One couple came to the OMS shelter in shock ( pictured with Randy ). They were so on edge they couldn ’ t even sleep . They lived in an eastern Ukrainian city near Lugansk that has been heavily bombed . They slept in their own beds the first night of the war then spent 24 days in a bomb shelter . The electricity was out , and the only time they had lighting was when they ate . The light came from harvested batteries some of the men had gathered from abandoned trolleybuses . Otherwise , they lived in darkness and listened to bombs shaking the earth above them .
This couple visited their house once ( pictured on page 16 ), but the windows were blown out , and everything was frozen . When they finally escaped the city , a missile exploded just around the corner — scaring them but only damaging a building .
Thankfully , they made it to Switzerland and reunited with their daughter . A farmer there even gave them a small plot of land where they could plant vegetables . “ We have our own dacha ( cottage ) in Switzerland ,” they said , expressing thankfulness to God for all the help they received during their evacuation .
Another couple of families who stayed at the OMS shelter evacuated from Kharkiv , a large town near the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine that has been under heavy attack . One of the women , Lena ( red hair , pictured with Randy and Lena ’ s daughter ), shared that she learned to distinguish sounds of the various missiles that were exploding in their city because she heard them so often . “ No woman should be able to do that ,” she said in Russian . She remembers cooking borscht in her kitchen while bombs were falling and deciding not to run for the shelter because they fell so often .
Unfortunately , she had to leave her husband behind — no men between 18 and 60 are allowed to leave Ukraine . That ’ s why most of the refugees are women and children . She escaped with her teenage daughter , who was amazed at all the assistance they received along the way — food , lodging , and transport . “ Mom , God really loves us ,” she said . Her comment surprised Lena since they didn ’ t usually talk much about spiritual things .
One young woman , Olya ( center with Randy and Shelley , his wife ), came through Budapest with her aging mother on their way to Belgium . They evacuated from Kyiv when medical supplies started waning . Her mother had surgery in early January 2022 , and she needed medicine and bandages , which had become scarce . During their brief stay in Budapest , with a feeling of peace and safety , this woman ’ s mother took her first walk since her surgery . She looked out over the Danube River and enjoyed the nighttime lights of Budapest . The walk “ was so important for my mom — to have a gulp of fresh air !” said Olya .
Please continue to pray with us for peace in Ukraine . 17