Ukraine.
Chances are that is a place you have learned more about this year than ever before. Maybe it’s been awhile since you’ve heard about it, though. It seems that’s how news cycles work. When something’s not ‘new’ anymore, reporting dries up. But unfortunately, the situation in Ukraine is still quite dire. In this article, I want to tell you why what is going on in Ukraine should affect you. To start with, here’s a basic overview of what has happened to the people of Ukraine, including several congregations of the Ukrainian Church of God.
First off, here’s the facts. This isn’t political, this isn’t propaganda. This is simply the facts: In February 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. The occupation and the war still rages in certain regions of Ukraine. This has caused massive bloodshed and loss of life. This has caused massive devastation to cities, roads, infrastructure, and oh yeah, farmland. This has caused many people to flee Ukraine, seeking safety as ‘refugees’ in foreign countries. This has caused many people to flee their homes, but stay within the borders of Ukraine (‘internally-displaced people’).
Secondly, here’s a few ways this will affect you as a citizen of the earth. Amongst other economic ramifications, a significant source of the world’s grain comes from Ukraine. This year a lot of that has been destroyed, or made impossible to harvest and/or export. This will affect loads of people world-wide as certain food products are (or will shortly be) unavailable or way more expensive than normal. While for some people, this will merely be an inconvenience, for others this will cause hunger or serious struggles to provide for their family on limited budgets.
The people who have relocated to new countries with the title ‘refugee’ have been through unimaginable circumstances. Many of them have lost loved ones. Many of them have left behind the men in their lives (generally speaking, ‘military-aged men’ are currently not legally allowed to leave Ukraine). So, many wives are separated from their husbands, children separated from their fathers, all with the uncertainty of his safety. On top of this trauma, they find themselves now living as ‘guests’ in a country where the language is different, the currency is different, the school situation is different (not to mention ‘foreign!’), and they may be greeted with open arms by some of their neighbors and looked at with hatred or disgust by others.
Meanwhile, the people still within Ukraine (‘internally-displaced people’) have many of the exact same issues! Formerly quiet towns may now be overrun by new families who are from a different part of the country (think of a small town in Iowa suddenly having a surplus of new residents from California). With that can come many of the same issues of crowding, conflicting ways of thinking or living or even speaking (dialects of the same language). Also there’s always concern of ‘they’re gonna take our jobs!’
And then, of course, there are Ukrainians who continue to reside and live in literally war-torn regions. Many of these people have chosen to stay behind because ‘this is my home! Where else would I go?’ Or their health and mobility prevent them from easily traveling somewhere else. Or maybe they are literally not able to travel safely past certain borders or military checkpoints. And so they continue to try and stay alive, one day at a time.
All that to say, every Ukrainian has experienced more trauma than I have cumulatively experienced in my entire life…
Even if the war stopped today, this trauma will take years (if not decades) to fully process and heal from.
So what can you do?
Let me identify four practical ways you can respond to this mega-crisis, in the short-term and long-term.
1.) Pray. I know this may be trite or cliché, but I try to live by words attributed to Martin Luther: “Work as if everything depends on you, but pray as if everything depends on God.”
2.) Befriend Ukrainians. Maybe there are folks in your hometown who recently arrived from Ukraine. More likely, there are Ukrainians in your hometown who have been there already for some years. Either way, befriend them. Let them know that you are sorry for all that is happening in their homeland. That alone means the world to them.
3.) Learn about Ukraine. Scan through Netflix for shows about ‘Ukraine.’ Go to your local library or Amazon and find a book that picques your interest. It can be about Ukrainian history, culture, language, food, whatever you like. Education is always beneficial, and I dare say you presently know next to nothing about Ukraine. I confess that was my reality until quite recently!
4.) Get involved in humanitarian aid. There are many organizations out there. I cannot vouch for all of them. But there is one that I can vouch for. In the past several months, I have accompanied members of our Hungarian Church of God on 20-some trips into Ukraine, delivering humanitarian aid to ‘internally-displaced people.’ Usually we bring food, but also we have brought medicines, diapers, soap, clothes, toys for children, etc. Many of these deliveries are paid (atleast in part) through funds received by the Church of God Disaster Relief project. If you would like to help directly, I can personally guarantee funds given will be used to help Ukrainians. I will load the products into the van and drive the van myself!
Now is literally as good a time as any to contribute to the Disaster Relief project. Winter is coming…
There are entire communities of people who are hundreds (if not thousands) of miles away from their winter clothes. There are entire communities of people who have been living creatively in buildings not necessarily designed for housing. As an example, I know a mother who fled eastern Ukraine with her 5 children. They are graciously staying in a former clothing store. While protected from the elements, it certainly does not provide the level of warmth that a typical house would offer.
In addition to all of that, my most recent trip across the border saw the Hungarian border guard thanking us for taking things into Ukraine (His sister is married to a Ukrainian and they live in Ukraine). He said that 6 months ago, he would see 100 vans crossing the border daily, delivering humanitarian aid. But our van was the first such van he had seen in several days. The unfortunate reality is that there are very few people/organizations presently delivering supplies into Ukraine.
However, we are. And with your help, we can continue, so long as there are needs.
You may think you can’t do much to help. But let me assure you that YOU can make a massive difference.
Give here. Please designate ‘Ukraine’ in the comment.
(*Specific names and locations withheld for security purposes*).