Bombs at Night, Baptisms in the Morning

Dave Eubank Recounts Mission to Ukraine 

FBR team with Ukrainian chaplains. 

This is the fourth year of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and there are daily and nightly bombings that kill, maim, and destroy. In the midst of the aerial attacks and ground assaults by the Russian military, the people of Ukraine have not given up. We have witnessed violence against civilian communities countered by the bravery of the Ukrainian soldiers. We passed numerous gas stations, homes, a school, and a grocery store that had been bombed, as the Russians are targeting every place with vital resources, including food and fuel. There is fear, anger, and sorrow, but underneath that is love for one another, the love for freedom that God gave us, and the resolve not to give up.

Baptism of Jasmine in Dnipro River, Kiev.

As we came into Kyiv, Russian attacks were ongoing all over the country. The very next morning, we were asked to do a baptism of a new believer. Jasmine is a volunteer reporter from Australia whom we met when she visited us in Thailand. She is in Ukraine to help tell the story of what was happening and was interviewing soldiers and medics. She said that she had met God after she visited us and wanted to follow Jesus and be baptized. What a wonderful and unexpected blessing.

Mozzie, an Australian volunteer we met at the baptism of Jasmine, who was killed a few weeks after we met him.

Two of her friends came with her. One, James, was an English soldier who had volunteered to help in Ukraine. The other was an Australian ex-soldier named Mozzie. We got to know them by the river and were impressed by their dedication, courage, and care for the people of Ukraine. We did not know that within a month, one of them, Mozzie, would be dead, killed by Russian drones while serving at the front as a medic. He died trying to save others. 

Team with Jasmine and Mozzie (arms crossed on left) after Jasmine's baptism. 

The odds are stacked against the Ukrainians. Their side is losing. Not everyone supports them; some even betray them. Their friends are wounded and killed. They are wounded and struggling. Sometimes people ask, Is it worth it? In response, I think of the words of George Orwell, who fought on the side of freedom in the Spanish Civil War: “It is never a waste to stand for human dignity."

That is what Mozzie and James and thousands of others are doing now. And that’s what we’re doing in Jesus' name. We were invited by Ukrainian friends and called by God to help. Part of this call is to pray as well, and to pray for the Russian military to change their hearts and leave; also, to pray for reconciliation. In the meantime, we are also called stand with the people under attack. The people of Ukraine need every kind of help: spiritual, material, physical, and relational. 

Karen inside of a school in Kramatorsk that was bombed by Russian forces. 

On this mission, after the baptism, we continued east to areas under attack to help as we could. There, we worked with Ukrainian chaplains whom we have known since the beginning of the invasion. Fortunately, every one of them is alive. At the same time, every one of them has had their vehicles destroyed by drones. All of them have had to leave their homes, which have now been occupied or destroyed by the Russian army. Still, they don't give up.

As one chaplain, Alex, told us: “Yes, I'm so afraid every time I go to help people. I pray to God. I've had to outrun many drones. I had many drones land near me. I had them destroy my vehicle. But so far, God has spared me. I had to move my family out. My wife did not want to leave, because that's our only home, but in the end, the Russians were closing in, and there were strikes all around us. So, with reluctance, after much prayer, I evacuated our family back further west, then I came back to keep helping.”

Worship in Sloviansk church. 

At one point during our movement through Ukraine, we stayed in a church near the frontline. The pastor, a selfless man named Yuri, told us that they had sheltered over 20,000 people who had fled attacks further to the east. He said, “Everyone came, had a place to sleep, and food to eat, and got to hear about the loving power of God through Jesus Christ. We prayed with every one of them. And this has been a great blessing. Somehow, with almost no money, we are able to take care of all these people. That is because of God, and because of Christians around the world helping. I'm more concerned about the people than the building. And we keep praying for the protection of those who are still left here."

We attended a church service with this pastor and his congregation, and what beautiful singing they had. Some songs were Ukrainian hymns, while others were Western hymns that we knew, but sung in the Ukrainian language. All uplifted our spirits and prepared us for more relief work. 

A Ukrainian gas station destroyed by Russian forces.

We then went along the eastern front, helping deliver humanitarian and medical supplies to civilians, soldiers, and police. In Kramatorsk, we saw that the schools that we had visited before, as well as a police station, had been bombed and destroyed by the Russian forces. People had fled or were in hiding, but still, the police moved around, providing life-saving help, being on guard for infiltrators, stopping saboteurs, and giving love everywhere they could. The police helped us find displaced families the last time we were here, and we organized relief alongside them, uniting local efforts with outside help. 

Civilian building damaged by Russian forces. 

One of the police officers, Sergei, is very close to us. His wife was killed right at the beginning of the invasion in 2022. The Russian military stopped her vehicle, pulled her out of the car, and shot her dead. She was a beautiful soul, inside and out, and even though he suffers a lot in his grief, Sergei continues to help his people. He gave me a bracelet to remember him and his people. I'm wearing it now, as I write this, and it reminds me to pray for him and the people of Ukraine. 

Life continues for Ukrainians, even as their neighborhoods are bombed. 

We moved by vehicle and on foot in the areas under direct attack. It’s usually safer to move on foot because Russian drones are hunting and attacking constantly, and vehicles are their main targets. On one short stretch of road, we counted 16 vehicles that had been blown up by different kinds of Russian drones. Even though there was netting over the roads to try to slow down or deflect drones, many of the drones came right through, wreaking havoc on civilian vehicles and military convoys alike. I remember going by the burned shell of one armored vehicle that had an anti-drone/anti-RPG cage that the drone had punched through, completely destroying the vehicle.

Rangers saw over a dozen vehicles destroyed by Russian forces.

We saw burned cars all over the road, evidence of consistent drone attacks, and the death toll continues to climb within Ukrainian communities. So, we would move on foot with our eyes and ears open for the sound of drones as we visited people and delivered what help we could. To be able to get down into the foxholes and bunkers with some of the soldiers and pray with them was a blessing. We had the opportunity to share our lives with theirs and listen to their stories of fear, betrayal, and loss, upcoming divorces, and loss of friends and family. All the things that all humans experience were there in the middle of the war, and we had the chance to discuss these things at length with the soldiers on the frontline. Most importantly, we could be together and call on Jesus to help us in all of our troubles.

Smoke from a Russian attack against a Ukrainian weapons depot, three kilometers from FBR team members. 

As we were leaving the front, we got in our vehicles and accelerated to make it more difficult for drones to catch us, yet even then we had a very close call. On the highway going back west, a route littered with blown-up vehicles, we almost became one of them. A Russian drone came down like a javelin right over us and through the netting. Somehow, it missed us, blowing up 10 yards in front of us. We only saw it as it came into view, and we had no time to evade.

A vehicle in flames after a Russian drone attack. 

It was not our skill that saved us. I believe it was God’s help and answers to prayers that kept us alive. We thanked God and then jumped out to salvage what pieces we could so we could learn more about this kind of weapon; then we heard another drone coming. We grabbed parts of the drone and were able to get back in the vehicle and escape before another drone hit. We raced to the nearest tree line and hid our vehicles. 

Pete with Serge, a drone interceptor, directly after the drone strike against our convoy. 

There, we met a young Ukrainian soldier, whose job was to warn people on the far side of incoming drones and to try to shoot them down with his machine gun. He was a brave and happy man, but all alone there, trying to help people. After praying with him, we continued west back towards Kyiv. 

Near Kyiv, we stopped at a WYAM base that hosted us. What a powerful center of God's love. During the initial Russian invasion, they were told to evacuate. They decided not to and remained as a haven for people who were fleeing. From there, we visited friends in Kyiv, including Samaritan's Purse, who are doing Jesus-centered work to help people.

Cathedral in Kyiv.

We then went further west for a one-week Good Life Club and Junior Ranger program with orphans and children who had to flee. These children suffered greatly during the war and continue to suffer and live in great fear because of Russian attacks that occur all over the country. While we were at this program, the town they're from was hit by multiple rockets and missiles.

Every day began with prayer, PT, devotions, and sports. We got to know the kids better, and they got to know that we loved them and that they could trust us. We worked closely with the Ukrainian staff, learning about each of their stories and past struggles in the conflict. By the end of the program, some were baptized, and there were many tears when we had to leave. We felt like we all had a new family with each other.

Baptism of a new Ukrainian believer during an FBR youth program. 

This was a wonderful way to end our mission in Ukraine. It started with a baptism and finished with baptisms. Bombs could not stop this. We are grateful to God and the people of Ukraine who helped us do this together. I am thankful to our team that has been responding to help since the invasion and made this mission possible, and to those who support us by prayer and finances to put good things in people's hands, in Jesus' name.

Maidan Square, Kyiv: each flag represents a Ukrainian killed.  

We will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine and help as we can, as long as God keeps leading us. And we pray for freedom and peace for Ukraine in Jesus' name. Please pray for the people of Ukraine and for all the people from around the world who seek to help them.

Thanks and God bless you, 

The Free Burma Rangers