Ukraine Update: TWR Ukraine Sees Big Leap in Social Media Traffic
TWR Ukraine Director, Alexander Chmut, addresses the subject of "victory of the risen Jesus Christ" in a video they posted on their social media channels Easter Sunday. [Image courtesy of TWR Ukraine]
In March, Alexander Chmut, the Ukraine team’s director, continued his series Monday with Chmut with a 34-minute video episode about loving your enemies which has already gained close to 39,000 views. Three days later, TWR Ukraine released a video which translates, He Sits and Waits for Me to Sip My Coffee, and We Talk Together, bringing in over 80,000 views. Another of the Monday with Chmut series titled Calling Evil Good was published on March 20th and already has over 39,000 views. And these are only YouTube views. The team has seen a big spike in subscriber growth on both Instagram and Facebook, which they attribute to the reels (short public videos) that people have been reposting, which are varied in content type.
Just recently, on April 6th, the Ukraine team published a video about a woman who had to say goodbye to her husband when he chose to defend the country. She had only been married a year when her husband died in the war. She tells of how she coped with such a tremendous loss, and now she’s helping others who are experiencing loss. This video currently has close to 17,000 YouTube views.
In the village of Buzivka, located in Ukraine’s Cherkasy region, the TWR Ukraine team visited a local church of about 200 members. The village itself has a population of around 2,000, so approximately 10 percent of the village are believers. During this visit, the Ukraine team was encouraged that almost everyone in attendance has watched their video programs. They were thankful for the opportunity to present TWR Ukraine’s ministries at the church.
The team has produced several documentaries called “How are you there?” and covered the following cities: Kharkiv, Poltava, Rivne and Chernihiv.
By meeting people where they are, even in grief and loss, TWR Ukraine is shining the light of Jesus Christ, the only eternal hope.
Listener Feedback
During one of TWR Ukraine’s team meetings, a video message from a listener was an encouragement to everyone present. A Ukrainian woman who now lives in Germany introduced herself, stating that she constantly follows their programs on the internet, listening carefully, and appreciates the biblical assessments of current events. She also mentioned that she sings along with the Ukrainian worship songs. Below are other examples of recent audience feedback the team has received:
“Thank you for your work during the war, so that many more will hear about God and reflect on their lives in this difficult and dangerous time. May they hear the Word of God and be reconciled to the Lord, to be saved from death and judgement.”
— from a listener in Sumy, Ukraine
“Thank you for your work. It is for our salvation, for our hearts. You’re helping us know God more, especially now, in such difficult times. I am a widow; my son is at war. Your broadcasts are a great help to my soul. I understand that it is not easy for you too to work under the constant threat of shelling, but I know the Lord gives you strength and inspiration. I can feel it myself: my age, longing for my children and grandchildren, worrying about my son who is at war... if it were not for God, I probably wouldn’t be here. But fellowship with God in prayer and your programs are the strength that keeps me going.”
— from a listener in the Chernivtsi region, Ukraine
“I would like to order a radio receiver. My father is 71 years old, and he’s been handicapped since childhood (he can hardly see due to a problem with his eyesight). He is in a city that is occupied. Like thousands of people, he and my family have lost everything they had. But the Lord did not forget about us. The Lord has done many miracles even though we were taken as prisoners and used as a human shield. God worked miracles and we are alive in him — he brought us out! Praise God! So, I would like my father to listen to your radio and abide in the Word of God. We listen to your sermons and topics as a family and pray for you and your work, for the glory of the Lord.”
— from a listener in Ukraine who contacted the team via email
Prayer points:
- Pray that the growth the TWR Ukraine team has seen through their social media channels will continue, and that God will give wisdom to each team member as they create new content and respond to the needs of their audience.
- TWR Ukraine is distributing radios, so let’s pray that the people who are receiving them find supernatural comfort in the Lord, and that many more will be saved.
- Pray for travel safety and more evangelization opportunities as the Ukraine team present at various churches around the country.
Image: (top, right) A window into the social media post created and published on TWR Ukraine's social media channels.
