A Samaritan’s Purse trauma healing seminar in Ukraine equips a veteran to care for others.
Dmytro* knows war all too well. As a citizen of Ukraine, battles have come to his doorstep, bringing pain and difficulty. Over the years, he’s had to say goodbye to comrades, freedoms, and a sense of normalcy so often that loss seems to be the recurring theme in his life. Yet, now, thanks to training through Samaritan’s Purse and the Ukrainian Bible Society (UBS), he is using his experiences as a foundation to serve others.
A resident of the western city of Lviv, Dmytro signed a contract with the armed forces of Ukraine in 2017 to fight in the eastern part of his country. For the next three years, he daily defended Ukrainian territory from attack and, in the process, he lost many fellow soldiers whom he loved. Trauma proved to be an continual occurrence that altered the way he approached life.
Battling on Other Fronts
Coming home to Lviv at the end of his service, Dmytro faced many new challenges. He had to fight to adjust to civilian life and find his place in society. Yet even with these new types of battles, life seemed quiet and steady with his work, friends, and church.
“I was surprised to find out that each person needs a different amount of time to overcome grief. Some people are able to get over it in one month, while for others it takes years.”
When war became a national crisis for Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, his hometown of Lviv immediately became a center of humanitarian service. People arrived from across the globe to help civilians face the conflict with deliveries of food, clothing, and other essential items. Samaritan’s Purse personnel were among them, providing medical care through our Emergency Field Hospital.
In addition to all this desperately needed physical help, Dmytro knew his fellow citizens needed spiritual and emotional support as well. He committed to coming alongside and praying for people who were suffering through difficult circumstances. During this time, he heard countless stories of pain. Soon, Dmytro began to feel that his own knowledge and strength to help was no longer enough.
Equipping for Ministry
Around that same time, he saw an announcement in his church’s chat thread about a seminar on disaster and trauma healing from Samaritan’s Purse and UBS.
“I thought it definitely would be useful to me,” Dmytro said.
Dmytro attended the two-day event. He and the other participants discussed various topics related to trauma and practiced facilitating healing for others through active listening. They also learned the differences between the trauma experiences of an adult and a child.
“The training was filled with sincere and open conversations,” Dmytro said. “It was a warm atmosphere, and the information presented was relevant to the current situation in Ukraine.
“I was surprised to find out that each person needs a different amount of time to overcome grief. Some people are able to get over it in one month, while for others it takes years.”
During the seminar, participants learned how an adult and a child experience trauma differently.
Dmytro said the simplicity of the seminar was important to him. The facilitators discussed serious things, but “in a simple way, using simple language,” he said. The facilitators are men and women from churches and communities across Ukraine who have hearts to care for people walking through life’s most painful and debilitating moments. They have been involved in long-term ministry in their individual churches and communities and are passionate about helping their sisters and brothers across the country, like Dmytro. They are showing traumatized people how to walk with others through their journeys of grief and find healing in the person of God and the comfort of His words and His people.
Learning Personally Blesses Other Veterans
In addition to equipping Dmytro for outreach, these sessions helped him personally. “I have come to realize there is nothing wrong with me and my feelings,” he said. “What I am experiencing is normal. I just need to give myself a little more time.”
At the end of each session in the training, participants shared their plans concerning how and where they would put to use the training they received.
Dmytro plans to reach out to his friends who are former members of the armed forces of Ukraine, knowing that they continue to face significant challenges.
“It is still hard for me to go to hospitals and look hurting people in the eyes,” Dmytro said. “It is hard to listen to their stories, hard to realize that often I do not know at all how to help them. But after the Samaritan’s Purse seminar, I have learned that sometimes it is better to be in silence, just quietly being present with the person to let the person speak if they want. I understand that everyone has their own way of grieving and my job is to just be there for them.”
“I have learned that sometimes it is better to be in silence, just quietly being present with the person to let the person speak if they want.”
Dmytro and his church community were reminded throughout the trauma healing seminar that “mourn[ing] with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15, NIV) does not always involve words, that God provides great comfort through the presence of His Spirit-filled children in others’ lives.
”Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Please pray for Dmytro and other participants in Samaritan’s Purse trauma healing seminars to apply what they have learned to help their country recover from the horrors of war. Pray also for Samaritan’s Purse staff as we continue to come to the aid of the people of Ukraine in numerous ways.
*Name changed for security.
