CHRISTIAN ANALYSIS

A husband and wife, parents to three little girls, fled Ukraine at the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. They had been living in Kharkiv, the nation's second-largest city. Its proximity to the Russian border made it a strategic target, and it quickly became one of the most heavily bombed cities in the country.

Leaving made a lot of sense. But just three months later, they came back. 

Why? Because they wanted to bring hope into the middle of hell. They came back to run Young Life clubs for the kids who had stayed in Kharkiv. And God, in His providence, brought those kids to them.

Today, thanks in large part to this family's faith and commitment, there are more active clubs in Kharkiv than there were before the war began. 

Children living through war desperately need adults who embody hope, resilience, and authenticity. Research confirms what we already know: one loving, stable relationship with an adult can make the difference between a child overcoming adversity or succumbing to it. For kids in Kharkiv, who can identify different types and trajectories of bombs by sound, this kind of presence isn't optional. It is life-saving.

Our Young Life leaders embody such presence, and it isn't easy. These young women and men serving in the frontline cities experience the same grief and fear, learning to process it as they go. They wrestle with the same questions we all do: Will I die? Where is God in this? Why does He allow such suffering? 

To bear witness to Christ's peace during wartime demands courage - to face your own fears, to wrestle with hard questions,  and be brutally honest with oneself. Only then can one step into the suffering with another; only then is there a chance for an authentic friendship and the earned right to speak into a young person's life. 

This is the calling of a Young Life leader. They step into the world of kids—into their pain, fear, and suffering. Together, they wrestle with the hardest questions. Through their presence, kids see that grace, connection, and hope are still possible, even here. And when they ask what makes their leaders different and what gives them peace in the midst of war, the answer is always the same: Jesus.

Suffering never ceases to be suffering. Yet when joined to the hope of resurrection, it can draw us nearer to God and to one another. War forces this reality into sharp focus.

That's why we continue to do ministry in Ukraine. Young Life clubs and camps throughout the country offer school-aged kids safe spaces to be seen, heard, and to be themselves. They offer opportunities to develop authentic friendships, but most importantly, they give them a chance to learn that there is hope in Christ. 

For many Young Life leaders, like the family who plunged themselves back into a war-stricken city where the ministry is now thriving, this is as real as it gets. However, for many of us around the world, we feel we can do little more than watch in anguish.

It's hard to observe suffering from a distance, as so many Americans do now, looking at Ukraine. That anguish is real and important. The temptation is often to look away, or perhaps to take action that feels like it would relieve the pain. 

But wherever we are, the invitation remains: don't look away.

Let their suffering teach you how to carry your own. Pray for Ukraine. Pray for those who suffer near you. Share in their pain. And ask God to give you the grace to carry both the grief of this world and the joy of eternal hope—for it is in holding both that we are drawn closer to Him and to one another.

And one day, you too may be called to bring hope into the middle of hell.

Katya Baxter first met Christ in Russia when Young Life was just beginning to take root in the post-Soviet era. After moving to North America, she witnessed God multiplying Young Life clubs across Russia and beyond, drawing thousands of kids to Himself. In 2021, she joined the Young Life MEA staff, bringing both cultural insight and years of experience as a communications specialist and entrepreneur. Katya holds a BA from the College of Idaho and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto. Please visit Young Life Middle EurAsia to learn more about the ministry.