Over many years, Pastor Bill Goodrich and his wife, Vi, have faithfully served God and His followers at Horizon Christian Fellowship in San Diego, CA, and later at Horizon Indy, IN. Read their inspirational and heartwarming story here.

A family retreat sponsored by BridgeUA, a Calvary Chapel ministry assisting Ukrainians displaced by war, helps to deepen relationships and encourage them in God's Word. The retreat was held at the beautiful Calvary Chapel Conference Center in Vajta, Hungary.

Bridge UA, a Calvary Chapel ministry to war-affected Ukrainians in Hungary, offers Bible studies that bear much fruit and lead refugees to grow in their trust in and obedience to God. The ministry is also sponsoring a retreat for refugees this August.

After a brief night of sleep on the kitchen floor of his brother’s apartment, George Markey, Jr., leaves Ternopil, Ukraine, and drives through the Carpathian Mountains to Vajta, Hungary. His wife, Sharon, sleepless and exhausted, eagerly anticipates being reunited with other members of the Markey family—including George.

In the cold, dark night, Sharon Markey and her boys cross into Hungary on foot. Housing arrangements had been made by Calvary Chapel members in Hungary, and to Sharon’s delight, it was a place she was well acquainted with—the CC Conference Center in Vajta, Hungary—once home to CC Bible College Europe.

Heading out into the chilly morning air an hour before curfew is lifted, George Markey Jr., says goodbye to the family dog, Jack, and walks to the subway station in Kyiv. With just the clothes on his back, he begins the exhausting 14-hour journey to Ternopil.

As Sharon Markey and her six boys travel towards Poland in a crowded van, a last-minute decision to escape to Hungary instead requires them to walk across the border. Rejoicing as they approach safety, Sharon’s thoughts are on her husband, George Markey, Jr., still in Kyiv.

After a terror-filled night, Sharon and her six boys flee Ternopil, moving farther from her husband, George Markey, Jr. She and George make a heartbreaking decision to leave behind a beloved family member—their dog, Jack.

While George Markey, Jr., is in Kyiv, now under martial law and curfew after the Russians invade, his wife Sharon and their boys spend the night in a bomb shelter as air raid sirens ring out in Ternopil. Exhausted, Sharon reaches her breaking point.

The day of the Russian invasion, bombing in Kyiv forced people to flee the city. Missionary George Markey, Jr., was one of them as he attempted to keep his promise of rejoining his wife, Sharon, in Ternopil.

Following the advice of an Ukrainian army chaplain, Sharon and her sons evacuate Kyiv, where the Russian invasion was anticipated to begin, for a place she thought was safe—Ternopil, a city in western Ukraine near the Polish border.

February 25 marks the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In remembrance, Calvary Chapel Magazine debuts Part 1 of a 9-part series written by Sharon Markey, a missionary in Ukraine with her husband, George Markey, Jr. Although accustomed to years of Russian aggression, they never expected they would have to flee. Read their story here.

After Ukrainian refugee Svieta lost her husband in the Russia-Ukrainian war, she fled to Hungary, where Calvary Chapel missionary and Pastor George Markey, Jr., showed her the transforming love of Jesus. Understanding their pain, she now serves other refugees.