Ukraine: “They’re not alone in their pain”
How Christians in Ukraine are helping families cope
Photo: Mission partner Alison Giblett is part of TLG church’s ministry to families who have lost loved ones in the war in Ukraine
A widow and her family from the Makariv region in Ukraine have found comfort amid the pain and uncertainty of her son being taken prisoner in the war, thanks to support from a church led by CMS partners.
The son, a soldier in the Ukrainian army, was taken captive, and the family don’t know what has happened to him. They don’t know when or if they will see him again.
CMS mission partner Alison Giblett, part of the church, recently explained how families like this one, whose relatives are missing in the war, face particular struggles: “Where [loved ones] have disappeared, they can’t move on, they can’t let go, because they’re still trying to have hope that they’ll see them again.”
Lifeline
Yet after two years of no information, it is hard to persevere.
For this particular family, support from the church’s chaplaincy project has been a lifeline.
Members of the church who have trained in this work go to visit the family every week or two, to sit with them and listen, and to pray with them.
Alison explains, “They feel that they’re not alone in their pain. They’ve started coming to the services, [the missing man’s] niece has been involved and she loves mixing with the other children.
“It’s really beautiful to see that this family has hope and they have been able to entrust this man to God, knowing that he is with him and able to take care of him whether they know about it or not. But that doesn’t mean that every day is easy.”
This is one of several ways that Tabernacle of the Living God church has been endeavouring to be part of the solution, bringing hope amid bleak circumstances. This chaplaincy work includes supporting widows as well as those with family members missing.
Unlocking emotions
Alison comments, “It’s a privilege to be able to support them, to listen to their stories, which of course are heart breaking.”
Alison was also able to help at a youth camp for children who have lost their fathers or whose fathers have gone missing.
She explains, “Each day of the week, we focused on different emotions, trying to help them unlock their emotions and express the pain, the sadness, the grief, the anger, and to come back to find joy and peace again. So that was a joy.”
The church team also offer chaplaincy to veterans who have been severely injured in the war, and pastor Valery Alymov and Peter lead teams of chaplains to the front lines to spiritually support soldiers.
As there are many groups offering support, at the beginning of this year the church hosted a conference bringing different ministries into one place and to walk together as they support others.
Kept in hope
Alison explains that offering such practical support to others also helps church members not to give up: “As we do practical things it reinforces our belief that it is worth carrying on, that there are things in this little way that we can be part of the solution.
“And so the little things that we have done by helping, talking to the widows, running camps for the children who lost their fathers, by visiting the front line, by handing out aid, all of that obviously helps other people but it also helps us and it strengthens us and it keeps us in hope.”
