HIM 2024 August
Hosting a Retreat Experience for Pastors and Their Families Struggling to Serve and Survive in Ukraine
“What’s next?”
That was the question we asked after our journey into Ukraine (from Odessa to Mykolaiv to Kherson on the Dnipro River) in August of 2023. Last year the priority of the mission sponsored by Hope International Ministries was a combination of humanitarian help and developing leaders in churches that were exploding with new growth. These congregations had contracted after the invasion by Russia as refugees poured into neighboring countries. But then, as the remnant of Christians began to give generously and serve creatively in their communities, they expanded their vision and reach to receive those drawn to the compassion and care that the church was providing.
The needs were overwhelming, and still are in many areas of a nation under siege.
The surge of newcomers who were desperate for food and water, clothing and medicines, as well as those seeking spiritual resources to face harsh conditions and deadly threats, required tremendous faith and heroic efforts.
The answer to our question came from a network of church leaders who asked if we could host a renewing retreat experience for pastors and spouses exhausted by two and a half years of war. We agreed, began to plan for such a critical gathering in July of this year, and raised the money to accommodate more than 50 pastoral couples and their children. They came from all across the country, including places where they had lived and led under enemy occupation.
Our dear friend and veteran missions director Randy Fischback, Nancy and I arrived in Chisinau, Moldova in early July to rendezvous with Paul Minakov (president of HIM), Leonid Regheta (Ukrainian-born pastor now pastoring a Slavic church in Dallas) and Slava Scherbakov (Pastor in Chornomorsk, UKR).
The first piece of bad news we got was that the Ukrainian therapist with expertise in treating PTSD was not available to join us this week, as she was about to deliver.
The second blow was the sudden announcement that Leonid, a great communicator and translator, would be unable to accompany us across the border into Ukraine because of the new law that automatically conscripts all Ukrainian men ages 18-60 for military duty … even though he has been an American citizen for a number of years.
With many challenges looming and much uncertainty hovering over this highly- anticipated retreat, we drove across the border toward the Black Sea resort that would welcome the families longing for a week of rest and refreshment. The first thing one notices as this beautiful body of water comes into view is that the beach is blocked by barbed wire and a line of cement barriers, and marked by signs warning of the mines that had been placed offshore early in the conflict to deter approaching vessels poised to attack.
The early arrivers at the retreat appeared relieved and somewhat wary, at the same time. They had made the perilous trip (some of those invited declined due to the complications of travel through a war zone … and the risk of a return trip home) and were warmly welcomed, but many of them are still in the grip of trauma.
Preparing for this unique retreat, it was advised that we read The Body Keeps The Score, the recommended primer on the damaging and lingering effects of trauma.
One of the insights related to the formidable task of healing is the recognition that trauma caused by unbearable events must be engaged by powerfully uplifting and reassuring experiences in a safe setting that allow lament, recontextualize the suffering, displace the terror, explore helpful ways to reemerge into the present, and convert wordless panic into a more objective perspective. A tall order, to be sure. How to accomplish something meaningful in a one-week retreat?!
The psychology of trauma provides critical understanding and sensitivity, but ministering to the soul of a wounded person is a profound spiritual enterprise.
Brain science, emotional discernment, and biblical wisdom are all part of a wholistic approach to trauma recovery. As it turned out, the recovery of hope, the reinforcement of hope that has been eroded and become elusive, is the key.
And, the deep relational connection with others who have similar experiences became a critical piece of the progress that took place in this consequential week.
One of the many sweet families participating
On the first day of our retreat we heard the terrible news about Russia’s bombing of the children’s hospital in Kyiv, the largest in the country. We had to stop and grieve yet again for lives lost and valuable medical facilities shattered. But we were together, and we could process this in conversation and prayer --- with tears, with hard questions, with a defiant faith, with enveloping hugs.
Late that night, a missile aimed at a civilian target five miles from where we were, just south of Odessa, hit with a huge explosion. I thought it was an earthquake … because I come from California. The next day, another bomb went off a little farther away. Smoke could be seen in the distance. Although the front lines of grinding ground combat are many miles to the east, missiles meant to kill and maim, to destroy and demoralize, fly everywhere.
We wanted to provide lots of free time for couples and families each day. They could swim in a pool, they could walk to the beach, they could play games, they could sit and talk, they could take a nap. They could spend time in conversation with other people who are shepherding churches and entire communities under tremendous pressure.
We gathered for meals (and more conversation) and twice a day (late morning and early evening) in a room overlooking the sea, for worship, teaching, testimonies (they were riveting) and lively discussion. I was asked to speak three times, with translation, as a complement to other presentations.
One time I focused on the travails of Joseph in Genesis and the multiplied traumas that he endured … on his way to the astonishing fulfillment of God’s purpose. His dream was dismissed again and again, and yet he persevered until the promise became a life-saving reality.
A second time, we read the Letter to the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13, sent by “the One who is holy and true, who holds the key to the Kingdom, who can open the door.” I was struck by the similarity of this community’s character, condition and circumstances to the plight of the evangelical church in Ukraine --- a church that is engaged in a spiritual battle with an adversary determined to suppress its powerful evangelistic voice, as much as the nation is locked in a military confrontation with an arrogant bully.
A third time, we pondered the invitation to the experience of joy that often seems preposterous in the situations described in Scripture and in our modern world.
How joy is the deep settled conviction that God is for us. How the joy and the pain come in the same package. That if you don’t embrace the pain, you won’t discover the joy. The radical declaration in Nehemiah 8:10 (“the joy of the lord is your strength”) is effusively elaborated in Romans Chapter 8 (“nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus”), and made intensely personal by Paul in First Thessalonians 2:19 and 20 (“you are our glory and joy”). All of this is worth extended meditation.
One of the highlights of our time was an elective afternoon session on three of the days for the men that offered prayer, led by Randy, and opportunities at the same hour-plus for the women and children to practice some art therapy, led by Nancy and others. We were impressed by how many participated and how intimate the sharing became, and how expressive the drawings and paintings were. There were moments when this seemed to be the healing heart of the retreat, a pathway to resilience.
I have to recount the testimony of Oleg, a pastor who still serves today in a village on the highway halfway between the border with Belarus and the capital Kyiv, the highway that witnessed hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers rushing to seize control with an unstoppable blitzkrieg in the opening days of the invasion that shocked the world. He asked me if I had 20 minutes so he could tell his story, that would actually take more than an hour. I said yes. So glad I did.
In mid-February, 2022, Oleg was warned that the Russians troops massing menacingly at the border were about to cross over. He told his wife to take their seven children and make their escape. She refused, she didn’t want the family to be separated, but did agree to relocate them to her parents’ home out in the countryside where there would probably be less harassment.
A few days later, a regiment of soldiers from Chechnya arrived and quickly dismantled all civic authority in his area. They also shot people on the streets after ordering them to stay inside their houses. Soon after a dozen Chechens showed up at Oleg’s house. His brother was staying with him for moral support. They were frightened by the fierce demeanor and constant threats of these heavily armed infantrymen who followed them everywhere they went, even into the bathroom.
At night, the interrogation began, with lots of questions. He told them he was a pastor and they wondered why he didn’t have a beard. “All priests have beards.” And so the discussion ventured into theology.
“What is the worst sin, according to the Quran?” Oleg asked his Muslim captor. “The worst sin is killing an innocent person,” was the answer. “Then why are you here doing this to us?” Oleg shot back, with an indignation that he did not intend to express but definitely meant.
The soldier did not answer. In fact, according to Oleg, the soldiers holding his house did not or could not answer many of his questions, including: “If Mohammed is the greatest prophet, why is Jesus trusted to be the one who returns to judge the world, as Islam teaches?” And so he became bolder, while occasionally reminding himself that their tolerance and reticence might turn into resentment and hostility at any moment.
The long days turned into a week and the soldiers began to relax a bit. The conversations alternated between arguments over religious matters and friendly banter. They became careless with their weapons, letting them lie around. Once a senior officer showed up in a surprise visit and scolded his subordinates for their inattention. “He could pick up one of your guns that you leave on the table and shoot you! You should not trust anyone here.”
During week two there was some genuine affection, Oleg thought, with a few of these Chechens who were forced to fight in Moscow’s war --- even though Putin had once launched a vicious crusade against their own breakaway, now- subjugated republic. His rising confidence allowed him to ask for permission to take a brief trip to the countryside to visit relatives. He was pleasantly surprised when they agreed, even as they reminded him that his brother would be held hostage until he returned. He was overjoyed to see his family but knew he must come home before too long. He took back several loaves of his favorite bread, baked by his mother-in-law, and gave it to a grateful group of Chechens. “Why would you be kind to us?” someone asked.
While Oleg managed his situation at home, he continued his responsibilities as the leader of the church that was doing everything possible to protect and serve the community --- the church members, Christian believers of all traditions, anyone in need. No one was ever turned away. Almost everyone relied on the church. And, apparently, on Oleg as the de facto mayor.
Meanwhile, there was tension everywhere as the invaders consolidated their positions along the highway, awaiting the orders to proceed to Kyiv for final victory. But there were partisans and spies actively attempting to disrupt the foreign convoy, including two wily characters posing as Red Cross workers and driving a bus labeled as the aid group. Oleg had several encounters with them and learned of plans to sabotage the intruders.
One day the Chechens and all the other soldiers in the area dressed up the best they could with the uniforms they had for a parade staged by a Russian television crew that came by to preview the preparations for the assault on Kyiv, produced as propaganda for those in the motherland who depend on state-approved media.
The next day the Chechen contingent marched north instead along with many of the their comrades, away from the coveted capital, but not before several of the unexpectedly relatable soldiers stopped by Oleg’s house to say goodbye, and to apologize for disturbing his peace. As they left, one of them gave him the password that would allow him to move freely around the town and through checkpoints. He would soon need it.
As other Russian foot soldiers marched into town, tales of atrocities committed in nearby cities and villages, in Bucha and Irpin and others, began to circulate and Oleg knew that his family and other vulnerable residents must be moved fast and discretely to a safer place. Oleg himself was summoned by the new Russian commander for interrogation but was able to avoid a meeting, knowing the code and having been alerted to the man’s penchant for using excessive force to extract information or confessions.
Oleg and others plotted to gather as many townspeople as possible to sneak away under cover of darkness. The crowd, including his wife and children, were briefed on the exit plan and quietly followed a circuitous route across open fields, away from the main force that stayed close to the highway, toward the suburbs of Kyiv.
Oleg’s family continued into Poland and finally made their way to Germany where they live today, separated from their husband and father (whom they must miss terribly). He was completely alone now but relieved to know they had reached sanctuary (and, despite his stoicism, I know he misses them terribly).
The translator (Slava, thank you!) and I were mesmerized by his account.
Someone should make a movie, we both agreed. As I thanked him for his willingness to revisit this dramatic episode (without reliving and descending into depression), I realized even more clearly how much I/we did not know the full extent of the suffering of these people we were praying for, coming to love, and hoping to help. Nor do we yet appreciate the impact of the miracles that have delivered them from the full blast of evil.
It was humbling, ennobling and enlightening to spend time with these men and women, and with their children! As the week wore on, the relationships that began with tentative openness, created a bond that invited candor, authentic emotion, a depth of reflection and recommitment to the overcoming Kingdom of God already active on this privileged planet destined for an extreme makeover.
My interactions with Olex, Jordan, Vasili, Oxana, Tatiana, Alexei and many others refracted the values and virtues of that Kingdom which are prevailing in a world at war in ways I can only describe as another great awakening.
What’s next?
After the retreat, we retreated to Moldova where Hope convened an all-day “Round Table” with seven international ministries (HIM, World Vision, Cru, Light to the World, Mission Eurasia, Vineyard and Voice of Truth) represented by 20 missional leaders with a passion for trauma healing and recovery. Paul and Leo led the charge and everyone contributed ideas and perspectives. They are all working tirelessly in Ukraine and other European countries on many fronts accomplishing more than I could imagine (and I can imagine a lot). I was pleased by the tone of affection, level of collaboration and intrigued by the flow of the Spirit in our wide-ranging conversations.
We shall see how God leads, and how we are ready to respond.
Pray for the pastoral leaders, couples and families that are serving their Lord and all the people of their distressed communities across Ukraine. For justice to triumph, peace to preside, mercy to immerse, and healing to come and restore.
For Christ to be honored and followed and freely, faithfully shared in Ukraine, throughout Europe, in Russia, and beyond.
Thank you for your prayers and support … for taking seriously (and joyfully!) God’s call on your life
Doug Stevens
Austin TX
I’m a huge fan of JRR Tolkien and his construction of a metanarrative that explains this world which is constantly, perversely and spontaneously, it seems, combusting into intractable conflict. These quotes strike me as congruent with the exceedingly Good News of the Gospel of Jesus and immensely comforting, even as we are called to engage in a righteous struggle against the principalities and powers that threaten humanity.
“The Resurrection was the greatest eucatastrophe possible in the Greatest Story --- and generates that essential emotion: Christian Joy, which produces tears because it is qualitatively so like sorrow. Because it comes from those places where Joy and Sorrow are at one, reconciled, merged and lost in Love.”
And then …
“The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus means that one day everything sad will become untrue.”
And I have to add this insight from his fellow Inkling, Dorothy Sayers.
“What do we find God doing about this business of sin and evil? God did not abolish the fact of evil; He transformed it. He did not stop the Crucifixion; He rose from the dead.”
How can you help?
Join the volunteer’s team this summer
Sponsor kids in the camp ($150/child)
Pray for Refugee Kids