The Shattered Landscape Around Me by Bob Jones

We stepped out of our vehicle on the side of a road. The local time was 16:13. All was quiet. I know that to be the exact time because two days previous, 100s of Christian leaders had agreed to stop, kneel, and pray for their country at 16:13 every day. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith.” I taught that we “stand firm on our knees.”

Kneeling on the side of the road a few kms from the Russian frontline in Ukraine, we prayed for protection of the soldiers, peace for the nation, and favour for the gospel. At the exact moment we said, “Amen,” an artillery shell exploded down the road shaking us to the core.

 

Landscape

In 2025, landscape has less to do with geography and more to do with experience.

I was in Ukraine for 3½ weeks in December 2023 and again in April 2024. My wife and I will return to Ukraine for 6 weeks at the end of May. People ask if it’s safe. Of course it’s not safe, but it’s good. Missionaries have been going to risky places over the last century. Nothing new.

We’ll settle into an apartment in Eastern Ukraine as our base and get used to going to sleep listening to sirens. We will be present. Support. Listen. Pray. Love. Give. Summertime in Ukraine is when community Kids Camps ramp up. For a day or two, Ukrainian kids get to feel like kids again amid the devastation of an invasion. There will be face painting, games, prizes, snacks, laughter, Bible stories, and love.

The Bible verse used in this writing prompt is one I pray will be fulfilled in Ukraine. “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Psalm 18:19 Until God rescues Ukraine, Christian presence is essential.

 

Humanitarian Work

Since the latest Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the evangelical churches of Ukraine have delivered 80% of the humanitarian aid. It’s dangerous work. We have delivered fresh bread and non-perishables to civilians while the ground is shaking from nearby artillery fire. Many are seniors, living on the edge of destruction with no heat, or infrastructure support. At least we can return to places of relative safety.

 

The church is growing in Ukraine with salvations, baptisms, church plants, pastors and missionaries trained for ministry. Prior to the war, evangelicals were seen as a cult. Now they are seen as community champions. Don’t believe what western social media says about the government being anti-church or anti-Christian. The church is the hope of Ukraine.

Generosity and presence go a long way in wartime. It’s not an exaggeration to say that $10.00 Canadian has the effect of $100 in Ukraine, not because of the exchange rate, but because of the compassion rate. Food, clothing, medical supplies, prayer, Bibles, and genuine love make a difference. Ukrainians appreciate all that Canada and Canadian generosity is providing for them.

The landscape of Ukraine shapes my thoughts and prayer most every day.

 

I have been a part of Inscribe Writers for almost 10 years. This is my go to community for writing support.
Happy to have an online conversation with you if you are interested in how you can support God’s work in Ukraine. Bob.pb.jones@gmail.com or on my blogsite REVwords.com.

Thank you for reading. 

Perspective by Carol Harrison

 

Living in the past with its troubles and regrets doesn't allow us to be fully present in the here and now. However, I believe looking back at where I've been and how God has been working in my life, allows me to gain a new perspective. Writing this blog post has given me the opportunity to reflect back over the last two years during COVID. We all have stories to tell, thoughts to reflect on, and blessings found in the middle of the pandemic. Here is my look back and my perspective in my own life. 

As news about this COVID virus arriving in Canada played across the airways two years ago, I must admit to moments of fear. I listened to reports of how it attacked people’s breathing and the alarming numbers of those dying in other countries or needing ventilators to survive added huge concerns for me. With my asthma, even bronchitis or a very bad cold can make breathing extremely difficult. Lung infections also usually last longer than for those without asthma.

Stores ran out of basic things like toilet paper and other essentials for a period of time. Constant reports of numbers sick with the virus or dying from it and health order added to the frustration of the unknown. I didn’t want to live my life in fear. God never called me, as His child, to live that way. How would I find the balance between exercising caution and succumbing to life-altering fear?

I had to begin by giving my fear to God and trust He would see me through no matter what happened. I made sure to wash my hands and avoid hanging out with someone who was ill. I’d always been diligent about those things to avoid colds or bronchitis anyway. The fear subsided but some of my frustrations continued to grow. Listening to the news and not knowing how accurate any reports might be, hearing the polar opposite opinions of many, and observing a lack of compassion growing between those with differing opinions allowed the darkness of depression to attempt sneaking in and taking up permanent residence.

I quit listening to the news. I prayed for God to grant me wisdom and patience with the mandates, those whose thoughts differed from my own, and with life in general. The process of figuring life in the “new normal” meant taking those needs back to God on a regular basis. He impressed on me many verses about showing kindness to others and trying to live in peace with others.

As 2021 began I asked God for a word for the year. What he impressed on me was a phrase- compassionate connection. What might that look like in a world that where physical distancing and staying apart had become mandated and encouraged? I gathered with a few family members or friends in person when we were able but texts, emails, and phone calls became an important way to connect. I spent time writing and editing, finishing projects that had been on hold for too long, and realized this was also a way to connect with others – my readers. I prayed what I wrote could be an encouragement to them.

Fear and depression never took up residence again, although they tried to barge their way in too often. In the fall of 2021, my asthma flared up along with what I thought was a bout of bronchitis. I increased my inhalers, used my nebulizer, rested and drank plenty of water while I waited out the Thanksgiving long weekend to talk to my doctor. I coughed and wheezed but it had happened many times before. It turned out to be COVID and asthma but my doctor told me I had done what he would have prescribed and to continue it. Despite my precautions, the virus arrived in my home and my body but I survived.

Now a new year has begun with no end in sight of this virus and all that has gone with it. It has dominated conversations instead of the weather, polarized people’s opinions, and caused many to live in fear. Yet there have been positives for me too.

The enforced extra time at home allowed me to finish a number of projects and find others to begin. I quit taking things for granted like connecting with family and friends, attending church services that looked like they always had, and learned to trust God to take away fears in a new way. I missed the Sundays I stayed home and watched the service on-line but appreciated how far the reach could be. Several times I had the opportunity to be on a Zoom call with writers from all over the world. The technology had been there to do that, but I never thought about using it. It changed how I viewed the world and the ability to interact with and learn from others.

In all honesty, the past two years have been challenging in many ways and there are days I still struggle to see the positives and the beauty. It takes effort. Only with God’s help can I stop procrastinating, shutting myself away from connecting with others, and complaining of what I don’t have or can’t do instead of focusing on looking for the blessings.  

Galatians 6: 9,10 are good reminders for me. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do no give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

As the world around me continues to be full of trouble, sickness, wars, and differing opinions, I pray I will remember none of this comes as a surprise to God. He only asks me to continue to trust Him in all things, be obedient, and treat others with compassion.

 

Carol Harrison, B.Ed. from Saskatoon, SK Canada is an inspirational speaker, published

author, and storyteller. She has a passion for sharing stories from real-life experiences and God’s Word to help others find a glimmer of hope and a glimpse of joy. https://www.carolscorner.ca