Ukraine Mission Report | 乌克兰宣教报告

In August this year, we entered Ukraine for the third time. On August 28th, along with two other coworkers, we flew to Warsaw. Early the next morning, Pastor Michael from the Warsaw Ukraine Baptist Church personally took us, along with hundreds of winter scarves and wool hats for women and children that we brought, to the city of Lublin, which is two hours away from Warsaw. Pastor Yaroslav, the senior pastor of the Lviv Central Baptist Church in Ukraine, had already arrived in Lublin the day before to meet us and take us across the border. We then drove for about two hours to the border, and after two hours of waiting and undergoing identity checks and inspections of the supplies we were carrying by the Polish and Ukrainian border security authorities, we finally entered Ukraine. Although we waited at the border for more than two hours, we were much luckier than many who often had to wait 6-12 hours. After driving for another hour or so, we arrived at our destination—Lviv.

On the third and fourth days, local church coworkers accompanied us to visit several families of fallen soldiers that we support, including widows and children. We brought food, fruits, drinks, winter clothing, and hats from the U.S. to each family. During the visits, we revisited the first family I had visited two years ago when the Russia-Ukraine war had just begun. The fallen husband was a company commander who had been working in Poland. When he heard that Russia had invaded his country, he immediately returned to fight and was killed a month later. As we entered the home and saw the mother and her five-year-old triplets, two girls and one boy, tears filled our eyes. The children had all grown taller. The mother expressed her gratitude for the support her children received from sponsors, people they had never met from afar. While this support may not be much, it lets them know that brothers and sisters from afar are supporting them, praying for them, and asking the Lord to bring peace and hope to their families.

Another family we visited was Maria and her seven daughters. The eldest daughter, 21 years old, is married, while the other six live at home. Maria’s husband was killed on the front line two years ago, and last year one of her brothers also died in the war. This year, another brother passed away due to a heart attack. Maria’s son-in-law was also injured on the battlefield this year. Despite enduring the immense pain caused by the war, Maria has been bravely raising her six daughters. The government provides her family with a monthly living allowance of 2,000 Ukrainian hryvnias (about $50). Our sponsors have been supporting her children, which is a tremendous help for her. Not only does she take care of her entire family of eight, including her elderly mother, but she has also taught her daughters to knit more than 200 bead paintings. Each bead painting requires thousands of tiny beads and takes several days to complete. The family sends these paintings to charitable organizations for auction, with the proceeds donated to soldiers on the front lines. We were deeply moved by Maria’s resilience and determination in the face of such hardship.

In the town’s church, the bells ring several times a day, and every toll of the bell marks a funeral for a fallen soldier. The local government has designated a special cemetery for the soldiers who have died over the past two years. When we arrived at the cemetery, we were met with a sea of Ukrainian flags, and we were instantly moved to tears. Each soldier’s grave is adorned with a photograph of the deceased, the Ukrainian flag, and fresh flowers. We saw some parents watering the flowers on their sons' and daughters' graves. A young wife stood silently and tearfully by the grave of her 22-year-old husband. Another young woman, who spoke fluent English, was deeply touched when she learned that we were Christians from the U.S. who helped orphans of fallen soldiers. She told us that her husband, who had been killed, helped foreign volunteers with communication in the military because he could speak English. Before we left, she stood by her husband’s grave, clutching his photograph, and through her tears, she said in English, "Foreign friends have come to see you!" At that moment, I was instantly moved to tears.

A couple was crying continuously in front of the grave of their 27-year-old son who had died just a month ago. We stood by them, tears streaming down our faces, offering them our presence and support. As they were leaving, one of our coworkers felt moved to run after them and handed them several hundred dollars. The woman hesitated for a few seconds, then hugged her husband and burst into loud tears. We were all deeply moved and cried as well. I believe this mother, who lost her son, was touched by the kindness of a Chinese person she had never met. We prayed that the love we received from God could touch her so that she might come to accept God's eternal love.

A well-known local university professor, at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, called on young people to bravely enlist to defend the country and was the first to enlist locally. He was also among the first soldiers to be brought back to his hometown for burial. At his gravesite, we met his parents. His father is also the office director at the same university. Upon learning about our background, the father gratefully embraced us tightly and asked to take a photo with us to remember the moment, leaving us all with an unforgettable memory.

Although we only spent a few short hours accompanying these families at the graves of the fallen soldiers, it will provide them with unforgettable memories. We encourage the local coworkers to continue to follow up with them. We firmly believe that the seeds of Christ's love sown through us will one day take root and flourish in their hearts amidst their suffering.

During the more than two years of the Russia-Ukraine war, there have been many wounded soldiers on the Ukrainian side. Before leaving Ukraine, we visited a rehabilitation center for disabled soldiers, where we saw many soldiers missing limbs or sitting in wheelchairs, receiving physical therapy, and preparing for prosthetics. We also had discussions with some of these disabled soldiers, but most of them remained silent. I imagine they have many questions in their hearts: “Why does God allow suffering to fall upon Ukrainians?”; “Why does God not bring justice?”; “How can people with amputated limbs continue to live?”

When I shared my own testimony with them— about how I lost four loved ones within a year during my youth, how my family was destroyed and I lost all hope, and how I even contemplated suicide— I also shared how God, through the love and care of Christians, brought me His salvation, leading to a miraculous transformation in my life. God has since used me to preach the gospel, help orphans, and start a ministry to support the orphans of fallen soldiers in Ukraine.

These wounded soldiers finally began to open up and ask many questions. We believe that, through the local coworkers who consistently visit these soldiers and bring them Christ's love, we will eventually see God’s Spirit open their hearts.

During our stay in Ukraine, we frequently experienced power outages. On the day after we left Ukraine, local coworkers informed us that a Russian missile had landed near the student dormitory of the seminary where we had stayed, resulting in seven people being killed and over a hundred injured. Local power plants have been repeatedly bombed. Winter is an even more challenging time for the local people, with occasional all-night power outages causing not only a lack of heating but also making even basic lighting a problem. We have purchased a large quantity of rechargeable flashlights, small lamps, power banks, and thermal underwear and pants, which we are sending to Ukraine in batches. To prevent tax evasion, the government imposes taxes on every imported item. To avoid increasing the financial burden on local families, we are also sending the tax funds. On behalf of the families of the orphans we are supporting in Ukraine, we express our gratitude for all the loving donations and prayers from our brothers and sisters. We will continue to send the donated relief supplies to Ukraine. May the Lord bless all those who have given with love! 

今年8月，我们第三次进入乌克兰。8月28日，我与另外两位同工飞抵华沙。第二天一早，华沙乌克兰浸信会的Michael牧师亲自把我们几位及我们带去几百件妇女及孩子冬天可用的围巾及羊毛帽子送到离华沙两小时的城市Lublin。乌克兰利沃夫中心浸信会的主任牧师Yaroslav早已在前一天到达Lublin等待接我们过边界。我们又乘车约两个小时到达边界，经过两个小时的等待及波兰和乌克兰两国边检安全部门对我们的身份及携带物资的检查，终于进入了乌克兰。虽然我们在边界等了两个多小时，但比起很多经常要等待6-12个小时的人要幸运的多。车子再开了一个多小时就到目的地—利沃夫。

第三天和第四天，当地教会同工陪我们探访了多家我们所资助的阵亡军人遗孀和孩子们。我们给每一家都带去了食物、水果和饮料，以及我们从美国带去的防寒衣帽。探访期间，我们再次看望了两年前俄乌刚开战时我所探访的第一个家庭，阵亡丈夫是一位连长，他原本在波兰工作，当他听到俄国入侵自己的国家，立即回国参战，一个月后阵亡。当我们进门，看见妈妈及5岁大的两女一男的三胞胎眼泪夺眶而出，三个孩子长高了一个头。妈妈感激我们在远方互不相识的助养人对她三个孩子的资助。这些资助虽然不是很多，但却让他们知道在远方的弟兄姐妹在支持她，为她一家祷告，求主为她一家带来平安和希望。

我们探访的另一家是Maria和她7个女儿，大女儿21岁已婚，其他六位都住在家里。Maria 的丈夫两年前在前线阵亡，去年她的一位兄弟也阵亡了。今年另外一位弟兄心脏病去世。今年她的女婿也在战场上受伤。她承受着战争所带来的巨大伤痛，坚强地抚养着六个女儿。政府补助她家每月2000乌克兰币（约$50美元）的生活费，我们的助养人资助了她家几个孩子，这对她来说是莫大的帮助。她不仅担负了包括她老母亲在内一家八人的生活，她还教女儿们针织两百多幅珠画，每幅珠画都要用上数千个极小的珠珠，要好几天的时间才能织完。她们送去慈善机构拍卖捐款给前线的军人。我们被Maria这样在经历苦难中，仍坚韧不拔的精神所感动。

在城里的教堂每天都有数次钟声敲响，每次的钟响都是一次阵亡军人的葬礼，当地政府为这两年多来阵亡的军人特别准备了一片墓地安葬他们。当我们到达这块墓地时，看到一片乌克兰国旗的旗海，让我们顿时热泪盈眶。每块军人墓地都挂着他们生前的照片、乌克兰国旗、及鲜花。我们看到一些父母亲为自己的儿子、女儿墓地的鲜花浇水。一位年轻的妻子在22岁丈夫的墓地肃静、流泪。还有一位年轻的妇女说一口流利的英文，当她知道我们是从美国来的基督徒，帮助给阵亡军人的孤儿时，她非常感动，并告诉我们她的阵亡丈夫因会英语，在军队里帮助外国志愿兵协调沟通。在我们离开她之前，她扶着墓地前她丈夫的照片泣不成声地用英文说， “Foreign friends come to see you!” （外国朋友来看你了！）顿时我被感动地泪如雨下。

一对父母在他们刚阵亡一个月的27岁儿子墓地前不停地哭泣，我们在他们旁边也一直流着眼泪陪伴他们。他们离去时，我们的一位同工心里有感动追上前去， 交给他们几百美金。那位太太踌躇了几秒钟，然后抱住了她的丈夫，哇的大声哭了出来。我们都被那场景感动地流泪不止。我想这位失去儿子的妈妈是被一位素未谋面的中国人的爱心所感动。我们祈求主借着我们从神那里得到的爱，感动她能接受神永恒的爱。

有一位当地有名的大学教授在俄军入侵乌克兰初期，号召年轻人奋勇报名上前线保家卫国，并第一个在当地报名参战。他也是第一批从前线送回家乡安葬的军人。我们在他的墓地前见到了他的父母。他的父亲也是该所大学的办公室主任。当这位父亲知道了我们的背景后，感激地紧紧抱住我们，并要求与我们拍照纪念，使我们都留下了那难忘的一刻。

我们在阵亡军人墓地前与这些亲人们的陪伴虽然只有短短几个小时，但将会给他们带去难忘的回忆。我们鼓励当地的同工们能够继续跟进，我们深信神会藉着我们将基督的爱的种籽撒在他们的心里，总有一天会在他们苦难的心田里生根发芽。

在这两年多的俄乌战争中，乌克兰一方有许多伤兵。我们在离开乌克兰之前，前往当地的一家伤残军人的理疗中心，见到许多缺手缺腿，或坐着轮椅的军人在中心接受肢体理疗，准备安装假肢。我们也与一部分残疾军人座谈。 但他们大部分都静默不语。我想他们心中都有很多疑问：“为什么上帝把苦难放在乌克兰人身上？”，“为何上帝不施行公义？”，“断腿断臂的人如何生活下去……“当我将自己的见证分享给他们，我如何在少年时在一年内失去四位亲人，家破人亡，失去所有的希望，屡次想到自杀，但上帝借着基督徒的爱心关怀并把神的救恩传给我，最终我接受了福音，并生命发生了奇妙的改变。在余下的年日被神使用，传扬福音及救助孤儿，并在乌克兰开展阵亡军人的孤儿资助事工。这些伤残军人终于打开沉默，开口询问许多问题。我们相信当地同工长期坚持探望这些军人，把基督的爱带给他们，终有一天神的灵会开启他们的心灵。

我们在乌克兰停留的几天里，经常停电。就在我们离开乌克兰的第二天，当地同工告知我们，俄国的一个导弹落在了我们下住的神学院学生宿舍的附近，导致7人被炸死，100多人炸伤。当地的发电厂屡次被炸。冬天对当地的民众来说更是艰难的经历，有时整晚停电，不仅没有暖气，连最基本的照明都成问题。我们已经购买了大批的充电的手电筒，小台灯，充电宝，及御寒的保暖内衣内裤，分批寄往乌克兰。政府为了防止逃税，对每一件进口的物品加税，为了不增加当地家庭的经济负担，我们将税款也寄给他们。在此，我们代表乌克兰受助遗孤的家庭感激所有弟兄姐妹的祷告和爱心的奉献。我们会继续将大家的捐款陆续不断地将救助物资送往乌克兰。求主祝福所有献上爱心的弟兄姐妹们！

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