Leading By Example: Mr. Simonson’s Ukraine Experience

The purpose of the trip? To help and encourage young leaders of local Ukrainian churches as they step up to become leaders in the church, community, and their families. For seven days, they covered topics like the difference between unity and uniformity, being a peacemaker versus a peacekeeper, and mixed in some fun to give a  respite in the overwhelm that had become their life overnight.

​“Of course, the idea of going to Ukraine was nerve-wracking, but we prayed about it, sought wise counsel, and at the end felt at peace with it that God was calling them to go there,” said Mr. Simonson.

“This was my first time to fly across the ocean, so it was out of my comfort zone. While the specific location we were going to was considered safer than others, there was still concern over getting stopped by soldiers,” he explained.

During their time with Ukrainian church leaders, Mr. Simonson said he could feel how hungry they were for God, understanding Him, and knowing Him. “They had a big hunger to dive into the Word and converse about it,” he said. “It was also amazing to worship with them despite speaking different languages. That’s such a powerful moment. You don’t know what they’re saying, but you know they’re worshiping God.”

In Ukraine, being a Christian generally isn’t persecuted, as the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholicism are the primary religions. However, true Bible-believing and practicing Christians are few and far between. “Some people came from 12 hours away to be here for this leadership conference we were doing,” he said.   “We are so blessed in America, and we often forget it. Most people there had some connection to the war - brothers, fathers, uncles who fought or died in the war. Going on this trip helped me remember that there are people out in the world we know nothing about, yet they are facing such great loss and challenges.”