My Trip to Ukraine

I recently returned from a scouting trip to Ukraine. On a joint mission representing Empower International and City Church Chicago, I traveled to Poland and entered Ukraine crossing their shared land border. 

What I witnessed was heartbreaking. 

The short glimpses you see in the news reports on your televisions are only a limited view of the big-picture realities of the devastation and desperation of the people there. I met people from Mariupol, Kharkiv, Kiev, Donbas, Dnipro, and Bucha. The situation is dire!

At the border, I helped many young mothers that were navigating their little children across the checkpoints while dragging suitcases full of anything they could bring, not knowing where they were going. While the elderly, women, and children are fleeing to safety, I saw men going in the other direction toward the war zones inside their country.

As I looked into the eyes of these precious people, I could see resolve mixed with fear, confusion, and dismay. As I asked many of them how I could help and how I could pray for them, most of them responded, “Please pray for the war to end!”

My goal on this trip was to contact churches and organizations on the ground that are actively and effectively helping and rescuing victims, refugees, and displaced peoples. As well, my goal was to assess the reality of the situation in order to make an educated decision on how we can implement a long-term strategic plan to provide relief and hope to the people of Ukraine.

I will update you more as our plans progress. In the meantime, I invite you to pray for the people of Ukraine and if you want to help, please support our efforts there.

(100% of what you give WILL go directly to help the people of Ukraine).