“Moments” from the frontlines. SGA Storyteller Angela shares about a camp at which she and her husband led and served recently. This particular camp was planned especially for the children who live daily through the midst of war. 

These “moments” give us a glimpse of what that might look like through the eyes of a child. When asked what his thoughts were, one of the leaders named Maksym said, “Children should never have to experience war.” Their lives have forever been affected by the experiences that they are living through right now. What will their “moments” look like when they are older due to the things they are seeing now? 

Please continue to pray for believers throughout Ukraine who are steadfast in sharing the hope of the Gospel with them. The only way for their future to be bright after experiencing such great darkness is to know the light of their Lord and Savior! Pray for the hearts of these children and that they won’t become hardened. “Living there in the everyday danger, they literally don’t have a life.” Except in Christ!!

Childhood in a Ukrainian region . . .

 Excited chatter, laughter, and giggles filled the campsite as the children who had just arrived from the front lines toppled out of the bus. They’d been looking forward to this camp for quite a while; and, as they ran to the foosball tables and bean bag chairs, it was easy to see that they needed this break more than they knew.

 The days and evenings were filled with marshmallows around the campfire, canoe rides on the river, turns on the zipline, biking through the forest, crafts, sports, food, and Bible stories of what life in faith looks like.

 Later into the week, established relationships led to open conversations—and the children shared moments that painted a more vivid picture of what life was really like for these kids from the frontline region.

 Moments like when 12-year-old Max was outside and heavy shelling started. He fell to the ground, and minutes later while panicking, called his father to tell him that he was coming home. Yet his dad’s answer was, “Don’t come home in case they hit the house, and we all die. Run in the direction of the coal mine. Perhaps at least you will stay alive.”

 And moments like when Ivan, another 12-year-old, found a gun lying in the streets and picked it up. Minutes later, a bloodied and wounded Ukrainian soldier who had lost his gun expressed his thanks and took it back. 

 Schools don’t function, so sports clubs and extracurricular activities are impossible. Instead, the local kids scour about the village and find grenades that didn’t explode, bullets, and other materials that young kids their age should never see.

 And the moments after shelling or an explosion; when all the boys from the village go out to look at what was destroyed. They marvel at the size of the shrapnel that is left behind. 

 And then there are the scary phone exchanges; moments when kids call each other in the middle of another rocket attack, bawling as they share their feelings. Those conversations end with more phone calls to find out if the rest of their families are still alive.

 And then there were moments at camp, when the air defense system went off during the night, and we were all awakened by the explosions. Surprisingly, the kids weren’t too scared—they know the difference in sounds of missiles being launched and incoming missiles. 

 And also at camp, the moment when five-year-old Polina raised her hand during Bible lesson and asked, “How come, ever since I was born, the war started?”

 And there were many more. Story after story, these young children poured out their pain to listening ears; and the dark, grey, smoke-filled moments painted a picture of a pain-filled, heart-wrenching “childhood” that no human being should ever have to experience.

When asked what his thoughts were, Maksym, who is one of the leaders, said, “Children should never have to experience war. They are affected by war very deeply. They need to talk about what they go through and be able to pour out their emotions and feelings with others. Living there in the everyday danger, they literally don’t have a life.”

In a time of great uncertainty, God is bringing help, healing, and hope to the people of Ukraine through SGA-supported pastors, churches, a seminary, and SGA-supported Compassion Ministry. Be a part of God’s incredible work with your generosity and prayer support.

Your gift of compassion helps struggling people with emergency aid that generally includes Scripture materials, food, and hygiene supplies.