in
Focusing Gratitude on
Ukraine
By Randy Marshall, OMS Ukraine Missionary
Our Ukrainian friends in Kyiv woke to the sounds of explosions three years ago. The next hours and days were harrowing, with automatic gunfire sounding in our neighborhood and a Russian armored vehicle joyriding through the streets in front of our building.
We weren’ t there, we had evacuated to Budapest a month earlier. Thus, we avoided the traffic jams of people evacuating and the overstuffed trains departing for the West. We missed the food shortages and the stress of wondering if Kyiv might fall. From a distance, we helped Ukrainian refugees in Hungary while our home and friends suffered through the early stages of the full-scale invasion.
Although the Ukrainian army pushed the invaders away from Kyiv after a few weeks, and life returned to some semblance of normality, the stress of the war has continued unabated. Air raids are a regular occurrence. Explosions and air defense guns are audible nearly every night. Soldiers are a common sight on the streets, as are young men missing arms and legs. Some friends are being called up to serve in the army, and others are trying to lay low so they won’ t be.
Yet, even in the midst of chaos, we see signs of hope. Our teammates returned a few months after the full-scale invasion, and we’ ve had an OMS presence in Kyiv ever since. We are focusing on establishing communities where people can find hope in the midst of chaos and stress. One way we do this is by offering students a place to connect and grow.
Our Kyiv team offers students community through our weekly English clubs at
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