civilians who are struggling to make a life for themselves during the war.

This video shows just how eager the people are to receive their Bibles and New Testaments, even as huge explosions can be heard in the background. The Word of God is the light in the darkness!