I stepped onto Ukrainian soil for the first time as an earnest 23-year-old. With a full head of hair and freshly printed business cards in my bag, I visited HOPE’s work in southern Ukraine. In an email afterward to my friends and family, I shared a bunch of pictures of the spectacular sunflower fields, gushed about the cobble-stone port city of Odessa, and raved about Vitale–a seminary professor and translator–and Natalya–my colleague who hosted me during the stay. 

Just six months after that trip, I returned to Ukraine. This time to Kyiv and then onto Zaporizhzhia. While there, I worked from HOPE’s offices alongside Andre Barkov and the rest of the HOPE Ukraine staff. Zaporizhzhia is an esteemed city for many reasons, but among others, it is the birthplace of HOPE International. 

Over the last 25 years, HOPE has served over two million hardworking men and women across the globe, investing over $1.4 billion in their dreams for their future. During that time, we’ve opened dozens of bank branch offices and have partnered with thousands of churches. But the very first branch office and that very first church were both in the town of Zaporizhzhia. 

Today, Zaporizhzhia, like much of Ukraine, is under siege. 

This nondescript industrial town in eastern Ukraine rarely makes international news. But, that all changed 19 days ago. Shortly after Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, Russian forces targeted, shelled, and overtook the largest nuclear facility in Europe, which is located in Zaporizhzhia. The situation remains dire. 

Those early trips to Ukraine in 2006 and 2007 breathed life into me personally. In Ukraine, I experienced delicious slow-cooked barbecue–shashlik–and experienced the breadth of a new culture and new people. In those trips and subsequent visits to this beautiful country, I also experienced a culture that took pride in its heritage and identity. Ukrainians love Ukraine. And, as we’re seeing in the news each day, Ukrainians risk their lives to defend this home they love. 

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is heinous in every way. But it’s also personal. The men and women who rush to their basements and subway stations when the air sirens blare are friends. They are coworkers. In more ways than I can articulate, they have been generous hosts and guides to the community they love. 

Me with my Ukrainian colleagues in Lviv, Oct 2019

Each day, our internal crisis management team updates us on the latest developments in the war and on our staff and clients. In some ways, the reports begin to feel regular, even normal. But this is not normal. It is not OK. It is not justifiable, nor is it targeted. It is a widespread, violent affront to all the norms and freedoms the people of Ukraine have earned and should expect. 

To Vitale, Natalya, Pasha, Andre B, Luda, Maksim, Bogdan, Andre K, Max, and the dozens of current and former colleagues: I am so deeply sorry. We continue to pray for you and advocate for you however and wherever we can. 

May God show his mercy and give us wisdom in how to care for those who are hurting and in how to respond to those who cause them hurt.

To learn, pray, and give alongside HOPE as we respond to this crisis, you can do so here: https://www.hopeinternational.org/ukraine/assistance-fund