We're back with a special, three-part, mini-series of Ordinary Story about life in Ukraine in a time of war.

In March 2023, Kate and David Schmidgall traveled to Ukraine to meet Rudy and Vadim, the pastors of Family of Christ Church, a small congregation that has mobilized over the past year to evacuate vulnerable people from frontline areas, distribute humanitarian aid wherever it’s needed, and create home for thousands of internally displaced people. Every week for the past decade they have been visiting orphans, the elderly, and the sick. We spent many hours with these extraordinary people and we want to share those conversations with you.

In the first part of this final episode, we talk to Erick Grechka about his experiences volunteering as a driver, evacuating people from frontline areas delivering humanitarian aid to cities in the throes of active shelling. In the second half, we talk with Pastor Yuriy on the steps of the pentecostal church he serves about how God has been leading him and the congregation through the havoc and chaos of recent months.

If you’ve enjoyed this mini-series, there is also a full story on Family of Christ, titled "Ya Tam (I am there)", which includes some stunning photography by my husband, David.

If you want to put faces to these names and voices as well as the places we talk about, definitely check that out at bittersweetmonthly.com/ukraine.

If you are able to support the work of Rudy, Katya, Ira, Erik, and the entire Family of Christ team, you can give online at their website: familyofchristua.com

Credits:
This podcast was produced by Kate Schmidgall, alongside Robert Winship and in collaboration with the BitterSweet Monthly team. Special thanks to our family in Ukraine.