Imagine living in a war-torn city during your teenage years. Hearing the sounds of drone attacks and exploding missiles every day. Wondering if people you know and love have been injured or killed. Running for shelter every time you hear an air raid alarm.
Cowering in fear and losing all hope for peace.
That is the life Bohdana* is living in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Her city has been under attack since the war with Russia began in 2022. There is active fighting near the city at all times. More than 500,000 residents have already fled the city, which was once known as a center for industry and education.
Bohdana is 14 years old and lives with her mother and 5 siblings. Her father does not live with the family, so her mother is supporting them on her own. “People are dying every day in our city,” Bohdana says. “We do not know which of our friends or us might not be alive tomorrow. These thoughts weigh heavily on me.”
When Bohdana was invited to attend a Bible camp for children from single-parent or large families living in frontline Ukrainian cities, she excitedly accepted the invitation. “Just the thought that I would be able to sleep in a peaceful environment, without alarms and explosions, brought me joy,” she says. “This was also my first time to attend a Christian camp.”
Bohdana loved everything about the camp she attended. Reach A Village ministry partners led the Bible lessons and activities. “The beauty of the mountains, the nature, and the singing of the birds all spoke to me of a Creator,” she says. “The excursions to the mountains and the waterfall we saw will stay in my memory for the rest of my life. All this beauty confirmed what we heard during the Bible lessons. We learned about God the Creator and about God’s forgiveness and salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus. I made a decision to change my life, and I repented. I do not want to live the way I lived before.”
“When the children and teenagers come to repentance at the Bible camp, we are encouraged,” says one of Reach A Village’s ministry partners. “Seeing their faith strengthens our commitment to continue serving those who are so precious in God’s Kingdom.”
*Her name has been changed to protect her identity.
