Ukraine: Tavriski Christian Institute Trip August 24-September 3, 2025
Cam Traut and Caryl Weinberg will be traveling to Kyiv Ukraine on the evening of August 24. We will fly into Poland and then travel to Kyiv the next day. The purpose of the trip is to celebrate and dedicate the opening of the new library of Tavriski Christian Institute (TCI). Their original campus with the library located in Kherson were destroyed at the start of the war. But through the leadership of President of (TCI) Valentyn Syniy, and the support of many others including ScholarLeaders, the seminary has reopened in Kyiv and a new library established.
We will be posting our updates and prayer requests daily (if possible), throughout the trip. Join along with us each day!
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Day 1
We made it to Warsaw and are staying at a quirky but awesome little hotel, Moxy. We are pretty jet lagged but have stayed up all day, had a great little dinner - and are heading to our beds for hopefully a long night's sleep! Tomorrow we are free until about 5:30pm when we board "The Ukrainian Railways: train to Kyiv. We should get in around 11:00 am on Wednesday morning..
We are grateful for God's grace - in making our flights and getting our taxis without any issues. And we are healthy!! As we go into the next leg of our journey, may God open our eyes and ears and hearts to see, hear, and understand all that we experience, and all that God is doing - even in the midst of hardship and suffering.
Thank you for your prayers!!
We made it to Warsaw and are staying at a quirky but awesome little hotel, Moxy. We are pretty jet lagged but have stayed up all day, had a great little dinner - and are heading to our beds for hopefully a long night's sleep! Tomorrow we are free until about 5:30pm when we board "The Ukrainian Railways: train to Kyiv. We should get in around 11:00 am on Wednesday morning..
We are grateful for God's grace - in making our flights and getting our taxis without any issues. And we are healthy!! As we go into the next leg of our journey, may God open our eyes and ears and hearts to see, hear, and understand all that we experience, and all that God is doing - even in the midst of hardship and suffering.
Thank you for your prayers!!
Below are photos of:
- Valentyn Syniy, President of Tavriski Christian Institute, and Christopher Hays, Ex. Director of Scholar Leaders
- Valentyn with a brochure detailing the destruction of the previous library and plans for the new one.
- Caryl and Valentyn with the picture presented to him to replace the image in his office which was destroyed along with the library. Valentyn tells us he likes to have the image of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, always before him.
- A group photo of those at the luncheon for our Ukrainian partners and friends.
- Valentyn Syniy, President of Tavriski Christian Institute, and Christopher Hays, Ex. Director of Scholar Leaders
- Valentyn with a brochure detailing the destruction of the previous library and plans for the new one.
- Caryl and Valentyn with the picture presented to him to replace the image in his office which was destroyed along with the library. Valentyn tells us he likes to have the image of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, always before him.
- A group photo of those at the luncheon for our Ukrainian partners and friends.
Days 2-3
After a decent night's sleep on Monday we wandered in Warsaw and then met the staff in charge of Central Asia "L."
He is living in Poland because he was allowed to leave due to having four children. And his wife couldn't speak Ukrainian. We had a Polish lunch and then he got us on the train to Kyiv for a 17-hour adventure in small spaces and rough rides.
We arrived in Kyiv at 11 a.m. and went straight to TCI where we got a very warm welcome. They were so happy that we had come. Valentyn, the president of TCI took us on a tour including the new library where books are being catalogued as we speak!
It's a beautiful building that is being updated so that there are plenty of good spaces for learning, food, and fellowship! We got a taste of the homemade Ukrainian food for lunch and then had Dominoes pizza for dinner!
The afternoon was spent in a meeting with ScholarLeaders and TCI staff and friends discussing a strategic vision in the context of God protected us with our guide, the TCI staff, our 3rd train bunk mate all looking out for us. And God made a pathway through Valentyn and others to buy this building that they are planning to stay in. May God continue to give Valentyn and staff the vision to share the good news through word and deed... it's amazing!!
The afternoon was spent in a meeting with ScholarLeaders and TCI staff and friends discussing a strategic vision in the context of God protected us with our guide, the TCI staff, our 3rd train bunk mate all looking out for us. And God made a pathway through Valentyn and others to buy this building that they are planning to stay in. May God continue to give Valentyn and staff the vision to share the good news through word and deed... it's amazing!!
Day 4
We were so grateful for a sunny bright day today after a night of air raid sirens, drones buzzing close by, explosions over several hours, all while sitting in "safe" places at the Tavriski Christian Institute, (TCI). We spent time thanking God for his protection and asking for his mercy for those people caught in the destruction, using Psalm 91 as our guide. We now have a better idea of what Ukrainians here, experience all too frequently as part of their daily lives.
Today the day started with TCI's daily morning prayer for staff, including staff from outside Ukraine. And then during a meeting with Scholar Leaders and TCI staff, a number of strategies were fleshed out to help TCI accomplish its six strategic goals. We believe First Pres Evanston can play a role in TCI's goal of purchasing and establishing the campus they have in Kyiv.
Then this afternoon we became honorary librarians as we helped in the cataloguing process of getting the over 20,000 books onto the shelves in the new library!!
And then we took a nap since we didn't get a chance to sleep last night.
It is 10:30 now and so far, it is quiet... Thank you for praying us into that quiet and for more good days in those left to come.
Today the day started with TCI's daily morning prayer for staff, including staff from outside Ukraine. And then during a meeting with Scholar Leaders and TCI staff, a number of strategies were fleshed out to help TCI accomplish its six strategic goals. We believe First Pres Evanston can play a role in TCI's goal of purchasing and establishing the campus they have in Kyiv.
Then this afternoon we became honorary librarians as we helped in the cataloguing process of getting the over 20,000 books onto the shelves in the new library!!
And then we took a nap since we didn't get a chance to sleep last night.
It is 10:30 now and so far, it is quiet... Thank you for praying us into that quiet and for more good days in those left to come.
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Pictures: Caryl and Cam as honorary librarians; "our safe space" at TCI. (The windows are sandbagged with concrete.); The third one is of the missile and drone activity last night.
DAY 5
We are sorry to be so behind. We lost wifi where we were staying and the days were long. But here is the recap!!
Friday marked the start of the two-day ecumenical conference at TCI on "Theology of the Nation: Peacebuilding, Healing, and Social Unity". Lead by the leaders of TCi, Dialogue in Action, and Scholar Leaders, the conference brought together leaders of different Christian denominations and seminaries in Ukraine including those that are part of the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches. Highlights from day 1...
- Describing the conference theme, Valentin shared an analogy of Alice in Wonderland, and Alice's attempts to return to the garden by searching for the right key, right food, being the right size.....Ukrainians are very similar in that search - how do they return to the "garden" amidst a war? How do we hear God in the midst of this evil? Valentin reminds us when asked by the Cat, where she needs to go, Alice replied, "I don't care, I just want to go somewhere." Valentin challenged us that we need to go somewhere and choose where. He invited us to join him in that search.
- Taras Dyatlik (who visited our church earlier this year) talked about pacifism vs. the Doctrine of Just War and Defense. 80% Ukrainian Christians were taking the side of passive non-resistance. After the full-scale invasion, this dropped to 42%. Before the war, 1.5% Ukrainians were evangelical Christians. Now it's 3.5%.
- Taras remarked "Russia has a common understanding of a just war. We (Ukraine) see the need for a just peace."
- Comment: "In 2022, invasion, our view was sharpened. It wasn't just about protecting our country, it was about protecting our identity."
- Question to ponder: "Many Christians are saying, 'if we don't protect our country, who will? Non-violence isn't just abstaining, but rather, how do we live out pacifism?"
- "Unity is always there. We just need to see it. We need to align our glasses to see it, even with our own uniqueness's."
We shared dinner and the evening with Scholar Leaders, had a tour of Maidan Square, and learned about the "Revolution of Dignity" as well as the "100 Heavenly Heroes," of which one was Taras' nephew.
It was an amazing day of seeing God using people to envision the future, amidst pain, loss, and ongoing evil. Let's all join in prayer that our Ukrainian friends find the garden as Alice did.
DAYS 6
Day 6 was very full. Not only was it the opening of the library, but day two of the conference, and a visit to Bucha with a new friend!
Conference highlights were discussions of the questions:
- Does the church have the right to call for reconciliation if the enemy keeps killing?
- Where is the border between Christian humility and arrogance?
- How does the church unify society in the midst of differences between family and friends who have lost someone in the war, and those who have not?
- What price is the church willing to pay for peacemaking?
- How the church views believers in active military service impacts the way we receive them back in caskets. Are we burying heroes or sinners?
Valentyn is concerned we believe we have the right not to forgive. But Christ wants us to forgive. (Even Russia.) He also emphasized that reconciliation is not a quick process. There need be a radical repentence of the aggressor. And churches and Christians must repent also.
There were no simple answers, but this group wasn't looking for "easy". They are questioning and listening and are committed to working through all of this together.
Conference highlights were discussions of the questions:
- Does the church have the right to call for reconciliation if the enemy keeps killing?
- Where is the border between Christian humility and arrogance?
- How does the church unify society in the midst of differences between family and friends who have lost someone in the war, and those who have not?
- What price is the church willing to pay for peacemaking?
- How the church views believers in active military service impacts the way we receive them back in caskets. Are we burying heroes or sinners?
Valentyn is concerned we believe we have the right not to forgive. But Christ wants us to forgive. (Even Russia.) He also emphasized that reconciliation is not a quick process. There need be a radical repentence of the aggressor. And churches and Christians must repent also.
There were no simple answers, but this group wasn't looking for "easy". They are questioning and listening and are committed to working through all of this together.
Following the end of the conference was the dedication of the new library of TCI. Denomimational and seminary leaders congratulated TCI on this new endeavor, especially because the original library and campus had been completely distroyed. It was good to hear how other seminaries had supported TCI in reestablishing their campus and to see the genuine joy at seeing this new library open.
It was during this time of congratulations that Cam and Caryl presented both the quilt made by FPCE's "Quilters with a Mission", and books written and given by Professor KK Yeo.
It was during this time of congratulations that Cam and Caryl presented both the quilt made by FPCE's "Quilters with a Mission", and books written and given by Professor KK Yeo.
And if that wasn't enough for one day, we went about and hour outside of Kyiv to Bucha, where the rector of Ukrainian Institute of Arts and Science, Liudmyla Shtanko, lives and serves. Bucha was one of the first towns invaded on February 24, 2022 and is the site where over 460 civilians were massacred. It was to be the "easy" way for Russia to invade and conquer Kyiv. But Ukrainian forces stopped them there forcing them to retreat. It was amazing to see her leadership in creating a place that is not just a "refuge" today, but a place of learning and healing for the leaders of tomorrow. Liudmyla took us to see her Seventh Day Adventist church which her husband built and she actually painted! She was a delight and someone we hope to stay in touch with.
DAY 7
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lThis was our last day in Ukraine!! Valentyn and Luba invited us to attend the church, The Urbn Church he was preaching at (where the young staff of TCI all worship). Located in a Caribbean Dance Club, everyone entering was greeted with coffee, and/or tea. And new visitors were given a packet of coffee to take home. In his sermon, Valentyn spoke from Ephesians 1:9-10 speaking about the secret mystery we can only really know in Jesus. He gave examples of God revealing part of the mystery by being present with Adam in the garden of Eden, with Jacob, with Moses in the burning bush, the pillar of fire, and the arc. But when Jesus died and was resurrected the connection between God and humans became accessible to us all. He then encouraged us to share this message with friends and family who have experienced so much death and pain, and need good news.
When we exited the sanctuary, Cam discovered the leaders of Young Life Ukraine, her soulmates, who attend this church.They invited her to volunteer at their summer camp in Ukraine next summer. Somewhere quiet up in the Carpathian Mountains. Do you think she will say yes??
When we exited the sanctuary, Cam discovered the leaders of Young Life Ukraine, her soulmates, who attend this church.They invited her to volunteer at their summer camp in Ukraine next summer. Somewhere quiet up in the Carpathian Mountains. Do you think she will say yes??
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After church we went out to lunch with Valentyn and Luba, and Natalie (Sergey's wife, our excellent translator and new friend). At lunch we debriefed the conference and library dedication, talking about future possibilities.
We are on our way home!!
