“We believe that when the nations rage and the people plot in vain, [that] God, we know you are in control,” prayed Kipkin, who emigrated to the United States with his parents – like his wife, Victoria, did with hers – from the former Soviet Union in the early 90s.
“God, we don’t have to fully understand everything, to fully trust you with everything. And so … we bring to you the country of Ukraine in our prayers,” he petitioned.
Support was shown yesterday not only in prayer, but in song. At Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville, Andrew Causey sang a verse of “You Are My All in All” in Ukrainian before being joined in English by his father, Wayne, who serves the church as associate pastor of music and worship. Andrew Causey is a member of Rocky Valley Baptist Church in Lebanon, Tenn.
Forest Hills has knit itself to the country through mission work as well as adopting children from Ukraine, explained Wayne Causey. Andrew talked of his friend, Bogdan, whom Andrew met while doing street drama there. Over a messaging app, Bogdan said he would be watching the Forest Hills service.
“I want Bogdan to know that we’re praying for him as he hopes to evacuate his wife,” said Andrew. “He hasn’t been able to get back to her, and this is a story of thousands [of people].
Singing it together connected fellow believers not just across distances, but across times, he added.
“We’re singing it with our brothers and sisters who have sung and will sing this song,” he stated.
Gary Chadwick, a Southwestern Seminary alum and minister at Life.Church in Norman, Okla., flew to Poland over the weekend to marry his fiancé, Oksana, who left Ukraine by train. The two met in 2019 when he was in the country doing mission work, something in which he’s been involved since 2010.
Because the American embassy in Ukraine has been shut down, Chadwick told BP, he can use a neighboring country’s embassy services, in this case, Poland.
Oksana’s elderly parents and brother are staying in Ukraine, Chadwick said. Their city of Yuzhnoukrains’k has not seen fighting yet but expects it at any time due to it being the home of the South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant.
“The city is very tense,” said Chadwick. “Her father was in the military for much of his life and a carpenter.”
“I’m hurt and I’m sad,” added Oksana. “I’m angry, watching these things happen to my country.”
Zhakunets agreed that while there is belief that God is in control, there is also frustration among Ukrainian Americans.
“They’re trying to figure out how to be faithful Christians despite the anger they feel. The most prevalent feeling is powerlessness. People go to rallies and try to do things to show their support, but then they call loved ones and hear that they’re hiding in their basements.”
“There’s not much we can do on our own,” he said, “but this drives us to the Lord and prayer.”
This article originally appeared here.
