From the Frontlines of Ukraine
Jesse Pohle | MissionGo
As I write this, I am lying in bed in Odesa, Ukraine listening to the distant booms of artillery several miles away. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, my wife Bria (who served in Ukraine as a missionary for 27 years) has been working on the frontlines with local pastors, to bring the hope of the gospel to soldiers and Ukrainian civilians alike, all struggling to preserve their homes and livelihoods amidst war. When we got married at the end of 2019, neither one of us could have imagined what would take place on February 24, 2022, when an even worse invasion by Russia took place. Almost immediately, we started raising money to fund our Ukrainian pastors who chose to stay in country, and to provide needed clothing and food for the military and displaced citizens. Furthermore, we began praying that, in His time, God would give us an opportunity to come to Ukraine ourselves, to spend time with our friends, ministering to them and with them.
Finally, on August 16, we flew into Warsaw, Poland, and drove across the border into Ukraine. At the time of this writing, we have been here two weeks. Every day we work with refugees fleeing from invading Russian troops, with women, children, and parents who have lost their brave fighting men, and with military units on the front lines of their defense.
Before I left home, I asked the Lord, “What do I, a Buffalonian, have to offer these people? When asked to speak, what do You want me to say?” The answer came through one of my wife’s songs, “Hope.” I needed to give them hope. But the Lord did not point me to a hope in the war ending soon, or to earthly victory, though we pray those things for Ukraine. Instead, Jesus directed me to Romans 5:5 (nlt): “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Our job here in Ukraine is to point them to a hope with a guarantee, a hope that will never disappoint. When we put our faith in Jesus and His Holy Spirit indwells our hearts, our hope is secure. It is no longer the hope of this earth, which is merely a possibility of a positive end result, but it is the hope of Jesus; it is the hope of complete confidence that God wins, that we are His, and He is ours.
The pain here is incredible. Even as I write this, I look down at my right wrist where a Ukrainian mother attached a black and red bracelet. She explained it had been worn by her son when he was killed several weeks earlier in the defense of his land. Two days ago, we sang and spoke to a unit of exhausted men that had just come off the battle line earlier that day. One of them, a man in his fifties, could not stop crying. Cities that were once full of life and busyness are now dark. Checkpoints are everywhere, and the sights and sounds of Russia’s brutal invasion are prevalent. Yet, at every location we visit, we hand out New Testaments. I encourage whatever audience is there to spend time reading the words of Romans 5, to seek Jesus. We laugh and cry with soldiers and civilians alike, we share gifts, we share meals, we tell jokes. They especially get a kick out of my incredibly rudimentary Ukrainian, which I am working to improve daily.
Special recognition and honor go to our brave pastor friends and their families who themselves are refugees, having fled their homes in Kherson and Berdyansk to avoid capture by the Russian secret service, because of their years of serving the Ukrainian military. They refused to leave the country, even with means of doing so, and continue to serve in incredibly dangerous circumstances, all because they know that, as Christians, they are called to be Christ’s light and love in the midst of darkness. The gracious generosity of God’s people here at The Chapel, other WNY churches, and across America has allowed us to feed and clothe thousands of people, both physically and spiritually, for the past six months.
Winter is coming and more help is desperately needed. We know God will continue to provide for our friends. We are deeply grateful our Lord allows us to be a small part of His work in Ukraine, for you who partner with us, and for His hope that never disappoints.
Through MissionGo, Jesse and Bria Pohle serve the Ukrainian diaspora, citizenry, military, and refugees with music and the truth of Scripture as they fight for the freedom of their nation.
