Dear Friends,

Thank you for your continual prayers and support for the ministry of Redwood’s Global in Ukraine. For as long as we can remember (since the early 2000’s!), Summer’s in Ukraine consist of many camps and retreats for both young and old. Most Ukrainians attend at least one camp per summer and it is such a great opportunity to both encourage the saints and evangelize to the lost. This Summer is no different; we’ve had the opportunity to serve at 5 different camps/outreaches and have 4 more on the way.

For the most recent events, we were so blessed to have a team join us from our home church in Ocala, FL. Together, we served at a camp for family members of fallen soldiers and a day outreach for recently released POW’s and wounded soldiers. We had a team of 9 come, 5 of them visited Ukraine for the first time. They were such an encouragement to us personally, but also to all those they served and came in contact with. Not many foreigners are coming to Ukraine right now; them being present and showing that they care and have not forgotten about the Ukrainian people meant so much.

We want to share with you their perspectives and experiences serving in a country that is at war.

Sandy:

I served on the hospitality team and helped with the dining area; setting tables and cleaning up after each meal. The first day of camp, I looked at the ladies and could see the sadness in their eyes. You could see pain, hurt, and loss. I love talking to people and for a brief moment, I questioned what am I doing here? I can’t even talk to them. Right away, I prayed to the Lord and a scripture passage came to me, “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” I realized I can pray and that was the most important thing I could do. As I looked around and truly saw their hurt, I lifted them up to the Father. It was one of the most wonderful experiences as I prayed and sought God’s will for their lives. I felt close to God and the ladies. Throughout the camp, I had 4 different ladies tell me that they just looked at me and knew I was praying for them. God took what I thought was a weakness and turned it into something wonderful; I was there for a reason and I knew that prayer was my biggest mission. 

I enjoyed the trip very much. The LORD brought joy and laughter to the women. They all went from a sad countenance to joyful as the days went on. Having worship, fellowship, love and grace made it possible for the atmosphere change and perspective shift. We were thanked often and folks were grateful we came and haven’t forgotten them. I noticed that people in Ukraine are more considerate of others, less self-centered. I loved the beauty of the country. Buildings, history, the plants and soil. The most beautiful place I have been to with kind and loving people. 

When I got home, I was so thankful to be reunited with my husband and family. But those women in Ukraine go right back to their empty houses and loneliness because of an evil and senseless war. I choose to continue praying for them and am so thankful for this trip, it was life changing.

Krisie:

I worked in the kitchen and had long, hot, tiring days working from around 5am to 11pm. There were two wood fire stoves that we used, we measured the temperature in the kitchen and we worked in 106-120 degree temps every day. Absolutely everything was made from scratch! I was tasked with making 3 themed dinners. I traveled with 4lbs of taco seasoning, 2lbs of cumin, and 72 packs of Goya seasoning so that we could have a Mexican night! The next day was 4th of July, of course we had an American themed night. Ryan grounded all the beef by hand and I rolled all 200 hamburger buns by hand. We had a bit of a hiccup that day because of drone strikes on infrastructure. We didn’t have power for most of the day and got some of our food locked in the oven during an outage. 

One thing I noticed was universal, the kitchen crew is a “crew” and they stick together. I had the unique advantage of spending my every waking moment with these women who I just met, in a country I’ve never been to before, who also didn’t speak the same language as me. We bonded over our love for Christ (and our love for food) which far surpassed any interpreter. 

The women in the kitchen were such an inspiration. We couldn’t speak the same language but we understood each other. One was the wife of a chaplain, another a single mom of 7. One of the ladies was about my age and has a son about my sons age. She currently doesn’t know where he is- whether he’s a POW, alive, or dead. She was a participant at camp last year but said it was easier to be behind the scenes and serving.

Seeing their faces and knowing the heartache they are going through…yet seeing the laughs and the joy they had in spite of everything, it was a true testimony to me. The resilience and hospitality of the Ukrainian people was inspiring. In a war-torn country full of death, hurt, heartache, and the uncertainty of tomorrow, these people were some of the kindest, most humble, hospitable examples of Christ I’ve ever met. They completely embodied the “one another” instructions given to us all over the New Testament. 

I saw God working throughout literally every fine detail of this trip and my eyes have been forever opened to Ukraine.

Ryan:

This was my fist trip to Ukraine and on top of that, my first trip out of the country. Everything was different from the food, to agriculture, to buildings. It was such a weird feeling to step off a plane and all of a sudden you can’t understand what you see or hear. It was such a blessing to be able to go to Ukraine. The people were so kind and willing to serve. Something that stood out to me was the love and respect the Ukrainian people had for their country and military. The church is really able to shine in Ukraine right now through camps like the one we served at and by just faithfully caring for the people around them. It was amazing to see God working in the lives of others through little things like prayer and music.

Sherry (Mom):

This was my 6th trip to Ukraine but my first trip since the war started. On our first day in Ukraine, we got to help serve a group of wounded warriors and recently released POW’s. Towards the end of the day, a couple of men came up to us and wanted to talk. One abruptly said, okay, ask me questions about what we’ve gone through as POW’s. For the next hour, we listened and asked questions. They wanted people to know the torture that they had gone through. They want the world to know that it’s real and evil. It was so hard to hear their stories and they’re much too graphic to share. I think that we were an encouragement to them and we had opportunities to talk about Christ with them. One young man was 20 years old when he was captured and was held for 3 years in captivity. He had just been released 1 month prior to us meeting him. When he went to war, he said he was an atheist. By the time he was liberated, he knew there was a God but didn’t know who He was to him. 

During camp, I also served on the hospitality team. Each evening, there was worship and a time for the ladies to share about their husbands, sons, or fathers that they had lost. Every time we would sing, there was one specific girl that would just cry so hard and had to get up and leave each time, specifically during the song “He Will Hold Me Fast”. One time I followed her out and just hugged her and told her I was so sorry about what is happening. She was so thankful and said how much it meant to have us there. They feel like the world has forgotten about them. 

There were so many heartbreaking stories from the moms who lost sons at war. One in particular tugged at my heart from a lady named Larissa. Her son died on her birthday. She was expecting a call all day and had tried to contact him, it was unusual for him not to call. She finally got word that evening that he had passed. Her son was the same age as my son Adam. It made it so real; for us we are here in safety. If we lived in Ukraine, it could be us. It could be our sons, fathers, or husbands. Despite all of the heartache, the Lord is working in their hearts. He is drawing people to Himself and there are so many testimonies of people who have gotten saved because of these trials. I’d ask you to continue to pray for our daughters, Samantha and Hope, and for the Ukrainian people.

Rick:

Serving at camp, some of my biggest responsibilities involved physical labor and taking care of things like drink stations and making sure there was always water available. Throughout the day, I would often hear my name called to help with random things like setting up tents, tables, chairs, peeling potatoes or shucking corn. It was such an encouragement to our team to hear that we were one of the best American teams to ever come and serve. I don’t say that to say how great we are; I say that as an encouragement and challenge to always be available and meet needs when you see them.

I think one of the most meaningful things to me was the transformation of the ladies from the beginning of the camp to the end. You could see how much they were affected by the love they were shown. Also, as others pointed out, how much the church is thriving in the midst of all the chaos.

One other special thing to me was observing Sam and Hope in their element. They went over there at 18 years old for a one year internship, now 12 years later, that’s their home. We see the photos and hear the stories, but being there firsthand and experiencing their ministry was amazing. We visited a few different churches and met new friends because they are actively involved in these lives. We visited an orphanage for adults with major disabilities. I learned that on any given day Sam and Hope might be in a village, a nursing home, an orphanage, or delivering aid to the war zones. Hope with her guitar and Sam with her cajon every day full speed ahead. It was so neat to see firsthand and I can assure you your support is going where it is needed.

Mike (Dad):

For me, one of the most impactful things was seeing the churches continue to do the work of the church. They have not cowered down in fear but are evangelizing, discipling, counseling, preaching, and teaching. While so many of the men in the congregations are gone due to war, the work of the church continues. The resilience of the Ukrainian church in the midst of this war is inspiring. 

My message to the Ukrainian church came from the book of Habakuk. Habakuk starts with a prayer of lament with questions like “God why are you not answering me? Why don’t you care or do something?” With a conclusion that God must not care because He isn’t doing anything and innocent people are dying. As the book continues, the circumstances don’t change, the perspective changes.

God is in His holy temple regardless of our circumstances. Sometimes He doesn’t answer the “why” because He wants to show us who He is. 

Psalms 126:5-6 “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”