"I Couldn’t Imagine. . .” The Crisis in Ukraine, One Year Later

Lika's courage and commitment to sharing her faith with others has brought a silver lining to the crisis in Ukraine.

Lika, who partners with ReFrame Minitstiries’ Russian language outreach, was living in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital city and the first part of the country to be attacked by Russian troops in February 2021.

As Roman fled Kyiv, she said that one thought kept popping into her mind.

“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to go through this without knowing God.”

That thought has helped Lika with each of her next moves since that initial attack. After fleeing to Poland, she watched as young families, elderly women, and lone children arrived in the refugee camp where she was staying. Though she did not have a lot to offer them physically, Lika knew that she had a gift to offer.

Lika uses most of her time and love for people to share her own faith story with young women—both in person and to her large following on social media.

Three Generations

When a family of three generations—a grandmother, her two daughters, and four young children—arrived at the refugee camp, they carried a familiar look of fear and uncertainty on their faces.

“They didn’t know anyone, so they were especially vulnerable to being harmed and even to sex trafficking,” Lika said. “They needed everything, but the thing they needed most was Jesus.”

The family accepted Lika’s offer of prayer, and they shared that they would soon be leaving by bus for Finland. After Lika prayed with them, the family decided to commit their lives to Jesus at that moment, while sitting on their temporary mattresses at the refugee camp.

A few days later, Lika received a call from one of the women in that family. Their bus had gotten into a terrible accident on the way to Finland, but because she knew that God was with her, the woman could sense his protection.

Now in a hospital in a part of the world that they didn’t know, the family felt scared. But Lika was able to send a pastor to pray with them again.

“It's amazing how big the family of believers we have around the globe is,” Lika said. “It's amazing to see how God is working through all these believers—through each and every one of us.”

That Large Body of Believers Includes You

While Lika cherishes her opportunities to meet face-to-face with people, she knows that she can also share her gospel messages online and reach many more people who need to hear.

Through prayers from readers like you, church offerings, and individual support for ReFrame’s Russian-language ministry, Lika's messages have reached people caught in the crosshairs of war—those in Ukrainian bomb shelters and in their homes during raids as well as those who have fled to nearby countries.

“Praise God that these people still have their internet and their phones,” Lika added. “I’ve been able to have personal meetings, livestreams on Facebook, and opportunities to reach people who need our support, prayers, and words of hope.”