By Eddie Broussard
The advance of the Gospel through generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in the context of real life. For The Navigators in Eurasia, real life this year has brought a major war in Ukraine that upended all our strategies. As a result, God has launched the region into an unexpected journey (to quote one of my favorite books, The Lord of the Rings). I’d like to tell you the stories of two teams who have made drastic changes because of the war.
Exodus from Ukraine
Tyler and Kelly Sanderford have been serving in Kyiv for 16 years. In late January of 2022, the US Embassy and The Navigators asked them to leave Ukraine before any bombs were dropped. After their teammates flew back to the US, the Sanderford family drove over the Carpathian Mountains in a snowstorm in a rattling van without a working heater. They drove to Budapest, hoping the conflict would blow over in a few weeks. As war broke out, it made sense for them to stay there.
They began doing humanitarian work, driving Ukrainians back and forth to the border and delivering equipment like generators. A more reliable vehicle was needed. Through the response of generous donors, God provided over $50,000 almost overnight. They were able to purchase a new van, and they blessed many people with much-needed help.
As the war spread, the Sanderfords evaluated their gifting and the ways in which God had equipped them to serve. At this point, they had Ukrainian friends scattered across Europe, many of whom were alone and struggling to learn a new language and find work. The Sanderfords decided to spend two weeks per month visiting people. They sat with their friends, cried with them, asked questions, and listened to them process the trauma of their transitions. They were able to uniquely encourage people because of their own experiences as foreigners when they moved overseas. They spent time praying and organizing retreats for others.
As Kelly explains, “What we’re doing is helping me understand God’s heart. It’s very costly in terms of money and time, but God wants to lavish his love on these people. It’s not because he’s expecting them to do great works for him in the future or even because they’ll give him the glory. It’s just because he wants to. It’s showing me his abundant and extravagant love (like 1 John 3:1).”
They are currently praying about what their next round of visits should look like.
Team Russia
Meanwhile to the north, we had a team serving in Saint Petersburg composed of several families and singles (whom I will keep anonymous for security). Most of the team had just begun learning Russian and had arrived in the country over the preceding six months. Suddenly the war began, and it became clear they all needed to depart. As the team leader wrote, “We were being cut off from financial resources. Reliable exit routes from the country were disappearing hourly.” It was impossible to fly out, so the entire team drove across the border to Finland.
Soon the team met up in Colorado to process their traumatic departure with the World Missions care team. After seeking the Lord and envisioning their next steps, they decided to move to Poland to work among the large numbers of Ukrainian refugees there. They felt called to provide essential aid as well as Gospel-informed psychological, emotional, and spiritual care.
By late July, the whole team had made a remarkably fast relocation! The team leader wrote, “While our context has changed, our mission is the same: to know Jesus, make Him known, and help others do the same. We believe that Jesus himself is the source of the healing, hope, provision, and love that displaced people so desperately need.”
The team made plans to open a community center for Ukrainians in Poland. By late October, they had rented a space and established “Haven.” Haven has since hosted a growing community of displaced Ukrainians, who go there to practice English, play sports, participate in discussion groups, and read the Bible.
The Sovereignty of God
People who have just relocated to new countries are vulnerable and need to process their loss and trauma. At the same time, God puts other people in position to help. We know from Acts 8 that the Lord allows tragedies and world events to scatter people, and he moves the Gospel forward at the same time. In the same way, we can see his sovereign hand in the way he has led these Navigator teams through the past year.
Over a year ago as they entered 2022, neither of these teams had any idea of what they would be doing today. They have simply followed the Lord’s leading through the shifting tides of war. They are learning what it looks like to live out our Calling in new situations, as they continue walking forward on their unexpected journeys.
