Kseniia Bondarenko is the CEO of Forward United, an NGO in Ukraine.
When did you trust Christ?
When I was 17 years old, I had a lot of questions about the meaning of life. I knew about Jesus but didn’t understand that He could become my friend. So, I started to pray and invited Him into my life. Then, I went to a pastor at a local Baptist church and asked to join a small group Bible study. I found joy and was surrounded by His love. Jesus Christ became real whether I was at my job, church, or at home. He never left me. Two years later, I decided to take another step; I was baptised and became a Zhytomyr Baptist Christmas Church member.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
I prayed a lot for God to give me good mentors who were faithful followers of Jesus Christ. That is how I met the Director of Life Center, who had an enormous impact on my spiritual life. She shared a lot with me about the power of prayer and how we can trust God in the challenging moments of our lives. My dean at the seminary also shared his wonderful testimony of how he became Christian by reading Communist articles with short pieces of Scripture. So, he taught me that the Bible has the mighty power to bring people to know Jesus more fully. When I heard his story, I started to memorise the Bible.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
ELF helped and equipped me with leadership. It created a platform for building partnerships with different ministries. It has developed my spiritual gifts and helped to expand our mission and ministry in Ukraine. I appreciate the mentoring programs and all the prayer support from my ELF friends throughout the year. Finally, the location helps to connect with the Lord and rest from the war.
What is your ministry?
I serve and partner with various organisations, and our main focus is evangelism and discipleship. As the CEO of the NGO Forward United, my team and I aim to reach a new generation of Ukrainians and help Christians and local churches share the unchanging biblical truth, using new creative methods. We translate existing materials and contextualise them. I also help plan and organise national evangelism tours and Bible printing. Lastly, I’m also a DMin student, focusing on how art can serve as a bridge for reconciling with the Lord and helping those who have experienced trauma take steps toward becoming whole.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I was a camp program coordinator at Zhytomyr Christmas Church. I also helped administrate the Michael Gott International Association in my country.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
ELF is essential for my personal and ministry growth and development. I pray God will open new opportunities and doors in my country. I believe that God will continue to use me in reaching His Kingdom. It will be a tremendous help to have sponsorship for the Forum.
