Ukraine (MNN) — Ukraine’s president warns that Russia’s latest push in Kharkiv may only be the “first wave” of a broader assault.
A surprise assault in the Kharkiv region on May 10 resulted in Russia’s largest territorial gains in a year and a half. Emboldened by Ukraine’s struggle to maintain manpower, Russia deepens its attack on strategic cities.
Three years after beginning to invade eastern Ukraine, Russia’s war of attrition seems to grind on with no end in sight. Keys for Kids’ Greg Yoder says donor fatigue isn’t the only challenge partners face in Ukraine.
(Photo courtesy of Keys for Kids)
The war has “become so political and polarized that many (American) people who were, at one point, wanting to help at all costs have now said, ‘No, we can’t afford to do this. This is not something that Americans should do. Let them fight their own wars,’” Yoder says.
Every day brings new concerns and people who need a listening ear. Yoder says, “Many [Ukrainians] are depressed, discouraged, they’re full of anxiety. They don’t know if they’ll ever get to their homes [or] if this war will ever end; will the Russians take over?”
Nonetheless, hope remains. Although countless Christians have fled their home communities in Ukraine, “Many people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ,” Yoder says.
“Many of these churches are almost even bigger now than before the war.”
Keys for Kids has been a beacon of light since the war began, sending 400,000 devotionals in 2022 and 2023. Today, the ministry is preparing another batch of children’s and teen devotionals for summer camps, back-to-school initiatives, and Christmas outreach.
Help Keys for Kids deliver hope to desperate youth and families here.
“We here at Keys for Kids Ministries have been coming alongside local pastors who are still in Ukraine and helping them because they don’t have the resources,” Yoder says.
“They’re asking again for 200,000 copies of Keys for Kids and Unlocked, our teen devotional, in Russian and Ukrainian languages.”
Header image depicts burnt Russian tank near Kyiv. (Photo, caption courtesy of Alex Fedorenko/Unsplash)
