Ukraine Trip- May 2025

“I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the rope.” William Carey, missionary to India (1793-1834).

Every time I step onto the mission field, this quote from William Carey comes to mind. We, at ATC, continue to “hold the rope,” as our Men and Women of Peace, all over the world, continually put their lives at risk for the sake of the Gospel. We come alongside these full-time missionaries to assist and encourage them along the way. But the full-time missionaries, who are in hard-to-reach places (and most of the time, these places are wrecked by war, poverty, and spiritual darkness), are the ones doing the heavy lifting! As you are reading this, please lift them up in prayer on a daily basis. They need it.

Before I left, I had made my own plans on how I thought the trip to Ukraine should go, but upon further reflection, I am amazed at how God worked out His plans the whole time I was there.

Our Man of Peace in the area is who we call, “Sioux Falls.” He and his wife let me stay at their home and fed me very well while I was there. (If you know anything about me, I love to eat. Some of the best chefs in the world, live in Ukraine). Apart from being an excellent host, “Sioux Falls” was also my driver and translator. His biggest worry, even before I got there, was trying to find someone who could “properly” translate for me. He did not think he was worthy of the task. We were unable to find a translator. But God gave him the strength and understanding to make a proper translation of my English.

We worked with a couple different mission groups while I was there and I got to behold how Ukrainians are taking care of their neighbors. Churches in the western part of the country would gather water and food supplies, then load them onto trucks and vans. Volunteer drivers from the government or churches would then make the 8-10 hour, one way journey, to the war-torn east to deliver those supplies. Then aid organizations and churches in the east are tasked with bringing those supplies to smaller cities and churches. In the smaller cities, food, water, jobs, and money are extremely scarce because of the ongoing conflict.

After staying at “Sioux Fall’s” home, for several nights, which is more centrally located, we drove to the eastern part of the country and stayed in a city which is only a few miles from the Russian occupied part of Ukraine. We were in the area for about 4 days with an aid worker from one of the local churches. He and his wife are tasked with delivering supplies to small communities. They are also in charge of baking bread and running a clean water program in the area. They bake upwards of 200 loaves of bread every other day.

We joined them for several days and visited many communities and churches to deliver the supplies. We also carried with us audio Bibles in the local languages and gave these to many people who could not read or had poor eyesight. These are great ministry devices because they are solar powered, which is important in this part of Ukraine, because their electrical grid is intermittent at best.

People are hungry for God’s Word and the truth of the Gospel in these areas. Every community we would go to, we would hold a church service. I was able to tell many Bible stories about the love of Jesus and give a Gospel message so people had a chance to know how to follow Christ. In one church we ministered in, an announcement was made that the church would be giving out food supplies and audio Bibles. There were many people who stood in line to get a Bible even before they had a chance to receive food and water. We pray that God’s Word continues to be heard through these devices and that many would come to know the saving power of Jesus.

The people in the eastern part of Ukraine live under a constant threat of war. The aid workers, who let us stay at their home, asked me why I would leave a safe country like the US, and be with them in Ukraine. I then asked them why they chose to stay in this area because I know these two have the ability and means to leave. They both told me, God has told them they need to stay and help their people and give them hope. And I told them that is the exact same reason I am here.

The Sunday I was in the area, throughout most of the day, we heard air raid sirens that would announce incoming missiles and drones from the Russians only a few miles away. It was a surreal feeling to hear the sirens and then, a few minutes later, to hear the booms where the explosions were happening. The continuation of the war and fighting is still very much a reality for the people who live and work in Ukraine. Please pray for the small missions organizations and aid workers that God has placed in strategic areas to shine the Gospel in dark places and deliver much needed food and water supplies.

The needs are huge in this part of the world, but we serve a God who is much bigger than all of these needs! One small church needed a new heater and they had been worshiping inside the church wearing their coats this past winter. Thankfully, ATC was able to make a donation to buy them a new heater.

The heater ATC was able to provide, and was installed right before the cold weather set in.

There is another small church in the area that is meeting in someone's house, and they need a bigger space to meet. The day we were there, about 20 people had to gather outside the building for the church service, because there was not enough room. Please pray for this church that God will provide a means for them to be able to build their own church building. Thank you all for your prayers during this trip and I hope some of you may consider traveling with me on ATC’s next trip to Ukraine!

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VIC LEIVISKA

FIELD COORDINATOR

Based out of Wilmington, NC, Vic spent many years as a missions pastor at a local church, traveling the world and investing in the local community. He and his wife, Bridget, have two incredible kids, Sam and Abby, and an amazing community through their mission minded coffee shop called Sundial Coffee and Tea. Their business has allowed them to pursue their passions together, full-time, while also giving Vic the opportunity to travel internationally and invest in missions as a field coordinator for ATC. When not investing in their local community and difficult to reach places around the world, you can find them spending time with their family, taking walks with their dogs, Rio and Tica, on the beach, and getting away for a camping trip in their teardrop trailer.