by Major Mike McKee
As the war in Ukraine rages on, The Salvation Army continues to faithfully minister to the needs of people there in the name of Jesus. While there are challenges, Salvation Army officers, soldiers and volunteers continue to quietly serve families and individuals affected by the conflict. Untold thousands of families have fled the fighting; some have left the country, and others have been displaced within Ukraine. The Salvation Army serves them all.
Last October International Headquarters sent me as part of a two-person team with Major Brad Watson from the Australia Territory to Ukraine to assess the relief efforts, ensure the coordination of The Salvation Army’s work with government and non-governmental organizations (NGO), and help its strategy as the conflict continues to drag on. As of January, The Salvation Army continues to operate in eight community centers in Ukraine.
Findings from the assessment demonstrate what we’ve seen so many times before in International Emergency Services. Local Salvation Army officers typically rise to the occasion when people need help. Without any specific training for what has been thrust upon them, Ukrainian Salvationists are performing with distinction. They’re great at identifying the most vulnerable people in their communities and quick to provide whatever is necessary to meet the most pressing needs. They write realistic and effective projects and implement them well, including accurate and transparent reports.
And very significantly, they don’t neglect the spiritual and emotional needs of the people they’re serving. Our denominational meetings and Bible study groups are thriving and well attended, but they are never a prerequisite to receiving assistance. In keeping with our mission statement, our humanitarian aid comes without discrimination.
More than merely providing relief items, The Salvation Army in Ukraine has been busy ramping up afterschool programs for displaced children and support groups for their parents. Officers will be receiving additional training in psychological first aid and linked with professional trauma counselors to help displaced families deal appropriately with the trauma that far too many of them are experiencing. These programs will be expanding as the need continues to rise.
Throughout our time in Ukraine, we saw God blessing The Salvation Army’s work every day.
Just one example of His blessing happened when we were having a meeting with another Christian NGO about ways our groups could work together to serve more people, more efficiently. We were just finishing the meeting by deferring a decision on specific projects when air raid sirens went off, and we all went directly to the building’s bomb shelter. While sheltering underground, Mark (country director for the other agency) and Major Brad discovered they had attended the same college in Melbourne, Australia, and had mutual acquaintances and friends. Upon further conversation, we realized Mark and I had done relief work in many of the same places within Iraq during the second Gulf War. During the prolonged air alert, we had the opportunity to discuss the possibility of additional projects in the current crisis. When the “all clear” signal was finally given three hours later, we had agreed on working together on a specific project in Dnipro, Ukraine, with more to follow. Coincidence? I doubt it. God is good.
Ukraine remains a very insecure place. During our almost two-month visit, air raid sirens sent us to bomb shelters no less than 24 times. But amid all the chaos and suffering in this war-torn country, The Salvation Army is doing some remarkable work, all in the name of the Prince of Peace, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
