Ivan’s Story

“My name is Ivan*. I am 14 years old. This story happened to me.”

“I was born and live in Ukraine. In September of 2022, my neighbor invited me to an art studio that was opened by her parents. I decided to go. Gathered with a cheerful company of teenagers, I’m having fun. We are engaged not only in painting and art. We also have discussions about things, study the lives of different people, talk about life themes, play games, and visit exhibitions.

“In November, there was a small interactive event at the art studio— walk through the Bible in 10 minutes.

“I had only heard about the Bible before that. In my family, we don’t talk about God. But I liked this active Bible. At home I showed my grandmother and boasted that now I know the Bible. I was very interested in Joshua. The Bible also talks about wars, which is interesting right now.

“In December 2022, Ukraine began to be shelled again. It was winter and very cold. I was with some friends out on the street. We hear the alarm. We ran to the nearest bomb shelter, and there were already 30 people gathered in the shelter. The light goes out intermittently. A child was crying. A woman loudly drank water. A man jangled his keys. Again the light went out and did not come back on for a long time. The atmosphere was getting creepy.

“Then I had a thought. I asked my friends to shine their phone flashlights on my hands and on the ceiling. And in a minute I told and showed the Bible from Creation to Christ, as we were taught in the art studio, naming each hand sign. In the end I said, ‘THIS IS THE BIBLE!’

“There was silence from the people. After a couple of minutes, the light came back on and didn’t go out again. After 40 minutes, the alarm ended and no more announcements were made until the end of the day.

“I had a feeling that after my ‘Bible shadow theater’ (I called it that way), God gave us light in the bomb shelter and some kind of peace. The atmosphere in the bomb shelter definitely changed. The horror was gone.

“After we left the bomb shelter, my friends and I thought and discussed this moments later on the street—CAN GOD REALLY EXIST?”

Ivan* and others were taught the big picture of the Old Testament with Walk Thru the Bible’s otLIVE. Our children’s ministry team in Ukraine is bringing the hope and truth of the Word of God to children all over that country, even in the middle of a war.

“We are doing so much kids’ ministry here that sometimes we have to remind ourselves that there’s a war going on,” says Cat Martych, our children’s coordinator there. “And we’ve just been notified that Walk Thru the Bible’s otLIVE and ntLIVE can be taught in public schools.” God is making Himself known around the world through the work of Walk Thru the Bible—from dusty playgrounds in Liberia to gang neighborhoods in Honduras and yes, even in bomb shelters in Ukraine.

*Name changed for privacy