Published on May 23, 2024, 12:25 pm

Image source: Fox News

Amidst an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear, the pastors and their wives in Ukraine now face a double-edged sword. As per the new law effective from May 18, Ukrainian men aged between 25 to 60 are liable for immediate drafting into the army. And this includes pastors as well.

The real news coming out of Ukraine shares stories of exceptional bravery, trust, and profound emotion. In my recent visit to Ukraine, I got a firsthand experience of these heart-tugging realities during a retreat conducted for pastors’ wives. One woman confessed her initial reservations about attending, wondering what insights an American could have into their unique struggles.

As we talked more about navigating through personal grief and testing times, there was an undeniable shared understanding of vulnerability and a deep-seated bond forged.

Pastors’ wives across Ukraine today are living under fear. On one hand serving as strong pillars of faith supporting their husbands while they minister others including serving on the war front as chaplains; on the other hand they exist with a growing anxiety that each day might be the goodbye they dread most.

Indeed such heartache is not merely speculative: with approximately 70,000 Ukrainian servicemen deceased at the front, the number of devastated young war widows is growing alarmingly high.

Take Natalia’s example: every morning she assists her husband Vlad- a missionary pastor- don his body armor before he leaves for frontline duties aimed at helping families and praying with them. She has never failed to pray for her husband’s safe return either. Recently Vlad was wounded during heavy shelling but survived miraculously with non-fatal injuries which only intensified Natalia’s anxieties and hopes for his retirement from dangerous ministerial activities at frontline villages.

Despite Natalia’s worries Vlad remains undeterred, wondering who else would take up this noble duty if he backed out. This immense bravery exhibited not only by Vlad but all other pastors serving on war front forms only half of the real story.

The trusted news I witnessed at the retreat, engaged by Slavic Gospel Association in Kyiv, reveals the other half. Pastors’ wives bearing their anxieties silently but sharing their grievances and strengthening faith when amidst peers forms a significant part too. As they seek solace in God’s words, their belief remains unshaken even in the darkest hours where there seems little hope of ever seeing their loved ones again.

But another aspect of this struggle often goes unnoticed: Their constant vigilance even at a peaceful retreat center evokes sympathy. One instance during my interaction was highly revealing of this fear. The individual left abruptly upon hearing an overhead jet needing to ensure if it was a friendly craft. Even harmless noises can be mistaken for alarming signs leading to frequent panic triggers.

This accounts to Christian worldview focusing on trust and tears we witness today coming from Ukraine’s guardians: brave women, always wary but determined more than ever before to press forward with life cultivating unwavering faith in God’s words despite facing daily unknown fears.

As Kristi Mock, project assistant at Slavic Gospel Association rightly puts across every one of us is challenged by these courageous women to live each day relying faithfully on His divine promises since none knows what future holds.