Hope for Ukraine

Kyle Duncan

Description

A Harrowing, Intimate Look into the Most Devastating War in Eight DecadesPart narrative, part wartime dispatch, Hope for Ukraine transports you into the gritty reality of war-torn Ukraine--and the front lines of faith, survival, and miraculous intervention. From scrambling to escape the bombs leveling their neighborhoods to fleeing sex traffickers in the chaos of border crossings to rescuing orphans trapped by Russian tanks, these stunning firsthand accounts tell the stories of real Ukrainians enduring terrible hardships with grit and grace.Join bestselling writer Kyle Duncan and his co-author Esther Fedorkevich--both with deep family ties to Ukraine--as they take you inside the conflict with dramatic boots-on-the-ground stories and eyewitness accounts of Ukrainian refugees, aid workers, soldiers, and families affected by the conflict. As the world holds its collective breath, these stories reveal the unbreakable spirit of a nation under siege. Even amid the chaos and tragedy of Europe's largest war since World War II, God is indeed at work in redemptive ways. Authors' Proceeds to Support Ukraine's Refugees

Sujets

• Histoire
• Military history

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 06 septembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781493441051
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Endorsements
“Esther’s heart for Ukrainian people and her love of sharing inspirational stories blend perfectly in Hope for Ukraine , reminding us that even in the darkest times, there is light.”
Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author
“As the war in Ukraine continues, stories of heroism, bravery, and tragedy are emerging every day. In this book you will meet normal people whose lives have been turned upside down by events outside of their control. Yet in the midst of it all, God is still at work. In the midst of the pain, there is hope.”
Dr. Michael Brown, host, Line of Fire radio broadcast; author, Has God Failed You?
“A heartrending yet inspiring collection of stories from the front line of this great and tragic conflict. A fuel for prayer and political engagement.”
Pete Greig, 24-7 Prayer International
Half Title Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2022 by Kyle Duncan and Esther Fedorkevich
Published by Chosen Books
Minneapolis, Minnesota
www.chosenbooks.com
Chosen Books is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Ebook edition created 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-0-8007-6323-7 (trade paper)
ISBN 978-1-4934-4105-1 (ebook)
ISBN 978-0-8007-6344-2 (casebound)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Control Number: 2022028322
Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV© Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Cover design by Rob Williams, InsideOut Creative Arts, Inc.
Authors represented by The Fedd Agency, Inc.
Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and post-consumer waste whenever possible.
Dedication
To Cory “Jhenya” Duncan, who inspired all this —Kyle
To my Ukrainian grandparents —Esther
Contents
Cover
Endorsements 1
Half Title Page 3
Title Page 5
Copyright Page 6
Dedication 7
Foreword by John and Lisa Bevere 11
Acknowledgments 13
Historical Ukraine 15
1. True Stories of Hope for Ukraine 19
2. Dmitriy, Maryana, and Max 22
3. The Hunting Lodge 35
4. At the Gates of Mariupol 43
5. Walking Away from War 49
6. Exploited 62
7. Johnny and Ira 68
8. Esther’s Heritage 74
9. Maksym and Roksolana 82
10. The Vest 88
11. Gennadiy Mokhnenko 92
12. Jhenya 100
13. Colonel Korenevych 111
14. Tatiana, Bogdan, and Masha 118
15. Ukraine’s Deep Jewish Roots 122
16. Humanitarians 128
17. Vasya 133
18. What Would Christ Have Done? 138
19. Ukraine’s Indigenous Peoples 141
20. Should We Love Our Enemies? 145
21. A Spiritual Perspective on the War 152
22. Do, Go 156
Notes 159
Resources 165
About the Authors 171
Back Cover 174
Foreword
W e love the people of Ukraine and have both had the privilege of ministering in their nation. What stood out to us most was their unrelenting resilience, genuine kindness, and gracious generosity. I can still remember a very special lunch. Our family was hosted in the home of a Ukrainian mother and her three daughters. They were Christians who had immigrated to the United States. After lunch we sat in their living room as the daughters played Vivaldi with such passion and excellence that we wept.
What we experienced that day typifies the tenacious Ukrainian beauty. It is a nation that has endured the cruelty of both communism and war, yet its people cling to the belief that they are destined for more. Our hearts sank when we heard the news of the Russian invasion, and like so many, our team is praying for a swift resolution so that justice and peace would again reign in their land.
When we heard Kyle Duncan and Esther Fedorkevich had compiled a book to grant each of us a window into the lives of these extraordinary people, we were honored to add our voice to theirs. As you read, let’s believe in the hope that one day the destiny of Ukraine will far surpass the pain of her history.
John and Lisa Bevere, co-founders, Messenger International; bestselling authors and ministers
Acknowledgments
K yle would like to thank . . .
My wife, Suzanne—here’s to my best friend and partner, who has loved me in the worst of times and the best. My daughters, Hannah, Kylie, and Zoe, for helping me laugh in the midst of chaos. My son, Cory “Jhenya,” for showing me the face of bravery—your Ukrainian heart is huge.
My siblings Kimmy, Kirk, and Krissy, for your unconditional support. My sister Kerry—our sunset beach walks provided the fuel for my often-empty tank. My mom, Stella Frances Duncan—those childhood trips to the Glendale Public Library paid off, Mom. And my late dad, Robert, who modeled a love for both God and the arts.
The team at Baker Publishing Group and Chosen Books. Dwight Baker, thank you for immediately saying yes and for circumventing pub board (a miracle in itself). Kim Bangs, my editor and friend of three decades. You are a true sister, and your wisdom and compassion precede you. Deirdre Close, Rebecca Shriner, Dan Pitts, Trish Konieczny, and Natasha Sperling—for your excellent work behind the scenes.
Stasz Glinka-Wierzbicki, my interpreter and co-traveler. Your ability to speak four languages was the difference maker, and this book would not have been possible without you. Yuri Safonov, your help on the ground was indispensable. Johnny and Ira Semeniuk and Maryana Kravchenko, your introductions led to many of these stories.
Friends who’ve always been there—Keith Wall, Tim Peterson, Bill Schultz, Tim Weir, and Mike Greenberg. Benji Horning, who helped kick this whole thing off; Allen Jones, a true brother; Mike, Steve, and the rest of my Wednesday night mates. And fellow writer Rick Killian, who understands.
My co-author, Esther Fedorkevich. Thank you for your partnership, for your support, and for instantly seeing the vision.
A host of praying folks who have lifted us up, including Brent Weidemann, Brad Hirou, Pamela Nishimoto, Israel Hanna, Kay Hiramine, and Patrick Jarvis.
And Jesus, without whom I’d be utterly adrift.
Esther would like to thank . . .
My parents, Paul and Nina Chodniewcz, Ukrainian immigrants who came to the U.S. to raise their family. Thank you for raising us with Ukrainian traditions and values and for providing so many opportunities for your kids.
My husband, Jimmy, and my kids, Alexi Jane and Paul Gregory, for always being there to support me.
There are always so many people behind the scenes making books happen. I’d like to thank my team at The Fedd Agency: Danielle, Kyle, Brittney, Tyler, Alli, Deryn, Tori, Ashley, Ginny, and Katelyn. Thank you for loving books as much as I do.
A big thank-you to the Baker Books team for helping us turn this idea for a project into a beautiful book. For every book sold, I am donating 100 percent of my royalties to Ukrainian families whose lives were impacted during the war.
Historical Ukraine
I f you are unfamiliar with Ukraine’s long and eventful history but want to know more, we are including the following time lines. While by no means exhaustive, they cover the country’s key historical events from roughly 700 BC through the nineteenth century, and then from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present time.
In Brief: Ukraine’s Early History 700 BC–200 BC—Ruled by the Scythian kingdom; predating this period, thought to be the region responsible for the domestication of the horse 500 BC–AD 500—Roman, Greek, and Byzantine colonies established along the Black Sea 370—The Goths are succeeded by the Huns 400–500—Early Slavic and Antes peoples, including migrations from areas of present-day Ukraine into Balkans and creation of South Slavic nations 650—Bulgar nomadic kingdom 700—Khazar nomadic kingdom 882—Prince Oleg of Novgorod conquers Kyiv and makes it capital of the Rus’ 882–1240—Golden Age of Kyiv: Kyivan Rus’ kingdom included much of present-day Ukraine, Russia, Belarus 980–1015—Reign of Vladimir the Great and alignment with Byzantine Christianity 1240—Mongol invasion and decline of the Kyivan Rus’ 1199–1253—Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia, vassal of the Golden Horde 1253–1349—Kingdom of Ruthenia, vassal of the Golden Horde 1349–1648—Control by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1648—Conquest of Kyiv by Cossack Bohdan Khmelnytskyi 1648–1764—Cossack Hetmanate 1764–1781—Empress of Russia Catherine the Great integrates most of central Ukraine into the Russian Empire; it remains part of Russian Empire until 1917 1783—Russian annexation of Crimea from the Crimean Khanate and Tatars 1814–1895—Rise of Ukrainian nationalism influenced by Taras Shevchenko and Mykhailo Drahomanov
In Brief: Ukraine since the Twentieth Century 1900–1914—An increase in migration throughout Russia; a rise in Ukrainian nationalism 1914–1918—World War I sees nearly four million Ukrainians fight for the Imperial Russian Army and the Austro-Hungarian Army 1917–1920—Ukrainian People’s Republic, short-lived independence after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 (February and October revolutions) 1917–1921—Ukrainian-Soviet War (War of Independence); several conflicts to assert Ukrainian independence, albeit briefly retained 1922—Absorption into newly formed Soviet Union as the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic 1920s–1930s—Rise of nationalism and Ukrainization (rise of Ukrainian language and culture) 1930–1933—the Holodomor, Soviet famine of 1930–33, kills four million Ukrainians 1939–1945—World War II leads to the death of 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews by the Nazis 1954—Transfer of control of Crimea from USSR to Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic 1991—Fall of the USSR and establishment of an independent Ukraine 2004–2008—Orange Revolution and power struggle between pro-Western and pro-Russian parties Novemb