Ukraine May ‘24
Eastern Ukraine May ‘24
I headed back solo to Ukraine in May 2024. I flew to Krakow and a missionary friend in Ukraine had kindly arranged coach tickets for me to get across the border to Lviv. This was a shorter journey than in March, within 24 hours I was in my hotel room.
I had arranged to meet with Dennis & Anya from Global Awakening in Lviv for a night of worship. After a day or so exploring the city, they arrived with their team and I was really glad to be back with them. The worship night was inspiring, unrestrained true passion for Jesus, everything else laid aside. I felt right at home with my friends there. Next morning they prayed for me as I prepared to head out to the front.
I was dropped at my hotel in Ternopil, and met with Andri’s friend Sergey the next morning. He had arranged train tickets for us to the East, to a city called Dnipro. Sergey is a lovely, warm guy who quickly became a good friend. We borded the sleeper train and as he asked me questions in broken English, I was thrust into another level of the reality of what we were planning. As we sat at the small table in our sleeper car, two men asleep on the top bunks, he gently encouraged me. I was glad to be with someone who had real world experience of chaplaincy at the front.
The train journey was long, maybe nine or so hours. We arrived early in the morning in Dnipro, greeted by Andri who was rather shaken up. The day previous both back tyres of his car expanded while driving and very nearly exploded. He had managed to drive the car slowly to a garage. We drove on the new tyres to a missionary friend of his, from Mexico called Martin. His home was to be our base during our time in the East.
As we arrived at Martins house, to two massive husky dogs greeted us. Martin is a very fun guy to be around. He has some stories to tell, an ex cartel gangster in Mexico he had an radical encounter with Jesus and became a missionary to Ukraine. They showed us our room, and Martin cooked up some Mexican food. His home is so peaceful.
The next day we picked up some aid relief for the soliders, took it back to Martins home, and prepared some options to minister to a battalion at the front. We had this confirmed and got an early night to rise early in the morning for the journey out.
The next morning Andri suited me with a pullet proof verst and helmet, explaining very calmly and carefully the situation at the front. We’d be travelling within 13 km of the zero point, to a house the soldiers were using to rest. I was given a list of things not talk to the soliders about, and told to prepare a short message and a few songs to sing.
We piled the vests and hemlets into the back of the car, along with a guitar and set off. “We need to pray that we don’t see any drones” Andri mentioned as he set the route. “If we see a drone, we have no protection.” We chatted calmly as we drove the several hours East, Andri praying carefully through which routes to take.
Passing the tank traps and driving along farm tracks, we arrived in good time to the position and were greeted by the soldiers. They had come back from the front trench only that morning, moving out at around 5AM. There was a tangible air of trauma, as well as an unbelievable sense peace. It was a hot summers day, and we sheltered under the shade of the camo netting hung from a tree by the house. It was like a scene from Saving Private Ryan, they had put black tarporlins up on the windows of the house, no glass was left that I saw, to keep any light from showing at night. Each room was bunk beds, AK47s slung over bed posts and ammunition cartridges stacked against the walls, mud trodden into the wooden flooring.
We had brought some pork to cook on a BBQ, and as we set up the food we heard the front line for the first time. Like a massive thunder storm, rockets fell over the horizon line. “Thats the Russians trying to break through” said Andri. We stood calmly talking, as it went on for minutes.
In the middle of this scene, an old lady walked up the gate of the house wearing a bee keepers suit, and like it was the most normal thing in the world, picked up a stick a lifted a beehive out of a bush. She put it in a box and walked away. “Ukranians” said Sergey and shrugged “these civilians should have left long ago, but they won’t.” Ukranian resilience displayed, and a moment of laughter!
After the food Andri asked me to sing some songs to the soliders, we all gathered under the tree and the atmosphere was a little tense. It was clear not everyone wanted to have a service. I started with a song by U2 and to my surprise no one knew who U2 were. so I sang Amazing Grace and you could feel the calm settle over the soliders.
”Now share a short message” encouraged Andri. Back in North Wales I had written some notes, I encouraged them that “David’s mighty men accompished great things in war because they were filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to pray that you too would be filled with the Holy Spirit.” They all gratefully prayed with us.
As I spoke, there was woman sat in front of me. She was maybe late fifties, and her eyes were brilliant electric blue. I was shocked to the see the joy in her face. After we had finished praying, I asked her what her story was “I don’t want to tell you, thank you.” she replied.
Andri encouraged her, and a little later she told me “I lost my son on the front line a few months ago. I have nothing left, so I have volunteered as a medic.” I was stunned. “But how do you have joy?” I asked, “Oh, well all we have is God, so we have found Him.”
It was this moment that marked me above any other in Ukraine. It was a genuine honour to sit with these men and women who have given up their lives to defend their loves ones. I will never forget my time with them.
I returned to the UK with a burning desire to pursue missions in this context. In the darkest places, the reality of the love Jesus shines brightest.
Tash and I prayed over many months, asking the Lord what the next step might be for us as a family. And out of nowhere he asked Tash to travel to Mozambique for her own adventure with Him!