Svieta’s Story: From Grief to Hope and Ministry in Hungary

Photos courtesy of Bridge UA

Stunned and grief-stricken, Svieta stole into her and her late husband Ruslan’s town of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine with her 17-year-old daughter at her side. As missiles continued to fly overhead, Svieta remembered the love and joy that had abounded in their home. One warhead slammed into a neighboring apartment complex while they were there, terrifying the two women as they held each other and wondered if they would live to rejoin Svieta’s younger daughter, who was waiting for them in the relative safety of the city of Odesa. “We realized there was nothing we could do to save ourselves,” Svieta recalls. “If God wanted to save us, He would.”

The Ukrainian mother of two had risked the shelling to recover precious personal mementos and her baking business items hurriedly left behind when Russia first invaded nine months previously. Ukrainian towns close by had fallen in the first days of the invasion. Ruslan had taken his family to the border and then returned to fight. Svieta stopped in her tracks when she entered their apartment and saw several carefully packed boxes, filled with all her baking supplies. Her husband must have prepared them to give to her at their planned reunion, and now the sight of them filled Svieta with pain. Overwhelmed by emotion, suddenly she didn’t want to have anything to do with those boxes, but she didn’t have a choice. Now that she was on her own, she would need their contents to revive her baking business and support her daughters.

Not knowing this would be the last time Svieta (left) and her daughters (right) would see Ruslan (center), the family enjoys a brief reunion after the women had evacuated Ukraine at the beginning of the Russian invasion. A few months later, Ruslan would be killed in a head-on collision—just days before his scheduled military leave to see his family—but not before he had given his life to Jesus Christ.

During the previous nine months, Ruslan had led a military patrol group of around a dozen young men for whom he felt a fatherly affection. They had been part of a campaign that reclaimed a large amount of territory from the Russian army, but it came at great cost. Ruslan had grieved deeply as each of the men under his command was killed. He was only a few days away from leave to visit his family, now located in Budapest, Hungary, when he was involved in a vehicular accident on a military highway that took his life. The funeral service for Ruslan occurred in Odesa on the very day the family had planned to be reunited before his death.

Before he died, Ruslan gave his family one additional precious gift. Svieta had attended an evangelical church in their hometown. Ruslan attended occasionally, if somewhat grudgingly. But before enlisting in the army, Ruslan had given his life to Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, which to Svieta was the greatest present her husband could have bestowed.

Wearing a traditional Ukrainian blouse and colors for the occasion, Svieta serves refugees in Hungary celebrating Ukraine’s Independence Day, August 24, hosted by Bridge UA.

After moving to Budapest, Svieta connected with Calvary Chapel Pastor George Markey, Jr., through a Bible discussion group for Ukrainians. George had been leading outreaches to many Ukrainian women and children who were struggling to adapt to life as refugees in a strange land. Despite the efforts by the European countries welcoming them, they faced many challenges, not the least of which was finding emotional and spiritual support. George was uniquely prepared to minister to them, having lived in Ukraine for 30 years prior to the full-scale Russian invasion.

George and his seven siblings moved to Ukraine in 1992 with their parents George, Sr., and Pam Markey to plant the first Calvary Chapel in the country. Besides George, Jr., many of the Markey children are still on the mission field today. Over the years, George, Jr., went on to plant three more churches in Ukraine and was planting a fourth when Russia invaded. At the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russian army tried to capture Kyiv, the city where George, Jr., and his wife Sharon lived with their six kids. George and Sharon evacuated to Hungary with their children, where many Calvary Chapels had quickly mobilized to respond to the crisis. Upon their arrival, George and Sharon also began to minister to the many refugees flowing into Hungary, eventually starting a ministry called Bridge UA with the dream that no refugee would have to feel alone, but that each would have the opportunity to become part of a vibrant community of people who loved and followed Jesus.

George, Sr., and Pam Markey moved to Ukraine in 1992 with their eight children, planting the first Calvary Chapel in this country that was formerly under Soviet rule. Many of their children, now grown, continue to serve on the mission field. 

George, Jr., and Sharon Markey with their six boys and dog, Jack, on the steps of their apartment in Kyiv, Ukraine. After evacuating to Hungary, the Markeys now serve Ukrainian refugees through their ministry Bridge UA—giving them an opportunity to become part of a vibrant community of people who love and follow Jesus.

This is exactly what Svieta and her daughters experienced. When they got the news of Ruslan’s death, Svieta knew they needed to travel home for the funeral, but she was in a state of shock, unable to figure out how to proceed. But the Bible discussion group came alongside, finding them train tickets and helping with travel expenses. When Svieta and her daughters were ready to return from Ukraine, George met and drove them back to Budapest with all the things they saved from their apartment. The Bible discussion group welcomed them back with a hot meal and even held a small memorial service for Ruslan.

“I don’t know how I would have made it through without them,” Svieta said. “They are like family.”

Olya, another lady in the Bible discussion group, agrees that the group is really close. “You feel the warmth of friends who see you as you are and are ready to support you. … Our meetings are a joy [especially when] we haven’t seen each other for a long time.” Olya also appreciates the systematic study of the Word and the way that everyone grows when they share their different viewpoints on the same passage.

[ Gallery ] Interactive workshops offered by Bridge UA provide refugees a relaxing, yet purposeful environment to create art, jewelry, fabric totes and desserts while sharing their personal stories. As part of the Bridge UA team, Svieta demonstrates her cookie decorating secrets with Ukrainian ladies in several cities around Budapest.
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Even before Svieta returned to Budapest, she began to experience God’s provision. Through an acquaintance, she got an order for her baking business. When the client asked if Svieta would be able to fill the order, in light of everything that had happened, Svieta realized that she needed the activity. She couldn’t allow herself to drown in her sorrow and drag her daughters down with her. She started making special-order cakes for friends and acquaintances and posting photos on social media. Little by little, orders came in, and new clients found Svieta through word-of-mouth. Now that she has enough clients to make ends meet, she wants to make the business official so that she can expand.

While all this was happening, George invited her to accompany the Bridge UA team on ministry trips to other cities, using the time on the road to ask insightful questions that helped Svieta process her feelings about what she had been through. Eventually George invited her to become a Bridge UA missionary. Svieta was hesitant at first, feeling like she had nothing to offer, but George and the rest of the team were insistent. Remembering that time, Svieta says, “Through these people, I understood that God hadn’t forsaken me.”

Svieta drives a van for Bridge UA to help deliver resources for Ukrainians who fled to Hungary during the Russian invasion. After moving to Budapest, Svieta connected with Calvary Chapel Pastor George Markey, Jr., through a Bible discussion group for Ukrainians. “Through these people, I understood that God hadn’t forsaken me,” Svieta shared.

Driving a big white van, Svieta now routinely takes ministry teams to Győr, Veszprém, Kecskemét, and Miskolc—Hungarian cities where Calvary Chapels have opened their doors to serve Ukrainian refugees living in their midst. Inspired by how the Bible discussion group supported her through her loss, Svieta wants to help start similar groups for Ukrainians in these cities so that no one will have to face their troubles alone. Most importantly, she wants everyone to have the opportunity to meet the God who cares for the hurting.

“We don’t choose what happens to us in life—God does,” Svieta says. “I’ve realized that every step, every millimeter, the Lord has always held me, carried me, and He carries me still.” Alluding to Isaiah 41:10, Svieta adds, “The most important thing is that God is beside me and holds me by His right hand. I feel this every moment. He is a loving Father, and He never leaves me.”

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Become a monthly partner to support Svieta and the other refugees working as Bridge UA missionaries: BridgeUA.org

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Sharon T. Markey was a Calvary Chapel missionary in Ukraine for 19 years prior to the full-scale Russian invasion. Her husband George served there for 30 years as a Calvary Chapel church planter. Since evacuating to Hungary with their six sons, they have been ministering to Ukrainian refugees all over the country. Sharon is writing a book about their experiences. You can connect with her at MommyJoys.com
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