Andrii & Yulia Polonnikov

Teresa

Andrii was born in Lviv, Ukraine, where he has lived his whole life. He began attending church through a friend. Through a summer camp ministry, Andrii started to understand what it meant to live with the Lord when he was only 12 years old. At the age of 13, he made a commitment to follow Jesus. He is committed in service to his new church, where he is a main elder. He is also the head coach for their floorball team.

Andrii and his wife, Yulia, love working with teenagers and realize the influence that they can have on their lives. Serving in sports allows Andrii to use his God-given talents to reach the lost and grow the body of Christ. It’s his vision to see local churches using sports to serve the next generation. Since its creation in 2013, Andrii has been helping lead the EDGE Sports ministry in Ukraine. In 2015, he began to co-lead this ministry full-time.

During the first few months of the war, they were forced to serve separately in different countries. Andrii served in Ukraine, helping with humanitarian aid everyday. Yulia served with Josiah Venture in the Czech Republic, providing emotional and spiritual support to displaced people.

They have since reunited and are serving together in Ukraine. Andrii continues to care for the Edge team leaders and coaches through calls and visits. He also helps to lead the youth ministry in his local church. In addition, Yulia serves in their local church’s girls’ ministry and helps to organize camp events during the summer. She also serves in a seminary in Lviv, managing the practical psychology program.