By a member of SEND’s Diaspora | North America team - About 7 years ago, I was on a team that spoke at a mission conference in Ukraine. We also traveled and spoke in a number of Ukrainian churches. My part was to promote ministry to Muslims. We had great turnouts to our meetings and lively discussions (through translation) on the need and opportunity for Ukrainians to reach out to Muslims. Ukrainians are near neighbors to many unreached Muslim people groups. They have a unique position to reach out to them as many Ukrainians also speak Russian which facilitates travel in much of Central Asia.Ukrainians, like Americans, have hurdles to overcome in terms of reaching out to Muslims, as stereotypes and fear can deter one from sharing the gospel. However, as Ukrainian churches trusted God and sent out individuals and teams on short-term mission trips among Muslim people groups in Central Asia, it started opening doors. People returned to Ukraine and told of how God was moving in the hearts of Central Asian Muslims. These short-term mission trips led Ukrainian churches to commit to sending out more short-term individuals and long-term teams. We look forward with anticipation to hear the roll call in heaven that will name new believers in Central Asia because of the faithfulness of these Ukrainian workers.The current crisis in Ukraine threatens not only the sovereignty of Ukraine but also threatens the continuation of an awakening mission movement among the church in Ukraine. Please pray for our brothers and sisters in this very stressful environment. The fact that we are in a spiritual battle for the lives of lost souls is demonstrated very loudly by other recent events in Ukraine. Up until 2014, there were a number of both Ukrainian and foreign Christian workers in the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula, living and sharing their faith in tangible ways among the Muslim Crimean Tatars. That work ceased as Russia took over the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. It immediately throttled back the visas issued to the point that I am not sure there are any outside Christian workers remaining among that whole people group. Of course, that doesn’t mean that God’s work is finished there, but it sure has presented challenges in the sharing of the gospel. We need to pray and continue to pray that God will sustain his people and give them courage, wisdom, and tenacity in the face of great adversity.
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