What We’ll Actually Be Doing

Last post, I mentioned that one of the questions we had — and that others have asked — is what this kind of mission actually looks like day to day.

Because we’ve served two previous humanitarian missions, we had a general understanding of the work. What we didn’t fully understand at first was how this assignment would be different – especially that much of the work connected to Ukraine would happen remotely, since we won’t be able to travel there due to visa restrictions and our status as foreign missionaries. 

The simplest way to explain our role is that we’ll be supporting humanitarian projects that are already in motion, while also helping move new projects forward as they come through our humanitarian manager. We won’t be the ones seeking out or initiating many projects on our own, but we will help coordinate them, support them as they develop, and see them through to completion.

A big part of our role is helping organize and process requests so resources — like medical supplies, food, school items, and other basic needs — can move from where they are available to where they are needed.

We’ll be working with local organizations that already serve their communities. They know the people they’re helping and understand what is actually needed, and we help support that process from our side.

We’ll also be working closely with a humanitarian manager based in Ukraine. Even though we’ll be living in Moldova, some of the work we support will connect directly to needs there, mostly through communication, documentation, and coordination.

When we first arrive, we’ll spend about a week with the couple currently serving there. They’ll walk us through the projects they’ve been working on and help us understand how everything functions day to day. After that, we’ll take over those responsibilities and continue the work they’ve already been doing.

Most of what we do will be steady, behind-the-scenes work that help these efforts continue.

That’s our understanding of it right now.

I have a feeling that once we’re actually there, we’ll see it much more clearly — and probably explain it differently.

Why We're Going Back

Over the past little while, we started feeling something we didn’t expect — we felt like we should go serve again.

This will be our third foreign mission, and honestly, we thought that part of our life might be behind us. But the feeling kept coming back, and the more we paid attention to it, the more it felt like something we weren’t supposed to ignore.

The need right now feels very real and immediate, and that played a big role in our decision to apply again.

From our past missions, we’ve learned that this kind of service stretches you in ways that are not always easy — but it also changes you in the best ways. We’ve seen how even simple efforts can make a real difference for someone, whether that’s easing a burden, helping meet a need, or just letting someone know they’re not forgotten.

Those experiences stayed with us. And over time, it became clear to us that we weren’t finished yet.

We’ve now been assigned to serve for 18 months in the Ukraine/Moldova Mission in a humanitarian role. We feel grateful for the opportunity, but also very aware that this isn’t something we do on our own.

Each mission we’ve served has taught us something different — how to listen better, how to be more patient, and how to trust the Lord more fully. Looking back, we can see how those experiences have prepared us for this next step, even if we didn’t realize it at the time.

There’s a thought that has come to mind often:

“Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.”

We don’t feel like we have everything figured out, but we do feel willing — and that feels like the right place to start.

As we get ready to go, we 've also realized that a lot of people have the same question we did at first:

What does this kind of mission actually look like day to day?

That's something we're still learning ourselves - but I'll try to explain what we understand so far next time.