A disaster relief team can develop a playbook for fires, tornadoes and hurricanes, but going into a war zone is a completely different ballgame.
Josh Holland, international director for the Rapid Response Team, says the ministry has sent chaplains into Ukraine to minister in the hospitals where people are being treated by sister organization Samaritan’s Purse.
“Those that feel called to go certainly are placing their trust in the Lord for protection,” Holland says. “There have been reports of – within several miles of the field hospital in Lviv – of rockets and that kind of things.”
As of Wednesday, Holland says 31 people have given their hearts to the Lord – 32 people if you count the man that one of the chaplains witnessed to on the plane ride over.
Ukraine has a reputation as the most Christian nation in Europe, and Holland says he can attest to that reputation after visiting churches there and spending time with their pastors. War-fleeing refugees, he says, are being housed in Sunday School classes and in fellowship halls.
“So the church is really stepping up and being the body of Christ,” he says. “Feeding people. Housing people. Taking care of people. Sharing the love of Jesus.”
