The war continues, but so does the work
Plus, tentative plans to get back into the classroom this fall
U.S. Travels
My family and I have been doing a lot of traveling over the last month. We spent time in the DFW area and visited with several congregations there. Then we traveled to Lubbock, Texas, then Missouri, and now we are in Nevada.
Everywhere we’ve gone I’ve been speaking about the war with churches, mission committees, UBI sponsors, and with concerned brothers and sisters. I’ve shared about our experiences as well as the many good things God has been doing in His church in Ukraine and around Europe despite the difficulties.
Trip to Europe
Much of this I was blessed to see back in May on my two-week journey through Romania, Slovakia, and Poland. Sunset International Bible Institute asked me to join a small team of people and visit several of the most active refugee works among Churches of Christs in Ukraine’s neighboring countries. We wanted to see first hand what was happening, visit with the refugees and church leaders about their experiences, and talk with them about their current needs and thoughts about the future.
It was a blessing to be able to see how welcoming these churches (and even nations) have been to the Ukrainians who have fled. It was an honor to meet those who are giving so much of their time and resources to help them. I enjoyed meeting new Ukrainians, and getting to hug so many of my friends I hadn’t seen in months (and some I hadn’t seen in years).
The team and I also traveled into western Ukraine for a couple of days where we got to meet with one of our UBI teachers, Dima Grishuk, and visit with the “Volunteer Brothers” he coordinates. (Check out this article in the Christian Chronicle to read more about their work.)
At the end of our tour, we visited the church in Sopot, Poland. The group from Mariupol that had been sheltering in their church building for 51 days had recently arrived. It was so good to see them, to hug their necks, and to listen to their stories. It was an honor to translate for Erik Tryggestad as he interviewed them for the Christian Chronicle.
The Work Continues
Our UBI staff and alumni continue to help Ukraine from wherever they are. Natasha Maliuga (along with missionary Annabelle Dawidow) has worked hard to organize regular shipments of humanitarian aid into Ukraine. Thanks to the donations made to the refugee work, the church was able to acquire a cargo van, and now two of the brothers (who are also UBI graduates) are driving these shipments to and from Poland. We are thankful that they were able to receive special permission from the Ukrainian government to drive across the border. This makes getting supplies into Ukraine much simpler and much quicker.
Sasha Maliuga, who has remained in Kyiv since the war began, continues to shepherd the congregation at Poznyaki. As more and more Ukrainians have returned to their homes in Kyiv, new people are visiting the Sunday worship services. Sasha and a couple of the other brothers have been buying medicines and other supplies for local hospitals, as well as providing food and meeting other needs.
Our students also continue to serve. Kostia continues to serve his home congregation. He ministers mostly to the local children and says that the church is growing. “In general, things are good,” he shared with me. “I’m tired. I don’t sleep enough. But it’s a good tired.”
Roman, another student, continues to serve in his hometown alongside some of our other UBI alumni. He teaches and preaches, and he helps distribute humanitarian aid.
Bogdan Bagdasarov, a UBI graduate who is ministering in Poland, has continued to be the wonderful evangelist he has always been. He is constantly meeting new people through different outreach opportunities in non-religious refugee works, and when I was visiting at the beginning of May, I was present for the baptism of one of the women he had been studying with.
UBI’s Next Step
There have been many conversations about the future of UBI. Part of what makes any clear long-term plan a challenge is that we don’t know how this war will develop in the coming months. Will the war end within the next year? Will the conflict localize to a specific area and allow the rest of Ukraine to return to more normal life? Will Putin continue to push into the rest of Ukraine if he is able to capture the southeast?
There is a lot to think about and a lot of unknowns, so we continue to pray on the long-term role for the Ukrainian Bible Institute.
In the meantime, however, we will likely begin some form of online classes in September. This will probably be a lightened schedule—say, one class a day per level—but it will allow UBI to remain present and connected, and it will allow our current students to continue their studies.
UBI will also be providing some grief counseling and training to our students and other active ministers. These discussions and lessons are very needed among our workers, and we are even hearing of this desire directly from them. The details of this training are still being worked out, but it is my goal to provide this support and training in September as well.
Looking Forward
Next week, my family and I will travel to California, then to Washington, then back to DFW, and then finally to North Carolina before we fly back to Poland toward the end of July. During this time we will be going through some grief counseling ourselves and receiving some training as well.
We have been very busy, but Katie and I have been intentional about building family and rest time into the schedule. We’ve also had more time with our extended family than we usually get on our trips back to the States, and we are not taking that for granted.
We thank you for your continued partnership with the school. Keep praying for Ukraine and especially for our hard-working staff and alumni who are providing so much help during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Brandon Price