Roman was a husband, Father, and youth pastor in Rivne, Ukraine. A few months prior to his death he recorded a video from the front lines for his church's volunteers who work at summer camps for children. This is a transcript of that video address.

Hello friends, I've been asked to record a short video and share a few thoughts with you, and let me tell you, war really helps you think, especially about God. My understanding of God more profound than before. Why? The circumstances we are in now are similar to those in which Jesus was, but ours are much simpler.

Under the current circumstances, it is much easier to understand God. What do I mean? The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ came to this Earth and gave His life for us. However, we tend to forget what was before His death and resurrection, namely a large part of His life that He devoted to us to teach us and show us the Father.

He wanted us to learn, see, and know more. The Bible tells us that He left the glory of Heaven and came to Earth to die for us. It is important to emphasize that He left the glory of Heaven first. His death is undoubtedly payment for our sins. This is the foundation without which we are nothing.


Again, the very first thing he did was to leave the glory of Heaven. He left everything He had, including a great relationship with His Father, full of harmony and unity.

The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus gave His life for us voluntarily. The Father loves His Son because He gave His life for us voluntarily. No one demanded it of Him. He did it because He wanted to. He loved us so much that He sacrificed His life, and before that, He sacrificed His relationship.

I'm talking about it now because I haven't been home for almost six months. Whenever I call home and talk to my wife, I have this strong desire to get home as soon as possible to comfort her or help her, or simply spend time with her, but I can't do any of that at the moment.

Sometimes, I want to go home so badly that I get emotional because I remember my relationship with my wife and how good we were together; now I realize how far we are from each other physically.

Despite having such a great relationship, Christ left everything and came to Earth for people who make mistakes, cheat, steal, etc. Nevertheless, He spent time with them.

He probably also wanted to go home very much at some point, but He did everything voluntarily. He sacrificed His relationship to be with us, to teach us, to prepare us, and to show us the Father.

I really appreciate this because I realize that it is very hard. Even I, being a simple person with an ordinary relationship, understand that it is very hard. I have no idea how hard it was for Him.

He also realized that He was going to die. When I think about all this now, I want to go home so badly, but I know this is the price I must pay like so many men here with me. They pay a great price to have freedom. Some pay the price so that someone else can survive.

Some people may never go to war, but they teach others how to survive. This is what I do as a platoon commander. I teach my platoon not only to fight but also to survive.

Jesus came to this Earth and was the commander of our platoon. He sacrificed His relationship and time and showed His goodness to teach us so that we could survive spiritually. He gave His life so that we could do what we couldn't do on our own.

Friends, I thank you for sacrificing your lives for other people's lives. You spend your time and resources teaching others how to attack and defend using spiritual weapons. This is very important. Thank you very much for that.

We must remember that there is a price for this. You may not be asked to give your life, but everyone pays a price. Some sacrifice time, some sacrifice their only vacation of the year, some need to leave their family, and some need to sacrifice their money, which is already very little.

Each of us pays a price. Someone pays a bigger price; someone pays a smaller one. For some, it seems smaller, but it can be very high. Each of us pays a price for the sake of others, and this is very valuable.

This is what Christ did for us. Many soldiers are doing this for us now. And many other people in the world are doing this for us, sacrificing their time, their resources, and possessions so that we can live well.

So let us appreciate this in Jesus Christ, who died for us. He sacrificed His relationship and suffered a time of separation from the Father so that we might have peace and a future.

Appreciate the work of soldiers; appreciate the work of those who work for you. Appreciate what Christ did for us. Let us do the same. Let us sacrifice what we have and what we can for the sake of others.

Invest your time these few weeks or days while the camp is going on and build as many relationships as possible. There may be a different price to pay in the future after camp.

You may have to change your group of friends or invite someone into your group of friends that needs to be there. But pay that price.

Christ did that for us, and the price was very high. Pay that price for the sake of other people's lives. Life for life is a very good exchange. Our life for the sake of other people's lives is probably a good exchange.

May God bless you in what you are doing. Please give my regards to everyone. My fellow soldiers say hello to you. Please keep us in your prayers. We will come back soon and change our country for the better. I love you. Bye.