47: Olena Volovyk and Reflecting on One Year of War in Ukraine

Olena Volovyk was born in Ternopil, Ukraine, and has lived there her whole life. She shares about growing up in Ukraine, how she came to know Jesus as her savior, five years of working with Josiah Venture and her passion for summer camps ministry, what life was like during the first few months of the war, and how because of the war she met her now fiance and is soon getting married.  When she was eight years old, she started attending a church kids’ club and Sunday school through the invitation of a Christian elementary school teacher. There, she met Olena and Eduard Kurat—Ukrainian national missionaries in Ternopil who serve with Josiah Venture and have played an important role in her spiritual life. Olena became acquainted with Josiah Venture through an English camp in 2009. The following year, she went to English camp again and accepted Christ there. She was invited to a youth group, which eventually became Philadelphia Church. There, she started to grow as a Christian and learned how to serve others. She remembers the huge impact and change it brought to her life. Her life turned into an exciting trip with God, which also led to being a Josiah Venture summer intern in Ukraine in 2015 and 2016. This was the time when God revealed His calling on her life, and the Camps ministry became one of her passions. Olena enjoys equipping churches throughout Ukraine to use camps as an instrument to make disciples of Jesus Christ. During the first few months of the war, she was involved in the organization of buses and the evacuation of refugees abroad. Her local church continues to be a hub for serving refugees and internally displaced people.  Olena & Evan are getting married Saturday, February 25, 2023. Here is the link to the YouTube livestream so you can watch if you would like to.  3pm in Ukraine (GMT+2) / 2pm in Central Europe (GMT+1) / 8am (ET - Eastern Time) Support Olena by giving! Learn more about Josiah Venture Website: www.josiahventure.com Social Media: @josiahventure Contact: [email protected] Josiah Venture Prayer Room Josiah Venture Prayer Room APP