Julia’s strength for her children
Julia* is a 28-year-old mother of three. She knows firsthand the profound cost of war. Her husband, who she describes as a dedicated young man who willingly stepped into service for his country after receiving his draft notice, was killed on the front lines. Now, Julia must care for their children – two of whom live with disabilities – on her own.
For the past seven months, Julia has been attending mental health support group sessions and individual psychotherapy provided by our local partner. She describes the sessions as ‘a journey through the valley of shadow’ as she explains how they have helped her confront her grief and begin to reshape her life with renewed purpose.
From a place of profound loss, through this support, Julia has found threads of resilience and the courage to build an atmosphere of care and warmth for her children.
Elena’s story of loss and sharing comfort
A year ago, Elena*, 64, buried her only son. Yet another life lost to the relentless conflict.
Initially, she sought solace through personal therapy as she confronted the raw edges of loss. She then joined a grief support group, where she found not only comfort but inspiration.
Today, Elena is part of a training group where she’s learning the skills to provide the same support she found so helpful to others like herself – mothers and fathers also facing the fallout of a war that has robbed them of their children.
‘I want to be there for others,’ she explains, ‘including those returning from the front.’
Restoring the church leaders
Much of Tearfund’s work around the world is carried out by local churches. And this is true of our response in Ukraine too.
But, the leaders of these churches (and their families) are not immune to the travesties of violent conflict all around them. They too are facing loss, heartache and uncertainty.
As a salve to this, Tearfund created a programme called The Bridge of Hope, that provides a retreat for ministers and pastors from Ukraine to find rest and restoration in a safe, peaceful place, and renew their strength to continue serving their communities in Ukraine.
The programme included Bible studies and sessions with a psychologist to equip the church leaders with skills to take care of their spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health, and to build and develop their relationships and ministry.
There were also plenty of games and sports that helped them to relax.
This is what some of the pastors said:
-
‘I can’t express enough gratitude to the retreat team for organising this transformative experience for our ministry team. The sessions were insightful and went deep into the core issues we often face in ministry. Watching our ministers come back with a renewed fire in their eyes was a powerful thing to witness.’
-
‘This retreat was invaluable for us. It gave us time to rest as a family and provided profound spiritual renewal. Being able to talk openly about questions that had weighed on my heart was incredibly freeing. I was deeply moved by the reflections on scripture and the discussions we shared. Hearing the insights from others brought clarity and strength, and I left feeling refreshed.’
-
‘We came back with an incredible reserve of new strength. We gained deeper spiritual revelations, drew closer to our leadership team, let go of old hurts, and re-evaluated our ministry and spiritual lives. Our attitude toward people has changed, and the beautiful combination of nature and spiritual practices gave us renewed confidence, a sense of unity, and a deeper love for God.’
-
‘When I headed to the peacebuilding and restoration retreat, I thought it would just be another empty event which would waste my time. I constantly worry about my three children, my wife (who stays home alone with them and is terribly afraid of the missile strikes), my ministry, and my church. Over time, all of this has made me numb. You begin to feel detached, ruined, going through everything automatically – work, ministry, reading the Bible, even praying. Nothing awakens you or fills you anymore. I had started to feel that I might soon lose my mind.
‘But, during the retreat, something stirred inside me, like they touched a nerve. I started to understand that it’s my responsibility not to check out but to live fully even in the midst of airstrikes, war and death risk. I am incredibly grateful that we could be there as a family; that meant so much to me because, honestly, I couldn’t continue serving if it weren’t for the support of my wife and children.
‘I also discovered a new approach, bringing a freshness and a new perspective to my understanding of scripture and the process of reflecting together. Since the full-scale invasion, this is the first time I’ve felt like I could take something into my heart, rather than only giving. Honestly, I had nothing left to give – I was just going through the motions, doing my duty, work, work, work… Thank you for the support you provided.’
.jpg)
