Calvary Chapel Lynchburg men reflect on their trip to Kyiv, Ukraine! 11/21/2022

Link to first video of this mission trip:
https://rumble.com/v1oboyn-calvary-chapel-lynchburg-sending-help-to-ukraine-10132022.html

LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Calvary Chapel Lynchburg sent a group to Kyiv back in October to serve those in need.

Upon their return, ABC13 obtained an exclusive interview with the five men to hear about their experiences in Ukraine.

They said that it began with a calling -- God telling them to serve -- and they were happy to answer: Derek Buchanan, Bryan Parlier, Alex Tasker, Jeremy Geiss, & Jeff Wade.

"God never gave me any reason to doubt that I was going on this trip," Buchanan explained. "My mother's saying, 'No, no, you're not going. No.' And I knew, in that moment, that I was going."

"Everything just kind of lined up, too perfectly for me to say no," Tasker said.

"Your life goes from, "What's best for Jeff Wade,' to, 'What does God want,'" Wade said. "'What is best for His kingdom?'"

They traveled countless hours on planes and trains from Lynchburg to Kyiv, having multiple stops along the way.

Within 10 minutes of their arrival, they got a taste of what goes on there every day.

"We realized there's an attack going on," Buchanan said. "We see a drone flying over, there's explosions, there's machine gun fire. Some people are running, and some people are just like, 'Eh, it's Monday.'"

"There were bullet holes in schools, there were playgrounds shot up," Parlier said. "There was a Minute Market that was just blown up."

"We're passing by these crews who are looking for mines," Geiss said. "So, literally clearing mine fields."

They said that a lot of people have left, but those that have stayed remain hopeful.

"Other than driving through the military checkpoints, you wouldn't -- you really wouldn't know, talking to people, that there was a war going on," Geiss said. "They're doing okay. They're very confident that the war is going to go their way."

"They still soldier on, trying to make the most of what they've got left," said Parlier.

The men helped build temporary housing for those still there, but to those they were helping, where they were building was a constant reminder of the war.

"They could still see their friends and families and neighbors being led out to that field and hear their screams as they were tortured and killed," Parlier said. "So, they begged that their windows would not be oriented that way. It just breaks your heart that they have to continually go through this."

The men said there's hope for these people through Christ and even with the language barrier, they said God filled in the gaps.

Parlier specifically mentioned a young boy named Misha, whose home was destroyed during the war and he had the chance to share the gospel with him.

"He didn't speak a word of English and we had no translator there," Parlier explained. "But somehow, I was able to speak with him about the love of Christ and provide him with an MP3 player. And we listened to it together."

"It was amazing to see their faces light up when you gave them this," Buchanan said.

"Their hugs and their tears -- just telling us 'Thank you,' for being there," said Tasker. "It seemed like some people -- just by showing up, they were kind of getting fired up."

The Ukrainian people were thankful for their prayers and their work, including one man named Nikolai who Wade was able to pray over.

"When we finished, he was crying," Wade said. "So, I believe that he may have given his life to Christ, right there in front of us."

At one point, Parlier was speaking to his wife over the phone on their trip.

He said he was doubting whether they were making a real difference -- if they were really helping people.

He said his wife's wise words of encouragement made him realize they were making an impact.

"She said, 'Look at the picture that you sent me,'" Parlier said. "'You can see all of your team there, and the only person who is actually smiling really big in that picture is Alexandre. And he's got this big joyous smile on his face. And you helped him.' So, it was worth the whole thing."