‘War Is Absolute Evil’: Ukrainian Chaplains’ Story

Vitaliy and Maria Tkachuk and their children had to flee their home in Ukraine with little more than the clothes on their backs. They’ve seen their city destroyed by missile attacks. They brace themselves when the air raid sirens blast.

But this husband and wife have also led many people to faith in Jesus Christ in their war-torn country.

Vitaliy and Maria are serving as chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team. On this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories., they talk from their home in Ukraine about the work God is doing through them and around them.

You can connect with us through email at gps@billygraham.org or on Billy Graham Radio on Facebook.

Transcript

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Maria Tkachuk:
00:00:01 Every day something happens and we hear explosions and you never know if you’ll have another day or not.

Phil Fleischman: Maria Tkachuk lives in Ukraine. When the war broke out there, she and her family were told they had one hour to leave, then their city would be occupied by Russian forces.  

Maria:
00:00:19 I went to the wardrobe, I went to the kitchen, went to the bathroom, and I remember the feeling that I didn’t know what to take with us because everything seemed so surreal. So we had just like two T-shirts, two pairs of jeans each, and left without anything, just documents, kids, that’s all.

Phil: That was two years ago. Since then, Maria and her husband Vitaliy have become chaplain coordinators for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team—and they have led many of their fellow Ukrainians to faith in Jesus Christ. 

Vitaliy and Maria spoke to us from their home in Ukraine and you’re going to hear their story on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories., it’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I’m Phil Fleischman, sitting in for Jim Kirkland.

You’re going to hear the Tkachuks talk about having peace even as their country was at war. That kind of peace, says Billy Graham, comes from only one place. 

Billy Graham:
00:01:17 Let the bombs fall. Let the wars come. Let the world tear apart. Let death come to the family. All these things will cause tears, yes, but in the midst of it is peace because you have peace with God.
Phil: You’ll hear Billy Graham talk more about having peace with God a little later in this episode. You can learn more about it anytime at our website, FindPeaceWithGod.net. That’s FindPeaceWithGod.net. If you’d rather talk with someone, you can call the 24/7 Billy Graham prayer line. The number is 855-255-7729. That’s 855-255—and the word, -PRAY.

If you haven’t already subscribed to GPS, may I suggest that you do that right now? That way you’ll never miss an episode. You can subscribe to GPS: God. People. Stories. wherever you listen to podcasts.
 
Intro: GPS: God. People. Stories.

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Phil: A quick note before we get started here: Because of Vitaliy Tkachuk’s heavy accent, we’re using another male voice over Vitaliy’s to help you better understand what he’s saying.

Vitaliy and Maria grew up in Christian homes less than 20 miles apart. Vitaliy is from Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv, and Maria is from Irpin—the city they have since returned to.

Maria:
00:02:46 I had four more siblings and we always have been in church. And I feel a huge blessing because like my family showed me that this is the most important—to serve God, serve other people. 

Vitaliy Tkachuk:
00:02:59 At an early age, I saw how my parents loved God and tried to serve God. And I remember when Billy Graham came to Ukraine in Kyiv. My father was involved as a volunteer.

Phil: Before they ever knew one another, Vitaliy and Maria both made the decision that they wanted what each of their parents had—a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Maria:
00:03:21 For me, it happened in the Christian camp when I was 10, but I was baptized later, when I was 18. So I was very serious about this decision, and I wanted to be 100% sure this is what I believe in. 

Vitaliy:
00:03:37 Most of the time as a teenager, I was at school or on the street where there were no believers. But thank God, He led me and kept me from getting into alcohol or drugs. Many of my friends were far from God and did bad things, but I didn’t want to be like them. I realized I needed Jesus. I repented at 15, and two years later, I was baptized.

Phil: Maria and Vitaliy met while working as team leaders at a Christian camp—the same camp, actually, where Maria had given her life to God. The couple married in 2005, when they were both 20 years old. They have two daughters, Mya and Emma, both of whom were born before the war with Russia. That war started on [Feb. 24, 2022]. Maria remembers it well.

Maria:
00:04:26 So when at first we heard explosions, we thought, “OK, it’s going to be something like COVID.” So we are going to stay home, pack our fridge, and in three days it’ll be over¬—but when you actually start realizing that people are dying at the other end of your city, and the pastor called us and said, “OK, you have one hour if you want to leave.”

Phil: So, just two days after the war started, the family rushed to pack a few items and leave Irpin before Russian soldiers occupied their city.  

Maria:
00:04:58 I went to the wardrobe, I went to the kitchen, went to the bathroom, and I remember the feeling that I didn’t know what to take with us because everything seemed so surreal. So we had just like two T-shirts, two pairs of jeans each, and left without anything, just documents, kids, that’s all.

Phil: They also found themselves with almost no cash.

Maria:
00:05:21 Before war, we had just $100 with us because we didn’t believe it is going to happen. Several of my friends called me and said, Have some cash with you because the war’s coming, and we didn’t believe that.

Phil: Still, God provided. A friend allowed them to stay in their abandoned home in a rural part of western Ukraine—the opposite side of the country from the onset of war. From there, Maria was actually able to continue her work as an online Christian schoolteacher—and Vitaliy was making trips back to Irpin to evacuate people to the borders. 

Maria:
00:05:55 He did several trips like this. He evacuated unbelievers, people that didn’t go to our church, but on the way, several families repented just because they were very open and he was ready to tell them about Jesus.

Phil: But Vitaliy’s ministry came to a sudden halt when another volunteer from their church was killed while evacuating a family. He was only 26. After that, Vitaliy and Maria had a serious conversation. 



Maria:
00:06:22 I said, I really need you here, but I have a strong feeling, and I know it’s from God, that you have to be in a different place. And I said, Go to Lviv because I heard Samaritan’s Purse is opening the field hospital there, and they may need some help.

Phil: Samaritan’s Purse is a sister ministry to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Vitaliy and Maria hated the idea of being apart, but they believed that God was calling Vitaliy to go serve others who were in need.

Vitaliy:
00:06:51 I was the first volunteer at the Emergency Field Hospital for a couple of weeks. I shared the Gospel in the bus station and train station and offered any kind of help that Samaritan’s Purse needed. I saw thousands of people who lost everything. I felt like I needed to do more than just simple work. After ministering at the train station one day, I prayed, “God, what do You want me to do? How can I help these people?”

Phil: God quickly answered Vitaliy’s prayer. Just 10 minutes after he prayed, a chaplain from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team approached him. He told Vitaliy that he’d like him to be a national chaplain with the Rapid Response Team. Vitaliy agreed and he went through the training. Then, just as God was quick to answer Vitaly’s prayer, He was also quick to use Vitaliy. 

Vitaliy:
00:07:43 Just five minutes after I had finished my training, a doctor asked, “Who is a chaplain? We need a chaplain fast!” The doctor took me to a man lying on a stretcher. 

Phil: The man started to cry and he told Vitaliy, “I feel like I’m dying.” He had watched a missile destroy the house where his family and friends had been hiding. 

Vitaliy:
00:08:05 I understood this man was not just facing physical trauma, but deep emotional and spiritual trauma. I didn’t know how I could help the situation because I couldn’t bring his family back. There was nothing I could say to make everything better. I prayed, “God, give me wisdom, not to hurt him, just to help him.” After sharing a couple of Bible verses and telling him about Jesus Christ, I asked, “Can I pray for you?” 

Phil: Yes was the man’s answer. He wanted Vitaliy to pray with him. After the prayer, when Vitaliy got up to leave, he felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit. His job wasn’t done yet. 

Vitaliy:
00:08:45 Because the man had said something about suicide, I realized he may not have a tomorrow. So, I shared more about Jesus, and used the four “Steps to Peace With God” booklet. I told him only Christ can give him peace, healing, and hope. Then, I asked, “Do you want to accept Christ?” He said, “Yes.” 

Phil: So, the men prayed together again and Vitaliy noticed a visible difference in the man. He told Vitaliy that Christ had shared his pain and taken it away. It was at that moment when Vitaliy really understood what it means to be a Billy Graham chaplain—and how he could help people. Since then, Vitaliy has shared the Gospel continuously. Like other men in Ukraine between the ages of 18 and 60, Vitaliy isn’t allowed to leave the country—but he still needed to find a safe place for his wife and daughters to live. 

Vitaliy:
00:09:37 Three or four months after the war started, I came back to Irpin. I told my family it was better not to come back because our house needed repairs. It was really hard to stay at home and come back to normal life because not many people were here, and the city was destroyed. 

Phil: The Tkachuk’s home was not destroyed. In fact, it only had minor damage. While Vitaliy repaired their house, Maria and the girls temporarily moved to the United Kingdom to live with some Christian friends there. That was in May of 2022. When the time came for Maria and her daughters to move home, she hesitated.  

Maria:
00:10:14 As a mom, I had the times of doubt, like maybe I should stay somewhere abroad. Maybe I should stay in a safe place with my kids not going back, but then I had a strong desire to be useful and for God to use me and use us as a family, and I think this is what He’s doing now.

Phil: So Maria and the girls came back to Ukraine in January of 2023. Since then, Maria’s been supporting her husband as a Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplain coordinator. She’s also been sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with other women. 

Maria:
00:10:50 I work mostly here locally for the women that lost their husbands during the war. This number is just huge now, and we know it will increase more. So these stories are calm, they are not very, you know, that strike you, and their relationship with Christ is not what happens in one day. But, I can definitely see how God works there when I see them coming for the meetings, first time hating everyone, and, don’t understanding why something like this happening to them, and just seeing how other people care for them, how we are open and telling them about Christ, and that He loves them. They start to accept Him, and my heart just rejoices in this.

Phil: Through her work, Maria has heard many miraculous stories of God’s protection. 

Maria:
00:11:43 One woman was invited to have a dinner with her friend, and she didn’t want to go, but then she decided to go, and while she was out at her friend’s house, her house was hit by a rocket. So by a miracle, she survived, and she decided it was God’s hand in it, and she repented. 
Phil: Vitaliy has continued his work as a chaplain, deploying to places that have been rocked by missiles and explosion. He and Maria believe the risks are worth it because the Gospel is worth sharing. And even though the Tkachuks don’t live close to the front lines, the war is always present. 

Maria:
00:12:20 What terrifies me the most is the siren. The sound of it is just awful, and you never get used to it. And every single time they run it, it’s just you know, you feel scared. Even if I say we feel safe here, it’s not completely safe because every day something happens and we hear explosions and you never know if you’ll have another day or not.

Phil: Recently, Maria heard that 10 people were killed in an explosion, but the news didn’t scare her like it used to. She says she’s no longer shocked when people die in her country. 

Maria:
00:12:57 We live in a constant tension. I think every single Ukrainian has experienced losing someone they know, as a military or as a civilian. This is our reality, what we live in, and we just hope that people trust God, that people go to Him with this.

Phil: That hope is what keeps the Tkachuks—and many other Christians in Ukraine—sharing the peace that is found only in Jesus.

Maria:
00:13:26 God didn’t promise us good, easy life, and I think, as Christians, we understand this and we just faced it because before war, we had very comfortable life as Christians. We would go to the church, we would have home groups, we would enjoy fellowships, but we had very, very comfortable life. Now, it is not comfortable at all, but I think it’s good for the church life because churches became active. They became full. They provide a lot of services, starting helping with food, with shelter, giving support to those young ladies that became widows to wounded soldiers. 

Phil: In the darkest of times, the Tkachuks have seen God working mightily in Ukraine. 

Maria:
00:14:12 War is absolute evil, but what we see is that God, in some strange way, uses the consequences of it for people to be more open and find their way to salvation, you know? I’ve been witnessing many people going to church through my life with me together to the same church, and they would never change their lives so fast as happens now. Because of this suffering and because of uncertainty of tomorrow, they are very open to accept Lord, and they are very open to hear anything you have to say to them.

MUSIC TRANSITION

Phil: Maria and Vitaliy Tkachuk spoke to us from their home in the war-torn country of Ukraine. Their experience has reminded them in the most profound way that life is unpredictable and that none of us know when we may die. But Vitaliy and Maria have discovered an unshakeable peace because of their relationships with Jesus Christ. You can begin a relationship with Jesus right now. We can tell you how at FindPeaceWithGod.net. That’s FindPeaceWithGod.net.  If you’d rather talk with someone about becoming a follower of Christ, call the 24-hour Billy Graham prayer line. The number is 855-255-PRAY. That’s 855-255-PRAY.

Now, would you like to know how can you be praying for the people of Ukraine? Maria is going to tell you right after a quick word from Billy Graham. 

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Voice-over: You’re listening to GPS: God. People. Stories. A podcast production of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. 

Billy Graham:
00:16:04 Let the bombs fall. Let the wars come. Let the world tear apart. Let death come to the family. All these things will cause tears, yes, but in the midst of it is peace because you have peace with God.

Voice-over: Billy Graham …

Billy Graham:
00:16:21 Peace with God, that’s why Christ died. That’s why He rose again. That’s what the cross is all about. Christ did His part on the cross in dying for you. Now you must receive Him. You see, God is willing to offer you a pardon. He’ll pardon you and forgive you, but more than that, He will change you here and now and you can have Heaven on Earth, joy and peace and security in the midst of a world that’s crumbling. In fact, that’s what peace means. Peace means tranquility no matter what the circumstances. God loves our world. He loves you so much that He gave His Son to die on the cross to bring peace.

Phil: If you would like to experience the peace of Christ—a peace that stays with you even in the midst of a war—visit us online. The address: FindPeaceWithGod.net. That’s FindPeaceWithGod.net. Or, you can call our 24-hour prayer line. The number for that is 855-255-PRAY. 855-255-7729, or if it’s spelled out: 855-255-PRAY.

Our guests on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. are Vitaliy and Maria Tkachuk. They’re serving as Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplain coordinators in war-torn Ukraine. We asked them how we can all be praying for them and for other Ukrainians. 



Maria:
00:17:58 I would say for those Christians to not lose faith in these circumstances, but to grow in Christ themselves; for the military that are standing there and defending us, so that we can go to work every day; for all those who lost their family member to find support in Christ; and for us to be able to go and witness more and more people, to use this opportunity.

Phil: We are so grateful for Maria and Vitaliy Tkachuk’s faithfulness and ministry in Ukraine. We also want to thank them for sharing with us some of the stories of how God is working there. Please do remember to keep them and all of Ukraine in your prayers. And actually, one more reminder: Please make sure you’re subscribed to GPS, so you don’t miss our next episode, which is coming out in just two weeks. 

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I’m Phil Fleischman, sitting in for Jim Kirkland, and this is GPS: God. People. Stories., it’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association—Always Good News.

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