Before the invasion, Nikolay Niuniaiev led a Youngstars group for teenagers aged 12 and up in Odesa. When the major attacks began, the teenagers left the country. Nikolay, too, fled to the west of Ukraine with his family – two children, his wife heavily pregnant. They lived in cramped quarters with other refugees in a house run by Operation Mobilisation. Later the family returned to Odesa.
Over time, new children started coming to the church. With them, Nikolay restarted the weekly meetings – this time with children from the age of eight.
“God does not only meet us in the Bible – but in everything we see, feel, touch and hear.”
Nikolay Niuniaiev, National Director Ukraine
What happens there is not Sunday school. The Bible lesson takes place outdoors, with all the senses: lighting a fire, cooking over it, building something, nurturing friendships. And learning reverence for creation – caring for the world as God has entrusted it to us.
At the beginning, Nikolay led alone. Then two former participants returned from abroad – they wanted to help as junior leaders. An older girl joined as well and has supported the girls' group ever since. Nikolay mentors the three of them closely; two of them are currently preparing for baptism.
God has also entrusted traumatised children to him. One girl fled an occupied area and has seen things no child should see. Another is living through her parents' difficult divorce. And an adopted boy, who grew up in terrible conditions, has been visibly changing for the better after two years in the club – the people around him notice it.
The biggest everyday challenge: the children's scattered attention, their mood swings between screens and hyperactivity. For a long time Nikolay did not understand it. Then he realised: it is stress. Air raid alarms and rocket attacks frighten the children – and his young helpers. His answer: even more outdoor adventure, until the children find their way back to normality.
Ukraine will not be the same again, Nikolay says. The country will have many traumatised children and teenagers. This is exactly where Youngstars ministry, with its hands-on approach, can help strengthen and heal children – and churches are already asking about it.
Because of the war, young leaders are missing; right now they cannot even take up all the requests. But Nikolay is convinced: with God's help, Youngstars ministry will keep spreading in Ukraine. Pray with us for the children in Odesa – and for new leaders.
