A few months ago, Boris Volkov and his family were living a peaceful, beautiful life in Kiev, Ukraine. Boris, Walk Thru the Bible’s Regional Director for Northern Eurasia, was working daily with pastors and ministry partners throughout the Ukraine to train people in God’s Word. Over the past year, he and his team had started teaching Refuge: Finding Home In a World of Change, Walk Thru the Bible’s study on the Book of Ruth. While he liked the material, he was trying to find a way to make it more relevant to the people of Ukraine and Eurasia.
He explains, “The red thread of this course was actually caring for refugees and displaced people. I was thinking to myself, ‘There were a number of refugees from the war, from the frontline area, back in 2014 in Ukraine, but it’s not that [prevalent] anymore. So let us find other aspects, for example, displacement in terms of searching for a job or moving for school.’” Essentially, life was normal. The concept of encountering a refugee, much less being a refugee, was not one many people would find relatable.
Then came February 24, 2022. The world watched as Russia invaded Ukraine, transforming Boris’s peaceful home into a warzone. Like millions of other Ukrainians, Boris and his family were forced to leave the country. Suddenly, Ruth and Naomi’s story became his own story—the story of a refugee.
On this episode of STEP INTO THE STORY, Boris shares the painful, harrowing, and ultimately grace-filled journey that he and his family have experienced since February. Though he had to leave his home, he has not left behind his God’s call on his life to ministry. God immediately began opening up doors for Boris to teach Refuge to displaced Ukrainians across Europe. In fact, he even had the opportunity to record this study as a video series that was broadcast on satellite TV and made available to people serving in Refugee camps. While Boris had initially been unsure how much this curriculum would resonate, he now sees that God ordained Refuge to reach his people during this exact time. Ukrainians are hearing a lot of messages right now, but he believes the story of Ruth might be the most needed.
As a refugee himself, Boris says, “I would prefer to hear something that warms up my soul, my broken spirit, revitalizes my faith. I don’t know where, and I don’t know how…but God wants me to find a home in this changing world.”
He has seen that other refugees are having the same experience. “I also testify that when I was teaching this course live in Refugee camps in Poland and Czechia and Romania, I saw people reflecting on this important curriculum not in the way theologians would, but in the way starving, thirsty souls absorb waters of hope.”
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