By Ben Shelton
December 1, 2024
The phone buzzes, Ivy looks down with a looming feeling of anxiety. She looks a little distraught and says a quick prayer. She looks up from her phone and worries about her day more than before. In just one moment and one small ding of her phone, she knows that Ukraine has been hit with another missile strike.
The war in Ukraine has been going on since 2014 but spiked in 2022 due to Russia invading the country. It has affected the political climate of both countries and here in the United States. Ivy Scott, a student from High Point University is one of the people that has followed it the closest.
Scott, a religion major at HPU, spent her sophomore year looking for opportunities to leave the country as a global missions intern with no avail.
Until she heard from Josiah Adventure.
“The opportunity came up to go back to Ukraine… So, I was going to serve local churches and work with a youth discipleship-based ministry,” Scott said. “I chose Ukraine because I've been there 5 years ago in 2019 and I just love the culture there, I love the church there, I love the people there. I've been wanting to go back.”
Scott spent her entire summer in Ukraine doing missions-related ministry activities with students and serving the local communities. She spent most of her time in Lviv, Ukraine, and traveled to other towns such as Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia.
“There were a lot of super moving and super impactful moments this summer,” Scott said. “We were sitting at the top of this hill. This old babushka started walking up the hill. She started talking with us in Ukrainian and my friend was translating some stuff, and she was just asking what we were doing there, and she was so happy we were there. She can't believe it, an American is here.”
“She wanted to know God but just didn't and she didn't know how. We gave her the Bible and I was able with translation to point her to the place in John where it says I am the way the truth and the life no one will come to the Father except through me… it was for sure a special moment to get to share the gospel with someone and give someone their first Bible,” Scott said.
The Ukrainian culture is quite on edge because they see the damage done to their country, hear things about loved ones and experience the dangers of the war every day. Despite all this, they are very welcoming to outsiders, and it is a very safe place to go if you're not along the border.
“One experience that I had that I wasn't really expecting was the war going on. I had friends there; they sent me videos (near central Ukraine)... But I don't know what it was like,” Scott said. “[In] the West like it's easy to live just as a girl and an American girl.”
But that doesn't mean it's all easy in Lviv.
“One big thing is still your guy friends are at risk of being drafted,” Scott said. “In Ukraine, there is a draft for Ukrainian men to go join the war if you are healthy and over 25 you could get taken to serve in the Ukrainian military until either you were too hurt to serve or you were injured and passed away.”
Not only that but the Ukrainian government has drafted men illegally. Though Scott did not witness firsthand having one of her friends be illegally taken to join the military, it's a scary thought when she is serving with guys who fit the criteria.
“They will take people anywhere from 18 to 24. Your friends are drafted… so that's kind of a fear and something I will not forget,” Scott said.
Scott had a different mindset from many people about the war and her time in Ukraine due to her background and faith in God. Back on High Point’s campus, Scott leads her campus ministry while also serving locally at home and at college.
Scott has a lot of opportunities to pour into people here through the campus ministry and aiding overseas; her impact has not gone unseen in Ukraine.
“Having people come for the summer and serve like Ivy did is really inspiring, uplifting and just a huge blessing,” Ivy’s friend Vika Mamchur, a native Ukrainian, said. “[Ivy] brings a lot of freshness, new energy, joy and much-needed help and support during challenging times.”
Though her English may be a bit foreign, Mamchur’s insight of the war is not. Being a native citizen of Rivne, Ukraine, she might not have soldiers and gunshots in her backyard, but it is one of the most common topics of conversation since the invasion started in 2022 and there are a lot of worries surrounding the war.
“The war was something that was like always on people's minds because everyone knows somebody that is in the war or who has died,” Scott said. “People are on edge.”
“My personal top three strategies for handling the constant anxieties of living in Ukraine,” Mamchur said, “staying focused on the positives, keeping strong connections with loved ones and being helpful to my community. I also find that taking breaks from the news helps manage stress.”
Keeping those strong connections has been a focal point for Scott and Mamchur. “We have a video call every other Wednesday,” Mamchur said. “We also use a messaging app and knowing Ivy will return helps keep our bond strong.”
Scott and Mamchur get to mix their culture and languages to serve alongside each other in a place that desperately needs it due to the condition Ukraine is in at the moment. A great friendship has blossomed between the two of them and it has lasted ever since Scott went for the first time in 2019.
Though it may be dangerous and very unique for Scott to have gone over to Ukraine this won't be her last time, not even close.
“Now I'm back in America and I'm taking online Ukrainian lessons with a one-on-one teacher so that when I go back to Ukraine, I can continue to learn so that I can speak with my friends,” Scott said. “I feel like there's something special about showing them that you care about them and their country… especially in a country that's being attacked by another country.”
“She played a huge role in shifting my focus from the daily routine to living fully and staying optimistic,” Mamchur said. “We had so many great adventures together and her enthusiasm for trying new things made every moment exciting. Her support made it easier to enjoy life and stay positive.”
Scott continues to pray and support Ukraine from afar. For now, Scott is continuing her junior year but is planning on returning to Ukraine over Christmas break to continue to build relationships and share her love for a foreign country and those who live in it.