Couple ministers to war weary from Ukraine

Most Americans receive news about the war in Ukraine through their local newspaper or occasionally on the television network news. Meeting Ukrainians living amid the now four-year war is another story.

I recently returned from a volunteer-in-mission trip to Christian Camp Gideon in Estonia, where I led Bible classes for two weeks that introduced young children and teens to the Christian faith. Estonia, along with the two other Baltic states -- Lithuania and Latvia -- were under the Soviet regime for 50 years following World War II.

"Pioneer camps" were created to teach Estonian children and youth about communism and atheism. After the fall of communism in 1991, some of these camps were bought by churches and transformed into Christian camps. This past summer was my fifth year being a part of the camping program at Christian Camp Gideon.

During my involvement at Camp Gideon, I was fortunate to meet a group of youths who made their way to Estonia from Ukraine. Michael Lozoviy, the leader of the group, talked about the situation he and the young people are facing in their war-ravaged homeland.

For the past 18 years, Lozoviy has worked full-time with a youth ministry in Dnipro -- Ukraine's fourth-largest city, located in southeast Ukraine, with a population of 1 million. He creates Sunday School programs and summer camps for Ukrainian youth.

At one time, there were no Christian camps for youth in Dnipro, but Lozoviy has changed all that. As a result of Lozoviy's leadership, 38 Sunday Schools, 43 youth clubs, 40 camps, a teenage academy, one day care and an after-school program have been developed. His dream is to open a Christian school.

"The youth need to learn about Jesus," he said. "it is easier for youth to come to Jesus than adults; they accept Christian truths better."

His successful model for these ministries has led other church leaders to seek him out to learn how to create these types of ministries in their own churches. Because of that need, he began teaching camp leaders and Sunday School teachers how to best serve youth in post-Soviet countries.

His greatest challenge in this ministry is the war with Russia. He does not have enough men to be a part of his classes and camps.

"Boys need the example of a strong, male Christian leader," he said. "The men are all off fighting. The war took all our potential male leaders."

A dozen youth and four adults came to Christian Camp Gideon from Ukraine for one week. The camp fee was paid by an anonymous donor.

Financial support for his ministry in Ukraine comes from churches, friends and other organizations with which they are affiliated. Lozoviy adds that, most importantly, they depend on prayer.

His No. 1 prayer request is that the war with Russia will end. Dnipro endures bombings every day.

Prayer request No. 2 is for the families affected directly by the war. Lozoviy shared how recently one rocket killed an entire Ukrainian family of 11: the mom, dad, eight children and one grandchild all died.

"This happens almost every day," he said.

Prayer request No. 3 is for ministers who remain in their positions despite the war. While all the churches where he developed ministries are Baptist, churches of different denominations all work together and have a good relationship with one another.

"We help each other, we cannot survive without that."

No. 4 is for the kids.

"they were happy to come to Christian Camp Gideon for some peace and quiet," he said." It was good for them to get away from the fighting and to look at the sea (Gulf of Finland)," Lozoviy said

He said his youth commented on the second day of camp how good it was to not hear sirens any longer.

Lozoviy has the largest Sunday School and youth ministry in Dnipro and helps other church leaders learn how to replicate his model through conferences spread throughout Ukraine.

The desire for God is great, and his programs reach out to youth who are struggling with purpose, survival and having hope for the future.

"My hope is that new generations in Ukraine will find a foundation with God," Lozoviy said.