Ministry in Ukraine: From a Playground to a War Zone

Even the threat of danger doesn’t stop Samantha*, TEAM global worker in Ukraine, from living boldly. Read her experiences sharing the love of Jesus in many places, from an orphanage to a hospital.

Her Wi-Fi only went out once, which was good. It wasn’t always that stable, due to continuing drone strikes in the area.

But the threat of danger is part of everyday life doing ministry in Ukraine for TEAM global worker Samantha*. Yet that threat of danger doesn’t stop her from living boldly, sharing the Good News of Jesus with others.

The call to a life of missions

Her call to a life of ministry began when she was young. Samantha recalls, “I was nine or ten when I felt a call to serve the church cross-culturally. There were missionaries that came to our church from Europe and Asia. I kept thinking, ‘They do the same thing that I’m doing! I’m telling my friends about Jesus on the playground, just like they’re doing, just in another culture and they get to learn a fun new language’.”  

That early call to missions led Samantha on mission trips to Russia and Ukraine. A short-term trip to Ukraine as an intern for six weeks eventually led to a year-long commitment and before she knew it, Samantha was settled on ministry in Ukraine for the long term. She knew that Ukraine was where the Lord wanted her. She puts it like this: “I felt like I was made for this part of the world…”.

Opportunities for ministry in Ukraine

Ukraine is a country filled with religious tradition, but many people don’t have a living relationship with Jesus. But since the war broke out, Samantha has seen the Lord at work in miraculous ways, breaking down barriers between denominations and changing people’s hearts as they seek true peace amidst war.

Her ministry in Ukraine has changed and shifted over the years, especially since war began. She spent time in the Czech Republic after being displaced at the beginning of the war. Once she was able to come back to Ukraine, her role shifted. She shares: “Before the war, I feel like I had different ministries. Now, my role is to extend the reach of Ukrainian Christians.”

Her days are filled with volunteering at an orphanage for children with special needs, supporting her local church, and supporting those who have gone through trauma due to the war.

I think we need to get better at viewing people, not for what they can do or what they can produce or how far they can go spiritually, but just as creation that God loves and delights in.

Samantha explains how she serves the children at the orphanage: “We connect them to the church, connect them to safe adults who love Jesus, so that wherever they end up, they can look to the church, look to Jesus’s people and find family there. That’s the goal of that ministry.”

But as she considers the children she has encountered through this ministry, she expounds, “God knows and He loves these people and these kids. I think we need to get better at viewing people, not for what they can do or what they can produce or how far they can go spiritually, but just as creation that God loves and delights in.”

The orphanage is located a four-hour drive away from where Samantha lives, and she goes there every week, faithfully serving these children. But her support for others also extends to those who are in her own community, especially in her church.

Samantha leads children’s ministries and helps with outreaches. She supports her pastor and his wife by watching their daughter when they need time away. And she connects donors and funds to needed projects. She describes her church like this: “I think we want our church to be a place of home for people in the community. And it’s happening, little by little.”

God’s work across the country

Outside of her church, but still in her city, Samantha has found an avenue of ministry in visiting a clinic for those who have been injured in the war. She has the opportunity to simply sit and listen as people share.  She says, “The stories they share are some of the hardest things and some of the coolest things. Some of them are very open to the Lord, and others are very closed.” Samantha continues, “There are intense stories of trauma and loss…. The Holy Spirit gives us wisdom to know when to speak and when to not speak. And the Gospel’s getting out, whether we speak or listen.”

As she finishes sharing about her ministry in Ukraine, she begins to tell stories of how she has seen the Lord at work in people’s lives over the last few years. A story of a woman who fled to Samantha’s city, began attending Bible study, and is now a follower of Jesus. Another story of how the Gospel was preached clearly at a funeral and one of Samantha’s non-believing friends heard it and came to her later with questions about Jesus. A young man whose life was miraculously saved by a mysterious voice on the front lines. A woman who was told to seek shelter with the Protestants as she fled the war, because they were required “to give you a place to stay and food and tea.” All people that Samantha has encountered over the last few years.

I want to make sure people haven’t forgotten about Ukraine, and to see that God’s at work here.

Each of these stories has strengthened Samantha’s firm belief that the Lord is very much at work in Ukraine. Amidst war, poverty, and hardship, the name of Jesus is still being shared. She sums up, “I want to make sure people haven’t forgotten about Ukraine, and to see that God’s at work here.”

People in Ukraine and all over Eastern Europe need to experience the love of God and hear the hope of the Gospel. If the Lord is tugging at your heart to go, TEAM missions coaches are here to help you explore that calling.

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