Ruslan Garbar
FULL-TIME MISSIONARIES
My name is Ruslan Garbar. I'm from the city of Rivne in Ukraine. Although I grew up in a Christian family, my journey started when I accepted Christ as savior. At the age of eighteen, I was given a prophetic word that I would one day be a missionary. At that time, I neither believed the word nor wanted to be a missionary. A little while later, my parents received the word, "Be missionaries in Europe." This impression motivated them to work towards moving to Europe. My father discovered a missionary organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM), in Hurlach, Germany. The organization runs Discipleship Training Schools (DTS) and has many different ministries. He told me about it and encouraged me to do the DTS. Even though I didn't want to be a missionary, I prayed and said to God, "If this is your will, let it happen." After saying these words, my heart towards missions started changing. I decided that I would attend the DTS as my father had advised.
Even though I didn't want to be a missionary, I prayed and said to God, "If this is your will, let it happen." After saying these words, my heart towards missions started changing. I decided that I would attend the DTS as my father had advised.
The preparations for my journey to Germany started with the challenge of getting a passport. I was told that I would need a paper from the military. "You will have to wait for a minimum of two months," they said. I received a call after two days, my paper was ready! I went on to apply for the passport, the wait was supposed to take more than a month but I received my passport in three weeks! The next step was getting a visa for Germany. The Discipleship Training School I wanted to attend was scheduled to start two months from then. The visa process would take about four to eight weeks. To my surprise and relief, my visa was ready in two weeks! Upon receiving it, I learnt that in three days, a friend of mine would be driving to Germany. The city he intended to drive to is close to YWAM Hurlach. At that point, I realized that going into missions was God's will for my life.

I was able to complete the missionary school regardless of the fact that knew neither German nor English. God's providence was evident in there being a German staff member who translated into Russian for me. Today, 10 years later, I am the leader here at YWAM Hurlach. God has given me the opportunity to lead and serve different nations and generations. I am committed to investing my time and effort into the next generation. I serve through helping young people to find their calling in life, discover their identity, to know God and grow in faith. My being here is definitely God's will, it would not have been possible without him.

At the beginning of 2017, I read the passage from Matthew 25:35-36 which says:
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
This passage inspired me to "serve Jesus." Serving Jesus, in this sense, means visiting the poor, prisoners, orphans and widows. I was inspired to SEE JESUS IN OTHERS and that has become my vision statement ever since. One of the ministries birthed from this vision statement is to serve the people in the warzone in Ukraine. I have had the desire to help them since the beginning of the war. In August 2017, I went to the warzone, for the first time, with a team from Operation Mobilization (OM). God touched my heart and showed me the needs of the people. In October 2018, I took a team from YWAM Hurlach there. We gave out food packages, visited people and listened to their stories, we prayed with them and helped with some practical repair work. The passion to help people in need continues to grow in me.

We are planning more outreaches to the war zone. These outreaches are possible through your prayers and financial support.

Click here to partner with me in the Great Commision.
"Not that I desire your gifts;
what I desire is that more be credited
to your account."

Philipians 4:17