Ruslana and Anton are officially missionaries to L’viv. They are a huge asset at the church plant called Disciples Church. Anton is a deacon, Ruslana directs the children’s ministry, and they host a small group in their home. They are also intensely involved in the youth ministry of the church, as well as bearing great responsibilities for the remodeling of the building that the church was just able to purchase. The traumatic war experience was emotionally challenging to work through, and Ruslana had many signs of post-traumatic stress. But now she and Anton enjoy a new life in L’viv and look to the future with joy and anticipation.
Ruslana reflected that her greatest spiritual growth took place as a result of the war in her home country and region. She said that due to the war and all that happened, she had to learn to depend on God more and more, because she realized that God was all she had in this traumatic time of escape and refugee life. Ruslana understands now that she really grew up spiritually during this time, walking by faith more than ever before.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Vika
Vika was born in the Donetsk region, but she grew up in Marinka, a small town in the Lugansk region. Her parents were her greatest influence, because they modeled a godly life to her and her siblings; they actively lived out their Christian faith. The family resided in their own house. They had bought the land and then started building a two-story home. It was a long process, over many years, because her father worked on the house while also working full-time as a gravestone mason, and part-time as a pastor.
During the summer, Vika would spend time outside, walking the streets, meeting friends, and greeting neighbors. She would play simple games on the streets, because they had no toys. They would play ‘House’ and ‘Store’, selling things to other kids. Every summer Vika would attend a Christian camp. She made new friends there; it was a time to hang out together, play games, and enjoy nature. Often the family would also go on a summer vacation to the sea. They would sometimes go to the Black Sea for recreation or to another seashore. Sometimes the family would even go to Crimea and spend seven to ten days at the beach.
As a young child Vika really wanted to go to school. She couldn’t wait to start elementary school, and was excited when this season of her life finally began. In school, Vika liked mathematics a lot, especially algebra. Her preference for math had a lot to do with the teacher who Vika liked and who made the subject interesting. In school, she also had the opportunity to take music lessons and she sang in an ensemble. She really liked this singing group.
Having graduated from high school, she entered college and studied financial administration. Vika laughed and said this was not exactly her dream profession, but she chose this field, because she was good at math and with numbers. She studied at college for three years and received a diploma. Her college was in the Lugansk Region in a city called Kharkov. After a fourth year, Vika received her master’s degree.
Vika’s father was the pastor in Marinka, a town about ten minutes away from Pervomaisk by car. Her church was small; only about fifty people attended. Vika went to church regularly; she did not have much of a choice, she giggled, as her dad was the pastor. She participated in Sunday school; eventually she helped with the Sunday school program.
The Baptist church in Pervomaisk was larger, with about 300 people in attendance; they also had more teenagers. This was attractive. Teenager Vika and her small youth group would always go to Pervomaisk Baptist Church for youth events; they did not have their own youth ministry in their hometown church. She joined the worship and praise group and enjoyed singing in this band. Vika really liked the youth club JAM (Jesus and Me) and enjoyed the opportunity to fellowship with other teenagers. Eventually, as she became an older teenager, she helped with the JAM club and with summer camp projects, as well.
Vika says that she grew up in a Christian family. Her father received Christ when she was just a baby. The family moved immediately as her father felt called to be a missionary to the Luhansk region. Vika herself became a believer during a Christian summer camp when she was eight years old. It was the last evening of the summer camp, Vika recalled; there was a big camp fire, lots of singing, and God touched her heart. She had to wait for her baptism until she was sixteen years old; this is a tradition in the Baptist churches in Ukraine. At her baptism she made a clear commitment to follow God and to serve in the church. She started a music ensemble with five people. She began to serve in her churches in Marinka and in Pervomaisk.
Vika had already left the area of Pervomaisk before the war started. Initially she studied at a university in Starobilsk, commuting every day; then she studied at a college in Kharkov and lived in the dorm. She would spend the week studying at the university in Kharkov, then return home every weekend. Eventually she got a job in the city and returned home less often, maybe once a month, to see family and friends. Often her sister Lena would come visit her in Kharkov.
The last time she went home was in April 2014 during the Easter holidays in Ukraine. She was going to celebrate with her family and friends. Vika left after the holidays and went back to her studies in Kharkov. She did not realize at the time that she was leaving her familiar life behind, never to return. In April 2014, all was still quiet and peaceful in her home town.
Her sister Lena came to visit her in Kharkov again and stayed with Vika for a while; the sisters were planning to travel home together in July 2014. But their father, Igor, called them with bad news. He told them that it was not possible for them to come home. The unrest had started in their city, and her parents had moved into the basement and were living there. At this point, Vika said, she did not understand what was going on. Why could she not go home and see her family? Vika thought, “The last time I was home, everything was okay. What has happened?”
Lena and Vika stayed in Kharkov and Lena started looking for work in the city. They kept calling their parents, getting updates from their hometown, watching the news on TV and the internet. At this point, Vika stated, the war did not touch her directly because she was living in Kharkov. The sisters were just not able to travel home. She did not see shooting, but she followed the news, saw the blockades. She could not imagine that war had come to her small, insignificant village. She expected, like everyone else, that this unrest would last a short while, then peace and calm would be restored and everyone could go home. Everybody wanted to return to their quiet and peaceful village life again.
But the conflict escalated in the following weeks. Her father, known as a Baptist pastor, felt the threat of persecution from the new authorities. The whole family was in danger, so neither Vika nor her sister Lena could return to the city. Vika’s father helped to evacuate people out of Pervomaisk and Marinka; he was a driver for those who wanted to escape from their town; all of them were becoming refugees in their own country. Her parents eventually joined the girls in Kharkov, leaving their lives behind, choosing family and safety instead. They never returned to their hometown. All their belongings were left behind.