By David Hughes, senior pastor at First Baptist Church Carrollton
This year, during the days of March 1-12, I went with a mission team that traveled into Ukraine. Since February 24, 2022,Ukraine has defended itself valiantly against the invading Russian army. As you will remember, the e
ntire free world was rallying to their cause in the immediate onset of the war. But now after four years, the once attentive support of the international community has dissipated. Ukrainians fear they are forgotten, even though the war burns more fiercely than ever before.
Ukrainians continue to lose their homes and businesses, loved ones perish every day and air raid sirens sound nightly across their country, warning of incoming Russian drones and missiles that kill indiscriminately. Yet incredibly, one thing Ukraine has not lost is hope— for the cessation of hostilities and hope for a just peace that acknowledges Russia’s wrong and the obligation towards reparations. This unbreakable hope is keenly felt in the Christian community within Ukraine. To that end, my team, sponsored by Dnipro Hope Mission, went to encourage Christian pastors, chaplains and the larger ecumenical community with this simple but powerful message – You are not forgotten!
I cannot adequately describe the gratitude that was reflected to our team. In a retreat that hosted over 30 Ukrainian pastors and military chaplains, they welcomed us as family and never missed an opportunity to underscore the importance of our presence. One military chaplain quoting Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. He added, “Thank you, my friends, for not remaining silent.” In the following days at the seminaries, colleges and churches we visited, we heard again and again, “Thank you. Nobody comes to Ukraine anymore, but you did.”
I need to be clear. My team and I are not the heroes of this story. That title belongs solely to the Ukrainian people who continue to suffer the atrocities of war and yet who choose to live in the promise of tomorrow.
Nevertheless, I do have an important role to play now that I am safely at home on American soil. I believe that role is supported by holy scripture. The Apostle John writes in 1 John 1:1, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life.”
Before I went to Ukraine, I had only second-hand accounts of their resilience. I was an observer, not a witness. Now having gone, I can verify their valor with the same certainty that the Apostle John spoke of the resurrected Christ. I heard people grieve about fallen loved ones yet still dream of their future. I looked upon beleaguered faces of pastors who conduct ministry in war-zones and carry on – come what may. I felt the touch of the hugs and handshakes of Ukrainian chaplains who, while being traumatized by warfront realities, have not lost their humanity. I now have a first-hand account. I am a witness, and it is my joy to share it with anyone who will hear.
My testimony is from one human heart to another. It breaks the gravity of uninformed narratives, but in faith invites you to hear, see, look and touch the broken hearts of Ukraine while simultaneously witnessing their strength. This is why I believe my witness matters. We cannot all go to Ukraine, but we can all (and with humility, I say should all), remain deeply involved in their ongoing struggle for freedom. As we do, we too will say the words their hearts most need to hear – You are not forgotten!
I heard. I saw. I looked. I touched. This is my testimony about Ukraine. May it be yours as well in time.
To see David’s in-trip blog, please read https://fbcc.us/ukraine/ .