The Ukrainian Bible Institute currently partners with 25 congregations all around Ukraine. We help provide them with thousands of bags of groceries each month which these churches then distribute to those in need in their own communities. It's been a wonderful way to empower those who spend their days on the front lines of spiritual warfare. The ministers in these churches work very hard serving those around them, and it has been an honor to partner with them in this way.
However, it has been our desire to not only reach more people in need through this growing network, but to also help those who are providing the help. When we see the photographs of the distribution of aid—when we see the bags and bags of groceries and bottles of water being delivered and the church buildings filled with new people—we don't just see those who have come for help. We see the men and women who are working very hard to provide this help. We see the fathers who have sent their children west for safety. We see the husbands who have been separated from their wives for nearly two years. We see ministers who are displaced give all they are to help others in similar situations.
It has been our hope that our humanitarian aid program would not only create a network for getting physical aid to people around the country, but that it would also become a spiritual network of fellowship and partnership between ministers and congregations. We've been encouraged by what's we've seen so far, and two weeks ago, we took another step toward developing these relationships by hosting a very special event in Kyiv.
We invited all our partnering ministers, their families, and other guests to join us for two days of fellowship and encouragement. It wasn't a business meeting, and it wasn't a seminar. Our theme for the two days was Serving Those Who Serve. When we stood up that first morning and welcomed more than fifty guests, we told them that these two days were for them. We wanted them to know that their work and their sacrifice were noticed and appreciated, and we told them that our time together was to honor them and give them two days of spiritual renewal.
We led these men and women in guided small group Bible studies as they looked at their own spiritual lives over these last twenty months of war. They spent time in quiet personal reflection, and they spent time together in prayer. We worshiped together and we ate together. We invited the men to share what spiritual truths had influenced them most over the last year and a half. We spent time dreaming about what the future of our ministry might look like as we continue to partner together during this very difficult time.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. It surpassed our expectations (exceedingly and abundantly so, I might say). It was a joy just to observe the unity being cultivated among men and women who were toiling in the same work in cities around Ukraine. It was encouraging to hear how they were sharing ideas and advice with one another about how to best distribute the groceries they were receiving each month. But most of all, our hearts were touched to hear how much they appreciated what Sunset, UBI, and the team from the Poznyaki congregation in Kyiv came to do for them during these two days.
At the end of our program, I asked them to share some of their unexpected blessings from our time together. One person said they were expecting good fellowship, but they weren't expecting such deep fellowship. Another shared, "We're used to teaching, and when we come to these things we're used to being taught, but you have helped us look at ourselves and our own hearts." Another said, "I've been to a lot of these events and they are often very academic and theoretical, but this has been very grounded and useful."
Many people complimented our unique format, and one woman shared that in her 35 years in the church this was the first time she had ever heard someone bring up the topic of burnout. Several added that they planned to take some of these activities back with them to their home congregations. And thanks to the participation of a couple guests that one minister had brought along, UBI received five new student applications from one church!
My heart felt so full as we all said our goodbyes that Friday evening. God truly answered my heart's deepest prayers for this meeting. One brother told me afterward that when I stood up at the beginning on the first day and said that this time was going to be for them, he nearly started crying. "After nearly two years of hearing people constantly ask about what needs other people have, it was so special to hear you say that this time was for us."
Thank you all for your prayers over this event, and we continue to thank you for your unwavering support for the Ukrainian Bible Institute. Praise God for how he worked through this event to help us serve those who are serving!
—Brandon Price