Somewhere in Ukraine

It was late April, yet snow was swirling in a bitter cold wind. Sirens sounded in the distance. I’d joined my colleagues Avi Snyder and Dale Lambert inside war-torn Ukraine, somewhere near the Polish border. We came to bring food and clothing, but most of all to spend time with our dear brother, Tolik Emma, leader of our Kyiv branch.

Our Kyiv Branch Leader’s Situation

We could only imagine the immense pressure Tolik was facing. On top of constant bombs and the accompanying death and destruction, Tolik was thinking about his family, far away in Canada. No doubt he was relieved that they were safe. But his daughter would be married in two days, and Tolik would not be there to share in the joy. Instead, he shared with us his grief over the death of friends and fellow ministers. Yet, in the midst of that grief, Tolik made a statement that I will never forget. He said, “It is a bad time for Ukraine but a good time for the gospel.” He told us of the open hearts among people he was ministering to and how many were praying to receive Yeshua as their Lord and Savior.

Our Kyiv Branch Leader’s Perspective

What amazing perspective, what faith, what confident trust in the Lord we saw and heard in our brother! His example of the grace of God in the midst of sacrifice and suffering spoke volumes. I am so proud of Tolik and our 19 other Ukrainian-born Jews for Jesus missionary families, all of whom have been scattered. Some, like Tolik, are refugees inside their own country, but most have been forced to flee to other countries, where we are doing the best we can to care for them in their distress. I’m talking about wives who are separated from their husbands, praying they will see them again one day—and children, many of whom aren’t old enough to fully grasp what is happening to them.

It is because of their own sense of loss that our people can share their hope in the Lord.

These precious people need our encouragement, and many may also need godly counseling for trauma. Nevertheless, they are sharing the love of Jesus with other refugees. God is using the authenticity of their faith to bring a harvest of souls among desperate and often despairing people. It is not despite their own sense of loss, but because of it that our people can share their hope in the Lord. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Corinthians 1:3–5).

What We Gain Through Sacrifice and Suffering

In reflecting on this recent experience, the following confession from Paul David Tripp struck a chord in my heart: “There are times when I am tempted to wish that ministry was more a throne than a cross. There are times when I am tired of sacrifice and suffering, and I wish God would use a little of his power to make it a little less uncomfortable. Sometimes I don’t want to serve; I want to be served, not just by the people around me but also by the one who has called me.”*

When I feel this way, I want to remember my brother Tolik and our other Ukrainian brothers and sisters. More than that, I want to remember my Messiah Jesus, the greatest servant leader of all, who “learned obedience through what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). May we all grow in our willingness to learn such obedience. May we continue to pray fervently for peace in Ukraine and for comfort and salvation for the millions of war refugees.

It may be a bad time for our world, but it is a good time for the gospel!

Thank you, dear Jews for Jesus partner, for standing with us on the front lines through your prayers and generosity. Many of you are also in the midst of suffering various trials, yet you are doing your best to extend encouragement and hope to those who desperately need Jesus. No matter where we look in the world today, both near and far, we see great suffering and loss, despair and hopelessness. At the same time let us also look up and see, as through the eyes of our dear brother Tolik, this shining reality: it may be a bad time for our world, but it is a good time for the gospel!

*Paul David Tripp, Lead (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), 134.