Three Years of War
Since the morning of February 24, 2022, Ukrainians have been living under the threat of violence. This past Monday marked three years of armed conflict in Ukraine.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), roughly 3.7 million people remain internally displaced in Ukraine while approximately 6.9 million are living abroad as refugees. Nearly one-third of Ukrainians have had to flee their homes.
Shining a Light in the Darkness
Despite the heaviness and hardship that’s characterized Ukraine these past three years—the loss of lives, livelihoods, homes, safety, security, and so much more—a light has shone through the darkness.
A rising faith movement has emerged out of the disaster of war to rebuild what’s been broken and to restore lost hope throughout Ukraine.
Thanks to your support, the national Alliance-affiliated Ukrainian church has been able to share the compassion of Christ while expanding the reach of His light.
In the midst of war, you made it possible this past year for:
- 5 Alliance-affiliated churches to be planted
- 48 churches of different denominations to receive much-needed aid and support
- 21 community development projects to be funded in Ukraine
- Approximately 25,000 people affected by the conflict—both in and out of Ukraine—to receive care
- 125 people to be baptized
- Over 1,000 people to make a profession of faith
Keep reading below for two stories from CAMA’s aXcess partners in Ukraine to learn how your partnership through the national church is making a difference in the face of conflict.
A Cup of Compassion
Oleg, one of our local Ukrainian pastors and bishops, is a coffee connoisseur. He had long had a dream of a coffee truck—a mobile coffee shop—that would go into poor villages or places in need to provide a great cup of coffee. He dreamed that it would be a place of comfort where people could come to know the care of Christ. With the onset of the war, his dream altered just a little as he turned his focus to getting a coffee truck to travel to both soldiers as well as villages near the front lines where people have only the bare basics and never feel the care of others. We wrote to CAMA to ask for funding for this mobile coffee shop, and it was approved. Oleg quickly purchased a tiny truck, a coffee machine, and supplies and was soon serving people in need. Because some of Oleg’s contacts are chaplains, he is able to get near the front lines. The coffee from his truck—nicknamed “The CAMAmobile”—has opened the door to peoples’ hearts and has given those in the ministry an opening to listen to and pray with people while sharing the gospel in appropriate ways.
Pointing to Christ through Motherly Love
Kathy is a small lady with a big heart from one of the churches on the eastern side of Ukraine. She watched as all the soldiers showing up to her city were rotated out from the heat of battle to just behind the lines. She saw how no one cared for them, how they were often hungry and even sleeping outside. She saw how tired, unhappy, and sick most of them were. Kathy felt a mother’s care for them and decided something needed to be done to help. She gathered some of her fellow church ladies, and they started cooking traditional Ukrainian food in large quantities and giving meals out to the soldiers staying in their community. As she began speaking with these soldiers, she learned of the things they each felt a great need for, such as new socks, personal care products, medicines, etc., and figured out ways to provide them with these things. There was a tiny, old house that she had access to that she set up for a few soldiers to stay in at a time and rest from the war. Here, meals are provided, and it is a place of peace and quiet. She and other church ladies now cook and bake twice a week in large quantities, and they often take the food right into the battle areas. The soldiers have praised God for their care and ask these women, “Why do you do this?” Kathy and her friends reply, “God has cared for us during this war, and we are passing His care on to others.” They feel that the end is near, and that this is the time for the Church to be the Church!
Will You Pray for Workers to Help with Ukraine’s Recovery?
We can’t thank you enough for how you’ve empowered the people of the national Ukrainian church to be the hands and feet of Christ these past three years. As we petition the Lord for the safety of His Church and for the end of the conflict, will you please pray with us that He will raise up international workers (IWs) to go serve in Ukraine once the fighting is finished?
Once there is peace, there will be great humanitarian need as millions of people who have spent years away from their families return to Ukraine and look to rebuild their lives, livelihoods, and relationships. Help will be needed to physically rebuild homes, churches, and communities that have been wiped out. Counseling will be needed for those dealing with trauma and for those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Businesses will need to be started, and projects will need to be developed to help rebuild the economy and provide basic support for returning families. In anticipation of this, the national church is looking to continue to serve and grow to meet the many upcoming needs.
“We are hoping to form a team that can help increase the capacity of the church,” said a CAMA IW who has been assisting with relief efforts in Ukraine.
“When I was speaking at the churches in Ukraine during my last visit, the president of the national Alliance-affiliated Ukrainian church asked me to share more about who CAMA is and what we do. He said the people feel like they have been forgotten,” said CAMA’s IW. “I shared how CAMA was founded as a church response to war in Southeast Asia, and sharing the love and compassion of Jesus in places damaged by war and disaster has never left our DNA—it’s who we are and what we do. I’ve probably never spoken to a more responsive audience.”
One of CAMA’s aXcess partners said, “There is a large open door for caring evangelism and for planting new churches. [The people of Ukraine] have not been so responsive [to the gospel] for a long time.”
“The need is vast,” said the president of the national Alliance-affiliated Ukrainian church, “and it will only increase.”
Will you pray with us that the Lord will bring peace to this country and send workers to share Christ’s compassion in Ukraine?
If you or someone you know is interested in helping the people of Ukraine with recovery efforts after the conflict, please check out this link to learn more.
