One World Challenge volunteer’s experience in Ukraine reads like a memoir from World War II, as if it should be a glimpse into the distant past rather than the very recent life of so many Ukrainians like her. 

I want to tell you about Tanya Biloshapka, our volunteer who lives in Borodyanka, 40 kilometers from Kyiv. For three and half years now, Tanya has been serving the elderly widows in need.

One of our partners in Ukraine, Mir, sent us a quick update about their recent convoys to bring relief supplies into the country, specifically the cities Myrnohrad and Mykolaiv. 

World Challenge’s partners are continuing to help families and widows who refuse to leave their homeland, even as it is torn apart by war.

Ludmyla was born in 1949, in the city of Kozyatyn in the Vinnitsa region of Ukraine. She was educated for working at the railway station, which she did for her entire life until her retirement. She adopted and raised one daughter. For thirteen years she has been a widow and took care of her father, a WWII veteran who is in a wheelchair.

A pastor who escaped the Soviet Union shares his testimony and reflects on the current war in Ukraine as well as what this means for the Slavic church. 

World Challenge is supporting refugees who are fleeing Ukraine and the church leaders who are giving them shelter.

As horrible as the news has been in Ukraine, the church there and abroad is rallying in prayers for the Lord’s mercy and praise to God’s power and providence over even current events. 

“This verse has been on my mind the last few days,” one of our partners in Ukraine named Nina said in the wake of Russia’s first attacks.

Our partners in the Slavic world have expressed their gratitude for the support, prayers and gifts that make ministry possible and bless workers in the kingdom of God.

World Challenge’s partners who work in several former soviet states, MIR Ministries, tirelessly serve widows with food distribution, volunteer visitation, evangelism and pastoral care.

World Challenge’s Partners in Ukraine are sharing the gospel by following Jesus’ example of compassion.

In many communities, the local church is best equipped to step in and care for people. In small towns and villages, local pastors already know the people well. When an urgent need comes up, a well-prepared local church can be there to help.

World Challenge’s partners are offering help and hope to widows in the war-torn villages of Ukraine.

In many parts of Ukraine, like other cultures around the world, women who have been widowed rely on family members to care for them. Sadly, that family support system is not always in place. Some widows have no family at all, and others have relatives who live too far away or are unable to take care of them.