Since 1997, Nita Hanson has been serving vulnerable Ukrainians including orphans, people with physical and mental disabilities, and stroke patients.<\/p>\n
A member of Emanuel Presbyterian Church in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Hanson started God\u2019s Hidden Treasures<\/a> in response to the needs she saw in and around Bila Tserkva (White Church). The ministry has partnered with the Presbyterian Foundation to utilize its online giving portal for contributions to this work<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now, with 20 staff and counting, the ministry continues to provide meals, wheelchairs<\/a>, health services<\/a>, diabetes care, and\u00a0expert medical support<\/a> even as the war rages on.<\/p>\n Hason was a guest of Pastor Tom Stephen on the September 25, 2024, episode of Door to Peace<\/a> \u2013 her third appearance on the show \u2013 where the two talked about Hanson\u2019s work and the challenges of experiencing the peace of Christ in the darkest moments. Stephen is Senior Pastor of Monte Vista Presbyterian Church in California.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the last year, contrary to what you see on the news, every day it gets worse,\u201d Hanson began, speaking of conditions in Ukraine following the February 24, 2022, Russian invasion and escalation of the war that has been ongoing since Crimea was annexed by Russia in February 2014. \u201cPeople are starting to get war weary and none of us can see an end in sight at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n Hanson told Stephen that God\u2019s Hidden Treasures has been \u201cuniquely positioned\u201d by God to make a difference in peoples\u2019 lives when they need spiritual care as much as they need daily provisions.<\/p>\n Citing examples of her chaplains who travel to locations near the war\u2019s front, she told the story of a food distribution where a man was being disruptive but when offered a Bible, his behavior and attitude changed. The man later brought the chaplains homemade honey as a gift.<\/p>\n \u201cHe treasured the Bible more,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cHe thought we would bring food, but he never dreamed someone would give him his own Bible.\u201d<\/p>\n For Hanson, the affects of the war are heartbreaking. \u201cEveryone in Ukraine, including me, has PTSD,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n Yet, Hanson continues to feel called to the work despite the challenges and ever-present danger. \u201cMy people are there, and they can\u2019t leave, so why isn\u2019t it important for me to be there\u2026 This is where God has sent me and wherever he sends me it\u2019ll be OK, and I\u2019m OK with that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Hanson explained how surrendering to God had been a pivotal part of her life and an ongoing process. She\u2019d always searched for a closer connection to God \u2013 \u201chungering for more of God than I could find\u201d \u2013 but always ended up lacking. The turning point, she said, was when she \u201clet go of everything\u201d and found a \u201creal relationship with Jesus Christ\u201d and a beginning of her service in Ukraine.<\/p>\n Turning the discussion to the eponymous blog title, Stephen recalled another conversation in which a guest said, \u201cWe are always in process of experiencing peace\u2026 Because we\u2019re not going toward peace, we\u2019re going toward God who is the dispenser of peace. And the closer we get to God, the more peace we experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Hanson, reflecting on this statement, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to go toward the one who is the giver of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n On the topic of sacrifice, Hanson said she doesn\u2019t consider her work a sacrifice, even if giving up her old life and what many assumed would be a retirement filled with time spent with her immediate family and friends.<\/p>\n \u201cI love [my family] with all my heart, but the place in my heart and life was put in proper order,\u201d she said, speaking to following her call to mission in Ukraine, and the people who have become family to her. \u201cI get to partake in their joy.\u201d<\/p>\n Hanson said a recent gathering for families of deceased soldiers was a key experience of that joy. There is little support for the parents, spouses and children of these veterans killed in action, so God\u2019s Hidden Treasures sponsored a picnic this summer where approximately 50 families gathered to find common connections.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the mothers stood up and said, \u2018You\u2019re the first people who have even reach out to us,\u2019\u201d Nita recalled. Friends and neighbors, this mother said, had shunned them because they didn\u2019t know what to say.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like they were healing each other as they reached across the table to touch one another,\u201d Hanson said of the power of the gathering.<\/p>\n Asked to offer closing thoughts on her ministry and work to listeners at the end of the podcast, reflecting on the themes of surrender, sacrifice and service, Hanson concluded, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid to trust God because he\u2019s always trustworthy, he\u2019s always faithful and you can rest in that.\u201d<\/p>\n The full episode of The Door to Peace featuring Nita Hanson can be found at this link<\/a>. To donate to God\u2019s Hidden Treasures and Hanson\u2019s work in Ukraine, please follow this link<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since 1997, Nita Hanson has been serving vulnerable Ukrainians including orphans, people with physical and mental disabilities, and stroke patients. 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