Ukraine Hub

I was chatting with a regular at the Ukraine Hub last night, at our last Tuesday evening meal. She was telling me that her landlord had given her a patch of the garden to plant flowers in, and in June, the flowers are now blooming. We talked a little about flowers, naming the ones we both knew. The Ukraine Hub has always been about small connections like this - finding common ground across cultures. There were only 8 guests on Tuesday night. There were more of us serving on the team, and this has become a regular occurrence. It’s not 2022 anymore - those first days of 50 Ukrainians crowding through the church hall door, some of them nervous and frightened, some more confident, others simply grateful to meet other Ukrainians and compare notes. People have regular jobs now, and children are settled in schools. It’s often a bus ride or a long walk to come to the hub, and everyone can be tired after a busy day. We always said that eventually people might not need the hub, for these very reasons, and that one day the hub would close.

I don’t really feel like that has happened, to be honest. The need to meet and find community is still there, so saying goodbye completely feels like the wrong thing, but stopping Tuesday nights definitely feels right to me, because I’m tired too. And so, last night was the last Tuesday meal. Some of our 8 guests seemed oblivious to the ending. The teenagers set up camp in the toilets as usual, and had a blast as usual, chatting and making Tik Toks and didn’t mind eagle-eyed Miss Trudi popping in to say hi every now and again, as usual. It’s possible that I feature in many a Ukrainian Tik Tok by mistake. Megan, always thoughtful, brought them cans of Fanta for the fridge - smuggling ‘soda’ out of the Lobby fridge as if it’s contraband, has been a particular Ukraine Hub treat, just for the teenagers. Others seemed more affected by the ending. Emotions were expressed in different ways - even without a shared language, we understood that we will all miss our evenings together. An older guest with little English gave me a big hug when she left. I received all the emotions, demonstrative or quiet, as an absolute gift. It is precious when someone shares their heart with you. It’s trust.

We don’t know what will come next, or how we will keep in touch with our Ukrainians beyond our WhatsApp group and the occasional dashing across the street for a hug when we see each other out and about. We kept it low-key last night, slightly vague and open, but very cheerful as usual, which felt OK. We’re trusting God to help us navigate what’s next. Lucy made a slideshow of photos from the hub across the three years, and we all had fun watching it, remembering things we did together, and exclaiming at how much Ezra has grown - he was a babe in arms when we started.

Lucy and Tom have Jacob now as well! One hub, with two brothers born into it, pretty much. That’s a lot of evenings that Tom and Lucy have given to us and Jesus. Their determination to raise their family serving God is epic - we have sometimes literally had a toddler serving Ukrainian refugees their evening meal (don’t tell anyone with an FS2)

Harry and Penny came along last night too, which was fab, because they were there at the start, and Dorian’s special cake went down well. (Though not without some friendly critique. Baking for Ukrainian ladies raised in the Soviet era is a risky business. They are such expert bakers, because you couldn’t buy cake from a shop in those years, I was told. I learn something every week at the Ukraine hub!). Steve came right at the end to help wash up. Steve has been an unfailing help with a big smile, for three solid years. Suzi and Abi championed the clear up, and Holly and Meghan Proudfoot did what they always do, love everyone so well and do all the jobs, so no one has to think about it. I couldn’t even say what the jobs are, that’s how seamlessly they do them. Alex was everywhere and nowhere all at once, as ever! Hmm, I don’t know, ask Alex, is my reply to a lot of questions (most usually: what is the wifi password, I can’t get on Tik Tok). But where is he?! Solving something for someone, but moving fast, like a ninja in a washing up apron.

What a team! Thank you Lord for all of them. Together, led into it by Jesus, we have walked with people in great crisis, who were strangers, but have become friends. The crisis hasn’t really gone away in truth, you only have to watch the news to see that. 

But there are flowers now too, planted in a little patch of the garden, and blooming.