They feel sorry for us.

As I was awoken just before 4:30 am by the 2nd air-raid siren of the night, apparently just some drones “passing through”, God put it on my heart to write to you about a conversation from earlier today.

It started with a young man, Oleksiy age 23, asking Pastor Jeremy, through Tonya one of our translators,  about how he learned to preach so well and how he came to faith. Jeremy shared his testimony, his heart for Ukraine and several other aspects of his life. Oleksiy asked about Jeremy’s hobbies and life. When he found out that Jeremy loved to fish and be in the outdoors, Oleksy asked about our rivers and mountains because he too liked to be outdoors.

Oleksiy asked similar questions of myself and Alex T., absorbing the information like a sponge.

Oleksiy had moved to Nizhyn a couple of years ago from an area that was much closer to the Russian border an much more devastated. He is a firm believer of Christ and attends Calvary Chapel Nizhyn regularly. I actually first met him when I was here with the team from CCLBURG in 2024. As Oleksiy continued to ask Melissa, Alex T. and myself questions (Jeremy was called away to another conversation), others joined in and Tonya graciously translated for everyone.

There were conversations about the American education system and how students are not taught to learn but to pass a test. How the Bible isn’t taught, and often openly opposed in American schools but transgenderism is taught.

Conversations about all of the chemicals that are put into our food that makes us sick, how American society and culture is quickly degrading into greed and lust. Tanya told us that she  had come to the states in 1999 (before this war in Ukraine) and was amazed with how “clean our country was”. The quality of our streets and roads. She also told us that her cousin had moved to the US a couple of years ago (during active war in Ukraine)and was shocked at the stark contrast. He told Tanya that America had become extremely dirty, trash all over the place, the streets and roads were in bad condition.

Through these conversations, Oleksiy mentioned that he had very much wanted to move to the United States but now he would rather stay in Ukraine and that he would pray for us. Tanya told us the she felt sorry for us and prays for America quite often.

These are people who are greatly affected by the war with Russia and have suffered immense loss but they feel sorry for Americans and are praying that our country turns back to God. 

Let that sink in and then ask yourself, are you truly living the life that Christ calls his followers to live? Or are you a frog in a pot of water that is slowly starting to boil? Have you moved more towards “christian comfort” and away from a Christ centered life? Why has the church allowed and continues to allow our society to spiral down the toilet while quietly crying “woe is me?”

American, Ukrainian, whatever nation you live in; What are you doing to reinstate the Kingdom of God into your home? Your community? Your country? Your  world? 

Your life?

Christ did not call us to be passive. He told us to go and make disciples of all the nations. He didn’t call us to blindly swallow lies but to boldly preach truth in love. He didn’t call us to sit idly by watching souls pour into hell but to put on our armor, pick up our sword and fight. “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12

With everything that He has and continues to do for us, how is anything less even remotely acceptable?