Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
First Person is produced in cooperation with the Far East Broadcasting Company, who rejoice in the stories of changed lives through the power of Jesus Christ. Learn more at febc.org. I still, to this day, will get messages from people who have just seen my voice performance for the first time after nearly 10 years. But the Lord has definitely used it to open up things that I could have never seen coming before.
Her name is Bria Blessing, and she is a remarkable young woman with strong ties to the country of Ukraine. Welcome to First Person. I'm Wayne Shepherd, and you'll meet Bria in just a few moments.
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I've been in meetings with Ukrainian people as the aptly named Bria Blessing sings and shares her story. So I wanted you to meet her as well. She and her husband, Jesse, live in Buffalo, New York. But as we began talking online recently, I wondered aloud about her true nationality. Technically, I'm American. I was born in America. I have American citizenship, but I spent over half my life in Ukraine. So I'm not sure what that makes me. Okay. Why did you spend half your life in Ukraine?
I was 13 when my parents said that they felt like God was calling them to serve in Ukraine as missionaries. And so I went kicking and screaming as a teenager, obviously. But as I grew up there, I fell in love with it. And then as an adult, I just ended up staying on and they couldn't get rid of me and serving as a missionary. And yeah. Okay. What parts of the country did you live in?
Yeah.
We only lived there, I don't remember exactly, maybe five months or so, and then we were called to the far western side of the country, so the complete opposite side, to Lviv to help with some evangelism stuff that was happening there and starting a church. And we ended up living in Lviv, well, until I got married and moved away, and my parents are still there, and my sister's still there. Pete Okay.
So you married that American guy named Jesse and he took you all the way back to the States. To Buffalo, New York. Buffalo. How did a girl from Texas end up in Ukraine end up in Buffalo? Only God. I don't know. It's an adventure. The great adventure. So you grew up in a Christian home. When did Christ become part of your life, though?
I was seven when I remember being at church and it was like around Easter time, I think, and we had a guest preacher and he was preaching on the crucifixion, which obviously I'd heard for the previous seven years of my life, every Easter time. But at that point, at seven years old, I remember I got it, you know, obviously not fully, but in as much as my childlike mind was capable of grasping Christ's
And I, yeah, I remember turning to my parents and saying, if Christ gave, if Jesus gave his life for me, I want to give my life to him. And so that's sort of when I made that decision to, I was going to live my life for Christ and following Christ. Now, obviously it was a journey. It's been a journey. Sure. Learning and messing up and growing. And, but that was when I was seven. Yeah. I was about the same age, so I can identify with that. Yeah.
So as an adult, you lived in Ukraine all those years. What were you doing? So many things. I started out, obviously, as a missionary kid, you're put into ministry. It doesn't matter how old you are. You're automatically part of ministry. So I grew up serving in the church, helping out wherever I could with my parents' ministry. And then as I became an adult, I
And as a poor missionary family, we couldn't afford college. So that wasn't an option. So I was like, well, great. I'll just continue serving as a missionary. So everything from directing children's choir to starting up a like anti-human trafficking nonprofit to then this was sort of another thing.
twist and turn in the adventure that the Lord had planned for me, um, ending up on the voice Ukraine, which opened up a whole new sphere of like full-time music ministry around the country and around the world. Um, so,
To serving the soldiers when Russia invaded 10 years ago and, you know, ongoing doing that ministry. We're going to talk about all those things, actually, because you hit on a number of things there that I wanted to talk to you about, Bria. First of all, the music is a part of your life. You must have grown up with music. Are you self-trained? And when did music become an important part of your life?
From the time I was born, my parents, my dad was like a professional rock musician in the 70s before, like when he was a young guy, before I was born, before he was married, doing the club scene. And apparently they almost made it really big, like they almost got signed, but then my dad became a Christian and quit the band. Wow. Sounds like maybe we should talk to him sometime. Definitely. Yeah.
Yeah, so from the time I was born, I just remember my parents always had music playing in the house. By this time, they were listening to Christian music. My dad continued to write songs. I remember just always seeing my dad at the piano with a notebook and a pen and writing music. My parents sang in a choir at church. Yeah, so music was never something...
special in life. It was just a part of life like anything else. Yeah. So you were singing in church, but you mentioned this talent program, The Voice, which we know in the States, of course. So how did you get the attention of the, what, the talent producers on The Voice? I do not know. My best guess is what I learned from being on the show is they actually have a team of people who basically just scour YouTube channels
all day long looking for new talent to invite to come on the show. And I had like a little YouTube channel where I posted like, I would sit in my room and like,
record worship songs or some of my own original songs or whatever. And I guess they found me that way through YouTube. So in towards the end of 2013, I got, I think it was a Facebook message like, Hey, this is the voice and we're going to hold auditions in your city and we would love for you to come audition. And I was like, that's weird. But prayed about it and just felt like God was like, yes, this is me opening this door. And even though I didn't get it,
I followed. And you're singing these songs in Ukrainian, obviously, right? Yeah, when I was on The Voice, you know, the contestants sing all sorts of languages. Europe is different in America in that way, in that people listen to music in
languages they don't understand all the time. It doesn't bother them. So contestants on The Voice sing in literally every language under the sun. And I just decided, like, as an American living in Ukraine, I wanted to honor their culture and sing Ukrainian songs. So that's what I did my blind audition in. And that's what I did my second round in. And I just love the Ukrainian language anyways, and Ukrainian music. Yeah.
So this is Christian music you were singing or just folk? What style of music?
Yeah, it's more, it's definitely, I mean, it's not like Christian music per se. It wasn't like about Jesus. At that time on The Voice, so in Ukraine, it's not common, like it is in the States for celebrities or anyone on television to talk about God or talk about their spiritual life or anything like that. Like it's considered a very private thing and you don't kind of parade that in public. So, yeah.
I remember that was the first season that Christians took part in The Voice. So there was me and there was two other guys who were Christians.
And I don't know about the other guys, but I know like in my interviews on the show, you know, I talked about God and I talked about faith because obviously it's a very integral part of my life. But the producers took all of that out. But that's okay. Christians could still tell. And I remember getting messages from Christians like, we can tell you're our sister in Christ and we're so excited. But no, the songs that I sang were songs by a singer called Kvitka Cisic.
And she's actually ethnically Ukrainian, but she was either born in the States or her parents moved to the States when she was very young. So she's sort of similar to my story, but opposite because she's Ukrainian who grew up in the States and actually ended up doing quite well. She did like jingles on Ford commercials and stuff.
Hep C commercials or something like that. But she has an album, a couple of albums of Ukrainian music. That's just, it's such a beautiful album. So I did some songs from, from that out, those albums. And of course this experience with the voice was all pre Russian invasion, even the 2014 invasion. Yeah, it was, it was literally right before. So I don't know how much your listeners remember about that.
that time in Ukraine, but there was a civil revolution right before Russia invaded. Yeah, Maidan Square and all of that, sure, yeah. Exactly. So we were recording, we were filming The Voice in Kiev while the revolution was happening like five blocks away. So it was a very strange sort of
juxtaposition doing this what felt like a very frivolous TV show while people were literally giving their lives for their freedom just a few streets away. But it was right after that that Russia invaded that
Yeah. Yeah. And I would imagine given that exposure on The Voice that you became kind of a recognized person in Ukraine. Yeah, that was very unexpected because obviously I'd never done anything on television before. So I had no expectations out of the experience, just like, oh, OK, I'm going on a voice competition. And when I got, you know, sent off the show, I was like, OK, well, that's over. You know, but obviously now in the age of YouTube and stuff, everything lives on.
And so I still, to this day, will get messages from people who have just seen my voice performance for the first time after nearly 10 years. So that's very strange. But the Lord has definitely used it to open up areas of ministry and things that I could have never seen coming. Coming up, we'll talk with Bria about what she has observed in the Ukrainian church that's just ahead.
Here's Ed Cannon on a vision for FEBC's weekly podcast. The primary purpose of Until All Have Heard, of course, is to share the experience that FEBC has because we have staff on the ground in so many oppressive places. But in addition to that, we're trying to speak to you in a way that
only the kind of testimonies you'll hear from around the globe can do. Discover how the gospel is making a difference around the world. Search for Until All Have Heard on your favorite podcast platform or hear it online at febc.org.
My guest is Bria Breslin, and we're talking about her life growing up in a large part of her life spent in Ukraine. And there's more to that story that we're going to get into now, Bria, because since the war started, you've doubled down on your love for the country, haven't you? Definitely. Maybe that comes partly from out of my Texas blood, you know, being so patriotic and like
Just love of country and love of land and love of freedom. I don't know. But yeah, definitely once I took, I stood with Ukrainians in their revolution of dignity in 2014.
And I think that was probably the big shift in my heart and in my mentality where I didn't feel any more like an American living in Ukraine. I felt like a Ukrainian. And just, I think from that point on really fully embraced like the culture and the language and the history and just being so proud of Ukrainians and their dedication to being free and,
Yeah, that's probably when it started. Now, this is a sidebar, but somewhere along the line, you met this guy named Jesse who became your husband, an American guy. And I've met Jesse. I know Jesse. And he himself has fallen in love with Ukraine, hasn't he? He has. I would say pretty much. I mean, you know this. Any...
American that I've ever known who has spent even a day in Ukraine, they don't stand a chance. Like Ukraine just gets into your blood. Yeah. So from day one, when we knew that like the Lord had matched us together and we were moving towards marriage, he came to visit me in Ukraine. And from day one, he was sold.
hook, line and sinker he was in. And to this day, like, I mean, it's, it's part of him now. Yeah. How long you been married? Uh,
We just celebrated four years at the end of December, so we're still newbies at this. Sure. Well, it's fun to get to know you guys and to hear the music that you make together. Now, you have had the unique experience of traveling back to Ukraine. I'm not sure how many times. And as a matter of fact, as our listeners are hearing this conversation, you're likely in Ukraine right now. What is the purpose of those visits? Usually it's to serve on the front lines. So as
After The Voice, some pastors from southern Ukraine, where Russia first invaded in 2014, they had seen me on The Voice, realized I was a Christian, and called me up, contacted me, and said, you know, we're going to go to the trenches, to the soldiers, to encourage them, to shake their hands, to thank them, to take them supplies, to take them the gospel. And we want to know if you'll bring your guitar and go with us.
And I was like, you know, absolutely. I had no idea what I was doing. No, no hesitation. I had never been in trenches. Really? No hesitation. I just remember feeling very inadequate. I had such admiration for soldiers just in general, you know, for American soldiers, for Ukrainian soldiers, for defenders of freedom.
But I'd never been in trenches before. I had no idea what to expect. I had no idea what kind of state these men and women would be in. How was I, this silly girl from America, going to... What was I supposed to say to them or give them? I had no idea.
But that was really the first time, obviously, that I encountered Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines and encountered their unbreakable spirit, their humor, their hospitality. And it was such a life-changing moment that I was just, from that point on, I was dedicated to serving Ukraine.
the men and women who were serving Ukraine. So really from 2014 on, that's been my main area of ministry is helping these Ukrainian pastors in their work of supporting the troops. So even now living in the States and being married now, Jesse and I continue to do that ministry and we go back as often as we can about two
two times a year, usually on average. Okay. Well, it's having a spiritual impact, but it does remind me of what we read about during World War II. The USO would be traveling to far-flung places to entertain the troops, and you're doing that with a Christian message here during this war in Ukraine. Can you describe in more detail at least one of those encounters? Tell me about these men and
who they are and what they're like and what the conditions are and maybe what they talk to you about, you and Jesse. It's definitely evolved over the years, as you can imagine. Like 10 years is a long time to be in the trenches defending your country from an invasion. So,
In the beginning, in 2014, there was just this rallying spirit. Russia's not going to take us. We're not going to let them come in and destroy our homes and destroy our families. We've basically got this kind of attitude, even though, obviously, they're like this little mouse going against Goliath. But they just had...
just this indomitable spirit. Like, yeah, we're, we're going to do this. Um, and I remember their humor. That was like the first thing that struck me going, because I expected just to find them all depressed, you know, from the things that they had seen and experienced grim experiences. Yeah.
Yeah. But they would just laugh and they would sing songs together. The Ukrainians love music. They sing all the time, as you know. And so like, you know, these soldiers, like these gruff, brisley men are like singing and telling jokes and laughing. And it was just astounding to me.
Even seeing the way that they would receive the word of God when we would give them, like, there's a publisher in Ukraine who prints these, like, tiny pocket-sized camouflage New Testaments that the guys can keep in, like, their pockets and their pants. And they just, they wanted those so badly. As soon as we'd start handing them out, like, they could barely wait for their turn to get one. They would be, like, grabbing for one. Pete Interesting.
Yeah. And so over the years, there's still a lot of that. We still encounter a lot of guys who just have unbreakable spirits. They're just, they somehow they keep their spirits up. I think they know that's a matter of life and death for them that they can't give in to despair. So they have to keep joking and they have to keep laughing to keep going. But we're definitely at this point experiencing a lot more,
I hate to say it, but like even hopelessness, especially now, it's really hard for Jess and I as Americans to hear them talk about, you know, the world is a small place now with the internet. So everything that's all of these sentiments that are being spoken in America about Ukraine, the Ukrainians hear them. And so to hear them feeling so hopeless saying,
if America gives up on us, we, we don't stand a chance. It's heartbreaking. And it's very, it weighs very heavily on Jess and I, because we want to fix it. We want, you know, we want to somehow make sure America keeps helping them, but obviously we, we have no power to do that. Um, so we just keep trying to encourage them as much as we can. Um, and especially like,
encourage the pastors and the chaplains who are there all the time pouring into these men's and women's lives. We want to make sure that they feel encouraged, you know, so that they can keep doing what they do. Yeah.
And we hear reports of spiritual revival in Ukraine, people coming to church, growing even as it's scattered in many places. But people are turning to God because they need that hope, aren't they? Absolutely. That's one of the...
places that we visit every trip now since the full-scale invasion, the escalation of the war in 22, our pastors have begun ministering more to not just troops, but also to the civilian populations, villages that were under occupation and have now been liberated. So we visit a lot of these little churches in villages and towns that have
No exaggeration, they have grown like 300% since the suffering really amped up and multiplied. It just reminds me of what we see in Scripture that so often, I think, in our Western mindset, we value comfort so much above everything. But really, it's like I remember hearing one time a pastor from China telling a
Americans who are praying for their liberation, he said, don't pray for our liberation, pray that we would be faithful in our suffering because they understand that under pressure, you know, kind of like diamonds or precious metals, you know, under pressure, you become more brilliant. And so, we've seen that in Ukraine with churches who lost, you know, their
Pastors fled. All of their elders fled. The church was basically left with no shepherds.
And instead of disbanding, the church became stronger and just regular lay people in the church stepped up to lead and peoples are inviting their neighbors and their little buildings where they gather are overflowing. One of our pastors, Jenya, has sent us videos from like a Sunday service in a church that before this full-scale invasion in 22 was
you know, maybe averaging like 50 people. Now the room is bursting. People are sitting on the streets in freezing cold weather just to hear the message of the Lord. And that's, it's, it's incredible. I've heard that same report from pastors in Ukraine. Amidst the suffering, people are turning to Christ. Our guest has been Bria Blessing, and we didn't hear any of her music today, but there are YouTube links on our website where you can see Bria and hear her sing in Ukrainian.
Go to firstpersoninterview.com for those connections.
Another ministry you've heard us talk about on First Person is the radio work of the Far East Broadcasting Company, known as Radio M in that country. It's an incredible story of God's provision during wartime, offering the hope of the gospel and counseling in the Word of God. Learn more about FEBC, not only in Ukraine, but in 50 other countries of the world, when you visit febc.org. And look for the podcast called Until All Have Heard from Ed Cannon of the Far East Broadcasting Company.
Now, with thanks to my friend and producer, Joe Carlson, I'm Wayne Shepherd. Join us next time for First Person. First Person.