Jon Eide, country director for Mission to the World’s work in Ukraine, is unable to live in Kyiv, Ukraine, his home city 25 years, because of the war. A lot of people in Ukraine have to live with the ongoing threat of missiles, drone attacks, and air raid sirens. Before the war, it was easy to get back and forth between the States and Ukraine. In fact, there was a direct flight. As it is now, Jon has to travel for over 48 hours using all forms of transportation to be able to get back to the place where he and his family lived. Follow along as Jon starts in Atlanta, Georgia, en route to Kyiv, Ukraine, to encourage the church and join the presbytery meeting of the Presbyterian Church in Ukraine.

The reason Jon travels two days to Ukraine during wartime is that our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ need encouragement and need to know they have partners who are with them. MTW has had a partnership with this denomination for 25 years, and it’s important for them to know that the war hasn’t changed that. “We are still working to build the church in Ukraine,” Jon says. “It’s a long journey for me to get here, but it’s important for me to be here as Mission to the World and as our connection to the West trying to encourage and love our Ukrainian brothers and sisters in Christ. This is my ministry, this is my city, and this is my church. And we’re looking forward to a day post-war when Ukraine will be rebuilt and we can be a part of that.”