When the bombs began to fall on Kyiv in the early morning of February 24, 2022, Alexander and Natalia Voitenko faced a decision no family should ever have to make. As youth leaders at their Baptist church in Fastiv, just 45 miles southwest of Ukraine’s capital, they felt torn between safety and service.
As Russian forces closed in on Kyiv, Alexander sent Natalia and their three boys—Ilya (8), Daniel (6), and little Karen (2)—to her mother’s village home while he remained in their nine-story apartment building. There, he opened his doors to internally displaced families fleeing eastern Ukraine toward Europe, providing shelter in the midst of chaos.
But when bombs began falling closer to Fastiv, the shaking walls of the village home rattled more than just the building—it shook Natalia’s confidence in their children’s safety. Having just sold their car, escape seemed impossible.
Divine Provision
Providence arrived in the form of a friend who had fled to Europe. He asked Alexander to retrieve his car from Kyiv and deliver it to a widow with six children desperate to escape the war zone. Despite the danger of entering Kyiv during active fighting, Alexander couldn’t refuse helping a family in need.
“When you see a widow with six children needing help, how can you say no?” Alexander would later reflect.
The friend then revealed he had another car in Vasylkiv that Alexander could use for his own family’s escape. The catch? Russian forces had already captured most of Vasylkiv. Once again, Alexander risked everything for his family’s future.
Escaping Through Artillery Fire
With a third family joining their small convoy, they faced the perilous Kyiv-Zhitomir highway—their only escape route, despite being within Russian artillery range. As they sped down the highway, abandoned and destroyed vehicles lined both sides—silent witnesses to those who hadn’t made it through.
By God’s grace, they passed the front lines and found temporary shelter at a church in Rivne before continuing to Berehove in the western Zakarpattia region.
Ministry in Displacement
Rather than succumbing to despair, Alexander and Natalia immediately began serving others. The Baptist Church in Berehove provided them shelter, and they launched a youth ministry from scratch, building relationships by meeting young people in the city park and organizing sports events.
After eight months, the family briefly relocated to Croatia, but the call to serve their homeland proved too powerful. After just forty days, they returned to a liberated Fastiv.
In the months that followed, they traveled from village to village holding day camps for children who had lived under Russian occupation, bringing joy and healing while their church helped rebuild damaged homes. During this time, Alexander remained concerned about the young people he had led to the Lord in Berehove who were struggling with their new faith in difficult family situations.
Hearing this call, the Voitenkos returned to Berehove where they spent the next two years discipling these young believers, while Alexander completed his seminary courses. Their commitment to these young people wasn’t casual—it was a dedicated, two-year ministry of presence and guidance.
A New Chapter in Velyki Lazy
Their ministry journey took another turn when Alexander connected with Pastor Viacheslav of New Hope Evangelical Church during the Baptist Union’s annual youth festival. Learning about the Transform Uzhhorod Alliance’s project to plant a church in Velyki Lazy—where an IDP community was being built—Alexander was invited to lead youth outreach there.
His impact was so profound that the local school invited him to hold monthly assemblies for teenagers. This led to opportunities at a youth sports club where he shared his powerful testimony of how Jesus saved him from drug addiction.
Now, Alexander, Natalia, and their children have joined the team at Velyki Lazy, where, as an IDP family themselves, they will live in one of the homes in the community they serve.
“We understand what it means to lose your home and start over,” says Alexander. “But we’ve learned that home isn’t just about walls and a roof—it’s about purpose and community.”
The Voitenko family’s journey from church youth leaders to refugees to community builders stands as a powerful testament to resilience, faith, and the transformative impact of service even in the darkest circumstances. As they settle into their new home in the Velyki Lazy IDP Community, they bring not just their belongings, but a wealth of experience, compassion, and a calling to serve others who walk the path they’ve traveled.