David McKay met others, some who lived in barns with their goats, some in refugee camps, some who were being treated by the medical team, some who, like him, worked with their hands, and some on the plane that took him to Ukraine and back.
“It was like I was detached from normal life. I had no distractions and felt closer to God and just did whatever came along, whatever God wanted me to do,” McKay said.
When asked what he had expected to see when he got to Ukraine, McKay stated that he expected to see more refugees and to be around more war action.
The refugees had been there and were in the process of going back home.
“All the refugee camps were in school buildings and daycares and places like that,” McKay said. “This year, the schools are opening back up, so the refugees must find other places to go. August 1st is their deadline. They must be out.”
McKay learned that the people he met are just like people everywhere.
“Understand that those people over there, whether Russian, Hungarian or Ukrainian, are normal people,” he said. “There was no animosity. I never felt threatened. I was not afraid when I was there. People don’t get in a hurry. They take time to visit. It’s a simpler life.”
McKay said he realized while in Ukraine that everybody needs a touch from someone, they need to know that there is a better way, a better life.
When asked if he would go back to Ukraine again, McKay, who returned to the United States on July 7, simply stated, “I’ve been blessed; I would go back in a minute.”
Ukraine Crisis Update- 7/8/2022- When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 of this year, Baptists on Mission began mobilizing immediately. Currently they are working in Poland, Moldova, Hungary and inside Ukraine with internally displaced people, particularly in the western part of Ukraine. They have had a long history of involvement in Eastern Europe, and this has opened doors for them to minister across the region right now during the Ukraine war crisis. https://baptistsonmission.org/ukraine-crisis)
Editor’s Note: This is the fifth of a five-part series on McKay’s mission trip to Ukraine.
Click here to read part three.
