What Would You Do if Your Whole Life Were Interrupted by War?

Ukrainian refugee mothers share the horror of war from CityServe on Vimeo.

Ukrainian refugees—men, women and children alike—are crossing the border into Poland into the unknown. Their entire lives have been interrupted by the Russian invasion of their country, and it has left them with nothing but fear, despair and a feeling of panic.

But there is hope for these brave souls, says Wendell Vinson, co-founder of CityServe International, whose team has met these refugees at the border to help them through this time of chaos and crisis.

“Imagine your entire life—your children, your household goods, your clothes, everything—loaded into one suitcase and having to make the trek across the border to another country just so that you can have hope for tomorrow,” Vinson says. “That’s what is happening with these women and their children. They cross over the border not knowing what to expect for today or for tomorrow.”

One Ukrainian woman who was interviewed said, “We left everything in our country and came to something unknown, so it’s a very fearful situation for us to walk into the unknown and not know what is awaiting us,” she said. “The place we came from, the sirens were there because of the alarm of the bombs. We had no electricity, no lights and a lot of people are in panic.

“When we came to the border on the Ukrainian side, someone helped us. We were able to rest and eat. So, we were taken care of every step of the way. We can’t understand why this war is happening. We hear about friends in villages and cities nearby. Their houses have been bombed and our people killed. We don’t understand how this can happen. You awaken in the morning and you fear. You don’t even know. We count days that we survive, and you live in constant fear. Why this? How can this be?

“There is a lot of propaganda from the Russians and, unfortunately, it’s not the truth. It’s a lot of lies. But we want to share the light, and we want to share the experience and the truth about what we’ve been through; even for our relatives so even they know what we’ve been through.”

Vinson says Jesus is the light they can depend on, and the refugees can find their hope in Him.

“On the other side, thankfully, there are churches and people that care; people that are there to serve them and help them,” Vinson says. “It’s a tragedy, it’s heartbreaking. But in the midst of the pain, there is hope.” {eoa}

Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.