“We want them to know that hope has a name—and it’s Jesus.” All over Ukraine, faithful pastors and their families remain in the hardship of war but “God is not done with them yet.” As many people are running away trying to escape the terror, SGA-supported Pastor Ruslan and his wife turned back and courageously faced possible death for the sake of the “hopeless” all around them.

Trusting in God’s protection and strength, they face their fears and steadfastly remain to share the good news of the Gospel in times of tragedy and heartbreak. Please pray for all in Ukraine, as the war continues on and lives are being impacted daily. People are still losing loved ones, homes, and normalcy in their lives. They long for the days when “normal” returns, but today they press on and rely on the peace and hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Read more from Ruslan’s miraculous story . . .

“Our mission is not over yet.” These were the words Pastor Ruslan spoke after a near-death experience reminded him and his wife that God still had work for them to do—that the message of the Gospel must go forth while there is still time.

It was April 22, 2025 in Odesa, Ukraine. It was after 10 p.m. when Pastor Ruslan and several others were finishing preparations for the upcoming grand opening of their church building. As they wrapped up for the night, the air raid siren pierced the silence, and the unmistakable buzz of Shahed drones filled the sky.

“It was so loud we thought it was reactive rockets,” Ruslan recalls. “Everyone outside was running, trying to find cover. We were sure the drones were going to explode right above us. Then—explosions.” One after another, the night was ripped open by the sounds of impact. Because the church building was close to their home, Ruslan rushed to his car and called his wife. A terrified, sobbing voice answered: “I think the drone hit our house,” she said. When he arrived, he barely recognized the building. Smoke, fire, panic, screams—it looked like a war zone. Rushing up the stairs, he forced his way through their damaged apartment door. Shattered glass, broken windows, debris, and dust filled the once cozy home. In the bedroom—where he and his wife would have normally been asleep—glass and shards covered the bed. The drone had exploded just beneath their bedroom window. Moments earlier, his wife had stepped out of that room. It was as if God Himself had drawn her away, just in time.

“We had no words,” Ruslan remembers. “But we were grateful. Deeply, truly grateful for God’s protection.”

That night changed everything. “We’re thankful to be alive, but every new attack feels harder now—especially for my wife,” he shares. “Still, this experience showed us that our mission isn’t finished. God spared us, and we must keep preaching the Gospel while there’s still time. People around us live with no hope. We want them to know that hope has a name—and it’s Jesus.” Despite the war and trauma, Ruslan and his wife are confident that they’re exactly where God wants them to be. They once had the opportunity to leave Ukraine and even made it to the border. But there, God clearly told them to turn around. “We were going the wrong way,” Ruslan says. “So, we came back and haven’t looked back since.”

Now, he leads a new church-planting movement through the Baptist Union of Ukraine—faithfully proclaiming Christ and equipping others to do the same. In Ukraine, the truth is painfully real: you never know how much time you have. That’s why Ruslan urges fellow believers not to delay the work of the Gospel. “Before Jesus gave the Great Commission, He said all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Him,” Ruslan says. “We don’t need to be afraid. Our Sovereign, All-powerful God is with us—and we can live in His strength, not our own.”