“We hear the explosions and know that sometimes someone dies.”

Someone dies. The Lord gives me the frequent privilege of accompanying people amid difficult circumstances. My recent trip to Ukraine definitely gave me plenty of opportunity to practice trauma care skills. Marta*, a dear elderly Ukrainian woman, shared this matter of fact statement in response to my question, ‘What has been hard?’ Her reply hit me hard. Her statement rang in my ears as a few hours later, I heard the far away boom of an explosion, probably a glide bomb, detonating about 20km away at the frontlines. Boom. Sometimes, someone dies.

Another lady added, “I hear the explosions and get filled with fear, but then I tell myself it already exploded and I am still ok. I keep going.”

A third woman shared her struggle. “My son was killed two years ago in Kupyansk and is buried there. I want to go visit his grave but cannot.” That area is now under Russian control.

Sweet, grandmotherly ladies should not be kept up at night hearing drone attacks and explosions, living in fear grieving their sons. But the reality of the Russian invasion means they are.

I met Marta on my first visit to Kharkiv Bible Church (EFCU) several years ago. She was very early in her process of discovering Jesus through the church’s outreach efforts back then, but I saw her heart for service. She was preparing some food, and making sure everyone else was eating. Two years later, she was busy doing the same, though now she's much more grounded in her faith.

She is just one of dozens of growing disciples in the church. Lydia*, pictured above, is 91 and just recently met Jesus. When the invasion occurred almost four years ago, most of the then members of the church evacuated, leaving Pastor Stan* and a few others as a remnant. Since, the church has reached out and Lord has added to their numbers. Presently the congregation is more than 50 people, with over 40 actively involved in small group discipleship. 

As I met with other members over lunch, it was clear that this group is growing in knowledge through bible study, but also growing in love and care for one another and for their community. They serve wounded soldiers and families in a nearby hospital weekly, and occasionally host meals at the church to help neighbors in need, and they recently hosted a kids VBS week.

And we continue to walk alongside this Ukrainian church, and many others, as they seek to share Christ’s love amid war.

Pray for the people of Ukraine.

Learn: Want to learn more about how you can be equipped to practice basic trauma care and have healing conversations? The same tools can be effective whether a person is processing a war or a personal crisis like a death in the family. Email crisisresponse@efca.org to schedule a training session for your church.

Give: Support the Ukraine Response.