Ukraine Trip Blog Day 3

“As Ananias was to Paul after his conversion (Acts 10), we are here with you in that hope for your encouragement. Paul emerged from his time with Ananias ‘strengthened’ and we pray the same will be true for you because we were together with the Lord among us.” With these words, Tom Boone, Associate Director for Mission, opened the resiliency retreat in Kyiv. Hosted by Ukraine Evangelical Theological Seminary (UETS), a team of 11 from the United States, Poland, and Lithuania gathered with 43 military chaplains, pastors, and their wives. For three days we shared stories, prayed, and learned about trauma and PTSD during the war in Ukraine. Three ballistic missile threats caused our phones to alarm during the day, but praise be to God, the retreat was shielded from night attacks, which meant three nights of undisturbed sleep.

Traveling into Ukraine is not for the fearful. Living in Ukraine is not for the timid. Choosing to serve soldiers along the front lines is only for the heroic. The scars of trauma that plague these chaplains and their wives will last for years beyond this war and because of our partnership with UETS, The Outreach Foundation is well-positioned to help Ukrainians heal in the name of Jesus. The resiliency retreat was a great first step in proving that we will stand with those who are hurt for the long haul.

The 43 women and men who gathered for the retreat are standing in the gap, faithful to their God and nation, for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Jesus is at work among these Protestant pastors and military chaplains who are trained through our partner in Kyiv, UETS. Though they receive some training, they do not have opportunities for rest and resiliency. Thanks to faithful donors and partner churches, we were able to provide a bit of both on our trip.

It was joyful to watch these couples walk hand-in-hand, as some had not seen each other for weeks. Following the retreat, some of the chaplains were being deployed to cities in the east where the fighting was intense. Each chaplain comes with their own background and story. One chaplain is a former professional boxer. One pastor led his congregation to bury 4,000 soldiers in Mariupol before Russian soldiers flooded the city and desecrated the bodies. Three chaplains are volunteers and serve both soldiers and communities where artillery shells pepper the ground around them. One of these, a proud young Ukrainian, left the safety of the state of Washington once the war started. “How could I watch the war from a distance? I could not so I came home,” he reflected.

The wives of these brave chaplains and pastors are every bit their equals in strength and courage. From them, we learned how difficult this war is among the children of Ukraine and how devastated families are, especially the older generation. The wives hold broken hearts in love, help rebuild what war has destroyed, lead Bible Studies, and help new orphans and widows heal.

Your generous donations made this retreat possible! Of the retreat, Dr. Ivan Rusyn reflected, “To say thank you is not enough. You have provided a new way of being together. This will make an impact. Those here were refreshed, recharged, and have a new sense of purpose. I am so happy.” Ivan smiled as he spoke with us, a rare thing these days. Smiles are rare anymore, but during this retreat, we saw many as we sang praises to God together.