Ukraine (MNN) — Ukraine and Russia blame each other for drone attacks on Sunday targeting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, House Republicans threaten to oust Speaker Mike Johnson unless he includes U.S. border security measures in a Ukraine aid package passed by the Senate.

As President Zelensky warns of diminishing supplies, bickering in the U.S. Congress does little to ease Ukrainian fears.

“From the perspective of your average Ukrainian citizen, it’s a sense of anxiety, futility, [and] frustration. They hear the air raid sirens almost every night; this war has become normal,” Slavic Gospel Association’s Eric Mock says.

“I’ve even seen aid workers during an artillery assault; you can hear the explosions in the background, and they don’t even flinch.”

Memorials are a common sight in war-torn Ukraine.
(Photo courtesy of SGA)

Ukrainians may be used to war but still want it to end. During his latest visit, Mock received a hand-drawn picture of a little girl sitting under an umbrella with sunflowers around her.

“Her umbrella had the Stars and Stripes, the American flag over it, and up in the sky was a barrage of missiles coming. She felt it was America that would protect her from the assault of missiles. This is from an 11-year-old girl,” Mock explains.

Over a half-million Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or injured in the past two years. And yet, hope remains. “In the middle of the war, Ukraine is still the ‘Bible Belt,’” Mock says.

“Churches are growing. Aid centers are becoming churches. And communities that have been foreign to the Gospel are coming to faith. That’s why SGA has been unwavering in serving these churches to raise up future leaders.”

Ask the Lord to raise up more Gospel workers during this difficult time of war. Find more ways to pray for suffering Ukrainians here.

 

Header and story images courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.