A team of volunteers from Youth With A Mission Kyiv, together with pastors from Schorndorf Kirche, visited the “My Home” Social Center in Kherson. They spent several days with our children — through play, creativity, communication, and simple moments of joy that carry special meaning here.

The group of German pastors came to Ukraine for a short period — about 12 days. During this time, they didn’t just want to see what we do, but to become part of the process: to support children and families living in a frontline city.

Together, we held art therapy sessions, games, dancing, and shared activities. This is the core of our work — creating a space where a child can feel safe, relax, and simply be a child, even if only for a few hours.

For the Youth With A Mission Kyiv team, this is not their first trip to Kherson. They return regularly — approximately every few months. Each time, they see how the city is changing and how important it is to continue this work.

After the full-scale invasion began, their activities shifted significantly — from educational programs to humanitarian aid. In Kyiv, they hosted displaced people and provided meals for thousands. Now, they regularly travel to frontline areas.

At the same time, the team emphasizes that they are not a church and do not operate as a church structure. Although their work is based on Christian values, their goal is not to bring people into any particular congregation, but to support existing initiatives and churches. This approach allows them to collaborate easily with different organizations and local teams — wherever there is a need.

But this time, something else stood out to them the most.

“We’ve never seen children this smiling and joyful,” they shared. And for us, this means a lot. Because behind these smiles is daily work.

The work of the “My Home” team, which stays close to the children: supporting them, listening, helping them process difficult experiences, and gradually recover. We don’t work with children’s emotions for just a day — it’s a process that requires time, trust, and consistency. That’s why visits like this matter: they strengthen what is already happening every day.

It is especially meaningful for us that people come to Kherson despite all the risks. Not remotely, not only through aid or funding, but in person — choosing to be present.

This is about trust. And about the fact that our shared work truly matters.