Daniel Darling: A voice for the children

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Today is Wednesday, October 22nd. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Lindsay Mast.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Finally today, WORLD Opinions contributor Daniel Darling says the First Lady is an illustration of how we can use our influence to help others.

DANIEL DARLING: Recently First Lady Melania Trump revealed that she’s maintained an open line to Russian president Vladimir Putin for one purpose: persuading him to return Ukrainian children taken from their families during his war against Ukraine.

MELANIA TRUMP: My press representative has been working directly with President Putin's team to ensure the safe reunification of children with their families between Russia and Ukraine. In fact, eight children have been rejoined with their families during the past 24 hours.

This has been a significant issue of importance for the first lady. In August, as her husband was engaging in high-stakes diplomacy with President Putin in Alaska, he handed him a letter from Melania asking for him to do the right thing and return these children.

The president and his administration continues to pressure Vladimir Putin to stop his war on Ukraine. The plight of these children is a continued point of negotiations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said this is a key demand in peace talks. Audio here from his appearance on Face the Nation.

MARCO RUBIO: I don't think there's any ambiguity on our side and they shouldn't even be you know a bargaining chip in regards to a broader negotiation, but it's just one more element of how tragic this war is.

One group in Ukraine working on the problem from another angle is Save Ukraine. It’s an evangelical Christian organization based in Kyiv that has identified more than 19,000 children taken from their families. So far the ministry has helped rescue more than 650 of them.

Advocacy for these children and families seems personal for Melania, who grew up in central Europe during the height of the Cold War. In her address at the 2020 Republican convention, she spoke of the harsh rule of the totalitarian regime and its contrast with America:

MELANIA TRUMP: Growing up as a young child in Slovenia, which was under communist rule at the time, I always heard about an amazing place called America: a land that stood for freedom and opportunity.

Now as an American citizen and first lady, Melania Trump is more than an example of the American Dream. Her advocacy for others is a testament to the importance of evangelical engagement in politics.

Recently The Wall Street Journal highlighted the work of many politically connected Christians who have worked with the Trump administration to raise awareness of the plight of these children. At a time when many voices are pressuring believers to step back from the public square, this work underscores the importance of leaning in and stewarding our citizenship on behalf of the most vulnerable.

Seeking power for power’s sake is unhealthy, but Scripture is full of examples of men and women in power who used their positions for the benefit of others…people like Esther, Joseph, Daniel, and others. In a democracy like ours, where the government is “Of the people, by the people, and for the people,” how can we not raise our voices on behalf of what is true and good and beautiful? How can we not speak out against injustice? Both here and abroad. We have more power and agency to do good in our day than Christians have ever had in human history.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, we should pray for President Trump and his team as they seek to bring an end to a conflict that has cost millions of lives. We should pray for the families that have been shattered by war and for the communities that have been destroyed. We should pray for Christian organizations like Save Ukraine who are meeting human needs in a time of war. War is terrible. Blessed, Jesus said, are the peacemakers.

And we should be thankful for a first lady who is not silent on the plight of Ukrainian children.

MELANIA TRUMP: A child's soul knows no borders, no flags. We must foster a future for our children which is rich with potential, security, and complete with free will. A world where dreams will be realized rather than faded by war.

May her work—and the work of so many others—see more children rescued and reunited with their families.

I’m Daniel Darling.

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