Budapest, Hungary
George and Sharon Markey are American missionaries. Prior to the beginning of the full-scale war, they and their six sons were living in Kyiv, Ukraine where they were planting a church. They evacuated to Budapest, Hungary, where they are reaching out to Ukrainian refugees in that city, as well as working with the Budapest Bridge UA team to develop discipleship communities among Ukrainian refugees in five other Hungarian cities. You can read more about their experience here.
Olya Syniuk is a Ukrainian woman who was living in Kyiv, Ukraine, serving with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and ministering alongside George and Sharon Markey to plant a church in Kyiv, when the full-scale Russian invasion began. Due to the constant threat of rocket strikes and ground attack in Kyiv, she evacuated to Western Ukraine, where she partnered with Calvary Chapel for a short time to serve other people like herself who had fled west to escape the violence. Eventually she moved to Budapest, Hungary. Olya helps organize aid deliveries to Ukrainian refugees living all over Hungary, uses her musical gifts to encourage them, and is working to create discipleship communities among them. You can listen to her music here.
Tanya Blinova is a Ukrainian woman who was working as an interior designer and architect in Ukraine prior to the beginning of the full-scale war. Because of the Russian invasion, she evacuated to Hungary to take her brother's five children to safety. They were living near Kyiv and were in imminent danger from the heavy fighting around them. Tanya is also an economic refugee, because her mother, disabled brother, and 20-year-old nephew all rely on her for financial support, but she is unable to find any work in her field in Ukraine. She helps organize aid deliveries to Ukrainian refugees living all over Hungary and is working to create discipleship communities among them.
Svieta Ihnat is a Ukrainian woman from Mykolaiv, a city in southern Ukraine that was heavily contested in the early part of the full-scale war. With their city being constantly shelled, Svieta and her two daughters evacuated to Hungary. Her husband voluntarily enlisted in the Ukrainian army, where his bravery and that of many others helped liberate the city of Kherson, a major victory for Ukraine. Tragically, he survived all that only to be killed in a military-related auto accident. Svieta is helping to create discipleship communities among the Ukrainian refugee population in Hungary. You can read about her story here.
Yaroslav Kolakovskiy is a Ukrainian man from the city of Odesa who was vacationing in Europe with his wife when the full-scale invasion began. Seeing the plight of Ukrainians arriving at an aid distribution point in Hungary where none of the volunteers could communicate with them, they stayed to translate and do whatever else they could to help. Yaroslav manages Bridge UA's social media and is helping establish discipleship communities among Ukainians in Hungary.