Fighting the Good Fight in Ukraine

When the full-scale war broke out in Ukraine in 2022 and the bombs fell and the people fled their homes for neighboring countries, Pam D’Andre didn’t want to leave. The word “traitor” repeated in her mind, and she didn’t like that feeling. She wanted to stay and help the people of Ukraine. 

Concerned for her safety, ReachGlobal leadership had different feelings and asked her to evacuate as soon as possible. The next morning, her sons back in the United States called her and said, “Mom, you have to get out of the country. They’re bombing all over. There’s no rhyme or reason to it.” 

While everyone around them scrambled to escape, Pam and her colleague Brandon packed their bags, hopped in the car and drove. The lines at the gas stations were backed up, but Pam had filled up a day before which could get them far beyond the border. 

Due to the indiscriminate bombing, the plan was to drive to the nearest border (an hour and a half away) and drive through Romania, over the Carpathian Mountains and toward Budapest, Hungary, where they would meet up with ReachGlobal missionaries, James and Julie Lauderdale.  

When they reached the border, traffic backed up for miles, locking them in for a six-hour standstill. When they eventually did cross the border, another obstacle arose: exhaustion.  

In those early morning hours, the final stretch toward Hungary pushed Pam’s limits. Because the car was a manual transmission, and Pam was the only one who knew how to drive a stick shift, she drove the entire road trip. To keep her awake, Brandon started to tell her his life story, but before he could finish, he fell asleep.  

“The last hour was brutal,” Pam said, “and the coffee was lousy.” 

They reached the Lauderdale’s at 8 a.m. with eyes set on what God would have for them next.  

Faith community nurse 

At 37, Pam served in Ukraine for many years while also raising her three sons, before becoming a ReachGlobal missionary in 2008, thanks to a recommendation by Julie Lauderdale, her prayer partner. Pam’s primary role was a faith community nurse. Rather than look at the specific symptoms and treating them, she looked at the whole person, focusing on the spiritual side to their ailments.  

At one time, she and her team visited a bedridden woman and her daughter, Tatianna, who had severe rheumatoid arthritis. They helped the mother out of bed, bathed her and changed the sheets, and later, read the Bible with Tatianna. During these readings, Tatianna was often combative and argumentative.  

“I hate going there,” said Pam’s interpreter. “She banters and doesn’t listen.” 

“Just give her time,” Pam said.  

After many visits full of ranting and raving from Tatianna, she quieted down. She listened more. One Easter, they took her to church. Eventually, Tatianna’s mom died, and Tatianna was no longer in need of their support. So they stopped visiting.   

Six months later, Pam called another woman from the church. But Tatianna picked up the phone. 

“Tatianna, is that you?” Pam said.  

“Yes, ma’am, it’s me.” 

“What are you doing at Anna’s house?” Pam asked.  

“Well, I heard she was having a rough time,” Tatianna said. “I've been staying with her for a month. She’s particularly afraid at night, so I read the Bible to her and pray.” 

What a beautiful flower that just opened before my eyes, Pam thought.  

At the hospital, Pam saw a woman in the ICU over complications with a broken hip. When Pam went to visit her, the woman hadn’t washed her hair in over a month. Pam and her team washed her hair several times, put new clothing on her and gave her fruit to eat. They even put makeup on her.  

In the hospital, they didn’t have privacy curtains, and her four roommates left the room to give them privacy. When they returned, they stood around her bed and gently put their arms around each other. And they wept.  

“This is incredible what you have done for her. She’s transformed. Why would you do this? You’re not her relative; you’re a foreigner,” they said. 

“Because we have a relationship with God,” Pam said. “He gave us His best when He gave us Jesus, so we’re doing this as a love offering to Him.” 

They wanted to hear more about Jesus, so they sat around, read the Bible and prayed.  

Ministry of presence 

Pam points to a “ministry of presence” that has shaped her years of missionary service in Ukraine. Whether it was giving patients a bath, listening to someone talk for hours over a cup of coffee or hearing a chaplain talk about his trauma, Pam believes one of the best ways to show Christ to someone is to be uncomfortable with them. 

“I’m not going to give you a pat answer of, ‘Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life,’” Pam said. “I’m going to sit in your pain with you. You want to talk about it? Go ahead and spill your guts because that’s lamenting. I’ll listen to your lament.” 

One way Pam and her team at The Family Table Ukraine envision expanding their ministry of presence is by building relationships with patients at a nearby Ukrainian military hospital. Their dream is to establish a place for soldiers and their families to have a place to recover in a holistic way through good food and recreational activities, like pickleball and gardening, while also providing a space to share the gospel. 

Return to Ukraine 

After escaping the war in 2022, Pam returned to the United States and sought the Lord’s direction. She thought doors were opening for her to serve in certain parts of Europe, but they closed. Meanwhile, she was an anchor for her sons who were in a state of shock about the invasion after being deeply integrated in Ukrainian culture for most of their lives. 

After five months, God called Pam to Uzhhorod, Ukraine, a city that sits on the border of Slovakia. She moved there in 2023 and helped launch chaplain training and respite care for Ukrainian pastors, chaplains and ministry leaders. Through word-of-mouth, she and other ReachGlobal leaders invited Ukrainian pastors, exhausted from non-stop ministry, to rest.  

“Just being able to sleep for several days without air sirens did wonders for them,” Pam said.  

For Pam, life in Ukraine during the war has proven challenging. In March 2022, a missile exploded near her apartment and shattered her windows; glass went everywhere, even embedding into the walls. To this day, she’s still renovating her apartment. Despite frequent air sirens and projectiles, she tries to live a normal life. Like other Ukrainians, she’s able to shop at stores and supermarkets, and do recreational activities. But only during the daytime. 

The war has provided her opportunities to serve. When Kyiv was having frequent power outages, her neighbors shared their fears and anxieties of living in dark apartments. To help, Pam bought headlamps for everyone, and had them distributed, alleviating her neighbors’ anxiety.  

Recently, Pam worked with a Christian rehab center in Lutsk. It provides intensive rehabilitation for people with disabilities. Impressed by their facility and the significant work, Pam wanted more people to receive their care, but because the rehab center is a private care facility, many couldn’t afford it.  

To solve this, Pam developed a grant proposal with her organization The Family Table Ukraine, alongside ReachGlobal and Bold Hope Organization. The grant paved a pathway for 34 wounded soldiers to receive the treatment they needed from the rehab center.  

For this effort, the Ukrainian government presented Pam with the White Cross “Honor et Gloria” award. 

“It was humbling and honoring,” she said.  

Today, alongside ReachGlobal and ReachGlobal Crisis Response, Pam continues to pave pathways for discipleship through nursing, hospitality and equipping pastors and chaplains in Ukraine.  

“When I started [being a missionary], the Lord gave me a vision to be salt and light,” Pam said. “So, my goal is to be salt and light wherever He puts me.” 

ReachGlobal’s goal is to raise $3,000,000 to provide holistic pathways for discipleship, leadership development and church planting in Ukraine and throughout Europe. Your partnership can help ReachGlobal missionaries pave these pathways. Give today.