As a missionary to Ukraine, the Ukrainian people are teaching me about resilience

The Lord brought me to Ukraine 30 years ago as a teenager eager to share the hope of Jesus. I met my husband here, and we raised our children here. Joshua 1:9 encourages us to ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’ As a missionary serving in a war zone, these words inspire resilience. According to the dictionary resilience is the ability of a person to adjust or recover readily from illness, adversity, or major life changes, and it is an impressive trait I am seeing again and again in the Ukrainian people.

Last spring amidst rolling blackouts in Ukraine, a phone app was created that provided information on what the schedule for power outages would be for that day. Each morning, I would check the app and plan my day around when I could use the oven or do my laundry.  That same spring I was at the dentist getting my teeth cleaned, when again the power went out. 

Within a few seconds their generator turned on, and my teeth cleaning process continued. There are hundreds of thousands of generators keeping the power on, and business’s open, throughout Ukraine.

READ MORE: One year on from the start of the Ukraine war and we are filled with sorrow - but God is still moving

Recently, I was talking to my friend Isaac Hays. Isaac was born in Ukraine with limb differences. As an infant he was put in a Ukrainian orphanage, and eventually adopted by an American family who helped him overcome his limb limitations. I met him as an 18-year-old on a mission trip to Ukraine.  It was his first trip back since being adopted from the orphanage. Since then, Isaac has made four trips back to Ukraine, ministering often in dangerous places.

“It’s strange walking through a field not having to think about landmines.”

“It’s strange walking through a field not having to think about landmines.” Isaac shared one afternoon after a walk through my village. In Eastern Ukraine you must be careful. The worst is the leaf mines. They literally look like little leaves, and they are hard to see.  They won’t kill you, but they can do a lot of damage, and there are thousands of them.” Isaac explained.

READ MORE: How to pray with your children for the war in Ukraine

“People must be terrified to go for a walk or plant their gardens.” I said.

“It’s hard, but many villagers are clearing their fields of mines themselves.  I met one 95-year-old grandpa who cleared his field with a cane and a stick.  He was determined to plant his crop of tomatoes, so he could enjoy his family’s recipe of pickled tomatoes this year!” replied Isaac.

Experts say that it will take 50 years to clear the mines out of Ukraine. In April, on the train from Ukraine to Poland, I met a woman named Svetlana.

“I’m 59 years old, she said, and my village in East Ukraine currently has only a small river separating it from occupied territory.  If the war shifts, my village could be overrun by the Russians. It’s a difficult area to live in.”

“Why do you choose to stay?” I asked.

“I live in the house my grandparents built. All my family is buried in our village cemetery. I just can’t bring myself to leave. There are old people living in my village, who have no one to care for them. Those of us who are left watch out for them, and when they die, we will be the ones who dig their graves and bury their bodies. They deserve the peace of knowing someone will see to these things.” Svetlana’s eyes were teary as she continued her story.

“There are no services in our village, not even grocery stores. It’s too dangerous. We have become friends with a brigade of very young Ukrainian soldiers who are there to defend us. They don’t know how to cook or do their laundry. We have made a deal that in return for sharing some of their rations, we will cook for them and wash their clothing. We have become a kind of family. A family in arms.”

The Ukrainians I have met and know have inspired me, and reminded us of the grace God gives us as we walk through hardship. Let’s keep praying for peace to come.