After a week in Donetsk, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv, one of our team’s most inspiring takeaways is the dedication, creativity, and resilience of our local partners. They work tirelessly to help children under constant attack from the Russian army.
Max is one such partner. I met him last week at the church he leads in Zaporizhzhia. He also started a drug rehabilitation center, and risks his life regularly to rescue people caught in the crossfire between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Max has faced more than most of us could ever imagine—he’s been shot at, wounded, and even had his van blown up by Russian artillery. Max keeps going despite drones constantly overhead and the ever-present threat of danger.
One heart-wrenching story he told me involved a young girl whose grandmother refused to evacuate their town, confident that Russia’s arrival wouldn’t disrupt their lives. Hiding in a root cellar as explosions rattled their village, the girl stopped talking and began wasting away. When Max finally found them, he asked her gently, “Are you afraid?” She replied, “Yes, I am afraid.” The grandmother refused evacuation support. Tragically, she died shortly after the attempted rescue—her heart simply couldn’t take the constant stress and fear.
Our partners are heroic, but sometimes their efforts, despite the best intentions, don’t succeed. Yet, they carry on with relentless determination.
Through their care of children in front-line communities, air raid sirens are transformed into a game, and dashes to bomb shelters become history lessons. Using theater, sports, music, and play, they help children regulate their emotions while missiles streak across the sky. They create safe spaces where children can heal, learn, and play, even in the darkest and most violent times.
All this in a war zone.
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."— Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)
It’s an honor to work alongside these exceptional individuals. The support provided by The Novi Community is life-saving and transformative, but without our local partners, it would be far less impactful or sustainable.
As C.S. Lewis once said, “The next best thing to being wise oneself is to live in a circle of those who are.” These brave men and women are our circle of wisdom, courage, and compassion on the ground.
Steve Gumaer
The Novi Community is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
