As I (Joy) wait for Gary and the team to get back from their current trip to Ukraine, I thought I would give a little perspective on, one, what it is like to be the person waiting, praying, and trusting they will come back safely and two, what it is like having been there, met the people and experienced a bit of what takes place in Ukraine during this war.
First of all, I will write about the experience of going in to Ukraine, to Lviv and Kiev areas, which are in the more western parts of Ukraine. Although it’s quicker to go east from Bratislava to the Slovak border with Ukraine, it is not actually faster to drive the roads in Ukraine from that point. They are rough, pot-holed two lane roads for the much of the journey, and for all you Tacoma people, think of the side roads near 6th Ave, etc.…you get the picture! It is actually quicker for us to drive north through Czech Republic, then east to Poland and through the border near Krakow. So before you even get to Ukraine there is a lot of driving involved! Ukraine itself is a very large country, especially by European standards. It is about the size of Texas. All this to say, the majority of our trips into Ukraine involve lots of driving…being in the van for hours and hours, every day. Lots of stops at gas stations, which also have food and coffee. Our trips may sound romantic and exciting but really a lot of it is spent in the van!
As you are driving from the border to the countryside you notice the many brightly colored Orthodox churches dotted along the way. There are huge fields everywhere, many planted with sunflowers, and lots of homes interspersed among them. You can’t help but think to yourself, this is such a beautiful, pastoral country and it doesn’t seem like there is a war going on here. But then as you come up to a bridge, or a town, or even a forest, you see huge rusted iron bars made into “X” shapes and stacks of tires on the side and middle of the road, forcing you to slow down to wind around them. Signs are posted in Ukraine to slow down, that there is a possible roadblock and inspection up ahead. You see the soldiers in their camouflage uniforms with rifles standing near camouflaged temporary buildings. These checkpoints are all over the country, and they are the first realities you see driving into a nation that is at war.
The next reality hits you when you enter a gas station, a restaurant on the side of the highway, or entering a town. Some of the gas stations are closed because they can only be open during their scheduled time to have electricity. Same with restaurants. However other ones have generators so you hear the hum when you walk in. When you enter a town or city, it is possible that the stoplights are not working because you drove through when their electricity is turned off. The intersections are now four, and sometimes six-way stops. Imagine that during rush-hour! What really grabs your attention is how everyone has adjusted to this reality and goes about their business in spite of it. There is nothing more true about this than when the air-raid siren goes off and your heart starts racing! You look up into the sky wondering if you will be bombed, and pray it’s just a warning. Then you become aware of how Ukrainians are continuing to walk in the street, not looking up, and seem undeterred about continuing on with their day. When this happened to us in Lviv, we had just finished shopping for more aid supplies at a Metro store, kind of like a Costco. We were already in the van ready to drive to our next town. When the siren went off, which was very loud by the way, all the shoppers had to leave the store, and the store closed until they get the all clear, which could be at least an hour. It was very surreal to see everyone emptying out of the store, going to their cars to drive away or walking to the main street to go somewhere else. So we did the same, and drove on to our next destination.
We were blessed to meet with and share meals with several different Ukrainian families along the way. In every case they were very happy that we came, and let us know profusely how thankful they were. One family in particular, who were friends with another family we had met with from a small town south of Kiev, called Tarashcha, had us over for a late meal. The electricity was out that evening, so they had a fire going in the wood stove and a light powered by a car battery in the living/eating area. A table had been pushed up near the couch, so there were enough places to sit, with chairs around the rest of the table. In all, with the family including the grandmother and all of us, there were about twelve people. It was quite cozy and the table was loaded with all kinds of breads, pastries, jams and other spreads, some sausage meats, nuts, olives, and fresh squeezed juices. They obviously gave us the best of what they had, not only with the food but also with their warmth and hospitality. They wondered why we as Americans would come into a war zone, so we were able to share how we were there to serve them as the Lord asked us to. One of the most important questions they asked, was what did Americans think of Ukraine, had they forgotten them? We told them most Americans felt the war was wrong and hoped it would be over soon. That our supporters had sent us to them to give them aid and comfort. That the Lord has not forgotten them or abandoned them. We hoped this encouraged them, and that they would remain strong and hopeful.
One group of families that we shared a meal with were in a small town even further south from Tarashcha, called Tal’ne. The fathers were pastors, and a group of them took aid supplies once a week far into the east of Ukraine, near the war front. They showed us pictures of burned out tanks, bombed bridges and homes. The pastors were probably in their forties, maybe in their 50’s, and they told us they felt compelled to do this every week. You could tell how emotional they were about it. They said it is a 24 hour journey for them, and they usually take a few cars and trucks loaded with supplies. There are families, but mostly older Ukrainians who won’t leave their homes and farms in these areas. Their access to food and other necessary items are limited, so the men bring what they need, minister the gospel and pray with them. Another group they reach out to are soldiers. They talked about one young soldier who didn’t want to have anything to do with them when they spoke to him about God at the beginning of the war, but when they saw him on a recent visit, he sat down with them and asked for prayer. As the pastors continued telling their stories, one of them asked Gary if he would like to go with them next time he came to see them. I must be honest with you all, I did not appreciate them asking him that because I knew he would love to go. My husband is one of the most adventurous, brave men I know, and I at that moment I was not happy about it! Well, fast forward to this past week, and the only thing that changed about that next trip was my perspective…and attitude.
Which brings me to the second part of this particular blog. What it’s like to be the people who stay behind and pray…trusting in the Lord that He will bring our loved ones home safely. Because I’ve been to Ukraine, it definitely helps to keep track of where they are so I can visualize it, know who they are meeting with and all of that. But one thing I counted on to not happen was a trip into the east of the country. They had all their time scheduled with meetings, aid drop offs, preaching at a church in Lviv, and a youth meeting in Tarashcha. I felt, from my perspective, that it was all fairly safe. I could handle being by myself for a week, meeting with our church women’s group, Sunday service, writing this blog…until Gary texted me that the youth group was cancelled and they had time to do the 24 hour drive to a few cities just south of Kharkiv, about 12 miles from the front lines. This was not what I was prepared for, and from my perspective it was not a good idea. I knew it would be exhausting, driving 24 hours after already driving tons every day. I didn’t want him going for numerous reasons, and I kept asking him all kinds of “what about” questions. It took a couple of days of stressing, worrying, not sleeping well, and finally actually going to the Lord about it before my perspective changed. I read the word and somehow whatever I read just brought me peace. No real explanation, I’ve even forgotten what passage it was, but it cleared my mind and gave me what I needed to say yes to the trip. Suffice it to say everything went well, in fact the team is now in Poland as I write this. The next blog you read will be Gary’s version. I’m sure it will have great perspective and adventure. Thank you for your prayers, you never know how God will use them!