Independence is responsibility, hard work, dedication, faith, and friends.
Pavlo Somin is the pastor of a church in Dnipro, Ukraine, and he oversees 18 church plants. He is married with two teenage sons. I’ve worked with him and spoken in his church when I was in Ukraine. His smile lights up any room he enters, and he loves to laugh.
He is as adept at leading a worship time with his guitar as he is in strategic planning.
On September 5th Pavlo and I had a video call, assisted by my translator, Tanya. We talked about ministry, strategic planning, and life. As we concluded, I asked him what he would say to Canadians about his greatest challenge or need. 
Need
He paused and said, “Everywhere I look I see need, so I don’t know where to start. But I will say this. On August 24th, we celebrated Ukraine’s Independence Day. I was 14-years old when our country gained her independence. I remember how we all dreamed of a better life, freedom, security.
After 34 years, we now understand that independence is responsibility, hard work, dedication, faith, and friends (without whom it is impossible to stand during trials).
Today, I want to thank our friends from Canada. Stephen and Patti Hertzog, Bob and Jocelyn Jones, Terry Burns, David Hensman, Patti Miller, Joe Amaral, Peter Ruel, Carolyn Garton, and so many others, who support us today.
I especially want to thank our friends Ed and Nataliya Dickson for the incredible work that they are doing in Ukraine, and for the fact that you are uniting our countries with your efforts.
I want to thank all our brothers and sisters in Canada. Maybe I will never see the flags of Ukraine fluttering near your homes (as a sign of support) but I know they are there. We feel your support in our hearts.
Natasha Somin giving Jocelyn roses from her garden.
We are indeed together. We are more than partners.”
Daily Challenges
Russian drone attacks on Ukraine on September 7, 2025
Our translator, Tanya, messaged me early on Sunday from Krivivy Rih, ““night was a bit loud .. it was the first time we moved to sleep in the corridor with the mattress (so as not to be by windows during drone attacks). It was all over Ukraine, in Dnipro – too. Many drones. Many people in churches today mentioned that they slept just few hours .. but praise the Lord we can still gather and … people come. They and we all need Hope.”
Pastor Pavlo faces challenges travelling to support the churches in his region. There is increased effort to conscript pastors into the military and travel comes with new risks. Some of the pastors we work with have been taken and sent to the front lines.
This is their world. It’s our world as well. We hope it’s your world and you will continue to pray and support the work in Ukraine.
Jocelyn had someone respond to her recently about Ukraine, “Not my country. Not my people. And, not my problem.”
What do you think? Please take a moment and join the conversation and post a comment below. And pray for Pavlo and Natasha. Thank you.
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Good Morning Pastor Bob….that last sentence in your blog had me in tears. “Not my country, not my people, not my problem.” It is words like that …that shake me to my core. We are all immigrants, unless you are Aboriginal (The First People). Everyone came to Canada for a better life & the promises of what they dreamt about. My parents were those folks…ravaged by the Japanese invasion. Fleeing to the mountains. My Dad told me of things only seen in movies. Running down the road, holding his older sister’s hand (she was 10 years his senior, already married with her first baby (a boy)…with airplane bullets being shot behind their feet as they ran. My Dad told me of atrocities he had seen…too gruesome to mention. They were helped by “The American Soldiers” after the bombing of Pearl Harbour. The Japanese had awakened “the sleeping giant”. We all know what happened after that. I had the chance to visit Pearl Harbour for the second time…with my oldest daughter. She was about 19 years old…the same age that I was, when I made my first trip to Oahu with my best friend. Pearl Harbour was a different trip when I was 19…than when I was there at 47. I explained the significance of Pearl Harbour to my daughter before we started the tour. There were 3 veterans at Pearl Harbour that day.. visiting the folks that came by the memorial. I had purchased the book written by one of the doctors…that had been on duty that day. He was now a very elderly gentleman, accompanied by his daughter….still signing his book. I had a chance to thank all three of them. Because if not for them…I might not be here. Both of my parents immigrated to Canada…looking for a better life and to escape communism under Mao Tse Tung. It was a democracy when my parents were born…only to have Mao Tse Tung come into power afterwards. My parents met in Edmonton, got married & started their family. Can you imagine if Canada said to all people suffering hardships in their own countries…”Not my people, not my country, not my problem.” They are here because all of our relatives, at some point, came here for a better life. That sentence is callous, cruel, & not Christian. I cringe at the thought…it came out of Christian’s mouth. The hypocrisy and entitlement. I am shocked and I am in tears… over this kind of mentality and thinking. It makes me shake my head.
Thank you for sharing this blog with us. I look forward to reading it every time you post it. Have a wonderful day! ❤️ Keep on, keeping on.
Oh, Julie. Every week is a new revelation of your heritage. Thank you for sharing your family’s experience and your own at Pearl Harbour. Friends like you understand the consequences of indifference. Keep commenting. I look forward to what I might learn about you in the next post. 🙂