Christmas in Ukraine diary: Most moving experience I saw during my trip
I’m writing this in the air, flying back to Fort Worth from Europe. I just spent several days in Eastern Europe, first in Krakow and then in Kiev. I traveled with several leaders from various organizations, including the Family Research Council, The Heritage Foundation, Focus on the Family, and others to get an up-close look at the ongoing war in Ukraine.
During our time, we met with both Christian leaders and government officials. In Poland, we heard from a Church of God bishop who talked about the extraordinary outpouring of assistance to the more than 1 million Ukrainian refugees who spilled across their border in 2022 as Russia began its invasion. Churches rallied, providing housing, food, schooling, and medical aid. Given that Ukraine, often called the Bible Belt of Eastern Europe, has a sizable Evangelical population, the churches in Poland have swelled with new worshippers. And some new Ukrainian congregations have been planted in the last two years.
In Ukraine, we met with members of the Rada, the unicameral parliament that governs the country. Both the majority leader and the speaker thanked America for her support and talked about their desire to promote Christian values in the country, including the possible establishment of a National Day of Prayer. Contrary to some online reports, Ukraine is a very conservative Christian country, where pornography is banned and same-sex marriage is not legal. They often resist pressure from more left-leaning European nations to reverse these policies, and so far have resisted.
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Members of parliament helped explain the scope of Vladimir Putin’s aims in Ukraine, which include stripping the country of its unique heritage and customs and enveloping it into the Russian federation. Putin’s thugs have committed hundreds of thousands of documented war crimes, including sexual violence, acts of genocide, and the trafficking of an estimated 20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia to “Russify” them by giving them to Russian families and making them forget their Ukrainian parentage. Officials were hopeful about the incoming Trump administration, given his continued dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his appointment of retired General Keith Kellogg — a steadfast supporter of Ukraine — to the position of Ukraine special envoy.
What was most impressive about our time in Ukraine, however, was the resilient spirit of the Ukrainian church. We met with pastors who had been jailed when Russia took over their town and who continue to do ministry in a time of great distress. We heard from church leaders who both made the moral case for Ukraine’s survival, but also spoke of the spiritual hunger in their country, leading many Ukrainians to turn to Jesus for their hope.
My own denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, is very active in Ukraine, working with the Ukrainian Baptist Seminary and Ukrainian Baptist Union. Two thousand students are enrolled at the Seminary in Lviv and hundreds of new churches have been planted. Similar reports were heard from other Evangelical denominations. Clearly, God is at work in this beleaguered nation.
Perhaps the most moving experience was touring an orphanage built by the Christian ministry Save Ukraine, which helps rescue kidnapped children from Russian-occupied territories and also ministers to the many orphans created by this war. They provide food, shelter, education, and counseling. It’s a reminder that everywhere in the world where you see human need, you don’t have to squint to see Christians rolling up their sleeves and providing hope and help.
I was already in favor of Ukraine in its fight to preserve its nation against the unjust Russian invasion, but this trip gave me new eyes to see beyond the arguments about land and American interests, and to a proud people with a rich heritage. Against all odds, Ukraine did not let its nation be overrun by a dictator. it has resisted the advance of the marauding armies. And Ukraine has refused to let Putin stop the advance of the Gospel in its country and throughout Europe.
As we left Kyiv and boarded the overnight train back to Krakow, a band played Christmas songs in the train station, next to a massive Christmas tree. This, to me, was a symbol of Ukrainian resilience, the audacity to celebrate Christmas in a time of war.
Daniel Darling is an author, pastor and Christian leader. He currently serves as the Director of The Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Assistant Professor of Faith and Culture at Texas Baptist College.
