In mid-February I had the opportunity to travel to Ukraine together with a group from Livets Ord, Uppsala. We met at the airport in Warsaw, Poland and drove from there to Lublin to pick up the car we would have to drive across the border to Ukraine.
As we started the journey from Lublin to Ukraine, it dawned on me that we were going into a war-torn country. It felt both exciting and nervous. At the same time, I felt such a supernatural peace about going into the country.
From Lviv in Ukraine we took an old Soviet night train to Kiev. When we arrived in Kiev we walked around the Maidan in the center. There were heavily armed police and soldiers walking around. Along the roads, trenches had been dug and anti-tank obstacles had been placed around. There were a lot of impressions to take in because of the war. I remember the air raid siren blaring one day when we were in the hotel and I felt my whole body freeze – I didn’t know what to do. We were immediately given clear instructions to stay inside the hotel, the air raid siren sounds every day and the odds of being hit by a rocket are slim.
On Saturday, we went to Butcha and Irpin, two towns bordering Kiev that had been under Russian occupation. We went there to see the destruction caused by the Russian soldiers. On the way there, we saw trenches, open fields with mines and Russian tanks shot up. When we got to Butcha, we stopped on one of the streets where the Russian column had started shooting at the civilian population. This became known on the news as the Butcha massacre, where hundreds of civilians were innocently murdered. In Butcha and Irpin, we saw shot-up civilian cars, apartments and buildings that had been hit by rockets. This made an incredibly strong impression and it felt unreal to see and take it all in.
During the trip we had meetings and a pastors’ gathering where Rune Borgsö preached and where we also got to serve the pastors. On Sunday I had the opportunity to preach for a congregation in Kiev called Skeemans Church. It felt incredibly fun, challenging and exciting. I felt God leading me to preach the gospel – the good news of Jesus. We were able to pray for them and many were touched by the Spirit of God.
Two Ukrainian guys from the church took care of us that day. One of them is called Illya and is the same age as me, 25. He told us how he and his friend volunteer to help in the war as chaplains. Together they go to the eastern front where the fighting is heaviest, preaching the Gospel to the soldiers and distributing food and other humanitarian resources to the affected population. On several occasions they have been shot at and almost died, but God has had His hand on them.
The trip gave me many strong impressions and I am very glad I went. Throughout my visit to Ukraine, I experienced God’s supernatural peace and guidance. No matter how much it storms, God can give us peace to go to places that are dangerous and beyond our control. Sometimes God leads us to places where our faith and trust in him is challenged. An openness to his guidance can lead us to ‘crazy’ places where we can serve a greater purpose. My heart for mission and Ukraine has become even bigger after this trip!
Kim Ruben Borgsö,
Leads the youth work in the Center Church Asker, Norway.
