By Sharon T. Markey
August 2, 2024
“I’ll never have anything to do with any sort of Bible study!” She spoke defiantly, her chin jutting out, her eyes fierce. Seventy-two years old, Tetiana hadn’t gone soft with age. She was confident, outspoken, and clearly used to taking the lead. A product of Russian communism, she was also a staunch atheist. A refugee from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Tetiana arrived in Hungary on March 4, 2022, day nine of the war. Her city was so close to the Russian border that residents had little to no warning of incoming bombs.
Tetiana and five other women had been attending emotional health support groups led by Olya Syniuk and Tanya Blynova, two displaced Ukrainian women who were part of a team of missionaries reaching out to Ukrainian refugees all over the country of Hungary. By that point, Bridge UA, a Calvary Chapel ministry to war-affected Ukrainians, had been visiting refugees in Tetiana’s city for over a year. The refugees trusted the Bridge UA missionaries, because they themselves had all been displaced by the war in Ukraine. They were also the only people who came to visit the refugees and minister to their most pressing needs.
As the six-week course on emotional health was wrapping up, Olya invited the ladies to continue to meet for a Bible discussion group. All the ladies expressed pleasure at the idea, except for Tetiana. “That’s fine,” Olya assured her. “You don’t have to come.”