A personal message from Ukraine

The Ukrainian war and the atrocities it has shown us prays on our mind. We ask difficult questions of ourselves, the world and God to which there are no easy answers.

As a church we have contact with a church in Kyiv. They worship to the sounds of air raids and bombs. They serve their neighbours and are living lives in the storm of war. They sleep in their bomb shelters and blog daily about their faith and their lives.  This is some of what Maia, one of the leaders, has written about God’s care in the midst of war following the birth of her granddaughter. 

‘Nights even after 26 days of war still signify danger and bring fears – most bombings happen at night. This is a special time of the day for us to keep reminding ourselves of God’s goodness, His protection, and provision.

Days before the war I saw it in my nightmares how we would be evacuating from Kyiv, under bombings, possibly on foot through snowy fields with our pregnant Sasha, trying to get to a village 60 km from Kyiv. Of course, it turned out that with Russian invaders coming close to Kyiv and occupying suburbs and villages those places turned into battlefields. We are grateful that when the war started God gave us the wisdom to stay in the city.

During the first days of the war, we heard a lot of reports of women giving birth to babies in bomb shelters and women not having milk to nurse because of stress. Those stories fuelled my next portion of nightmares. We had never thought of buying any baby formula ahead of time! Our granddaughter was going to nurse. Just as I was getting worked up about finding where we could get formula. I got a call from a volunteer with who we had worked in Eastern Ukraine when we took humanitarian aid there in 2014-18. She said she was focused on helping our military but she had some baby diapers and formula that needed to be distributed and she asked if our church could help with distribution. God didn’t only assure me that He will take care of our grandbaby but He also tasked us with helping others!

My big fear was that Sasha would have to go to the hospital at night, during curfew and air raid. Then the baby action came. And it was night, a curfew and air raid. While Sasha waited for contractions to become more frequent we started hearing loud explosions. Before it got worse Nikita called the ambulance, it arrived very quickly and we watched how it took Sasha and Nikita on an absolutely empty road to the hospital towards the sounds of explosions.

Later that morning hospital insisted that Nikita leaves till a more active phase of labor. Meanwhile situation around Kyiv was getting worse and it was announced that a curfew would start that evening for 48 hours. If Nikita didn’t get in the hospital before curfew Sasha would be alone through the birth and after. The explosions were much more audible near the hospital. I can’t imagine how scary it was for Sasha to be alone. Around lunch time I asked Nikita how Sasha was doing, he said she was crying, I could see Nikita was on verge of tears too. I went to the bedroom and cried.

Some days a while ago we had started sharing our lunches and dinners with our concierge – she is still serving as our “security guard” 24/7. So I took lunch to her that day and on the way back I was coming in the elevator with a neighbour who asked how we were doing. I started telling about Sasha and Nikita and broke into tears. He didn’t go to his floor, came out of the elevator on ours. He started making phone calls and didn’t give up for 2 or 3 hours until he found the head doctor who allowed Nikita to get into the hospital and be with Sasha before, during, and after Briana’s birth.

You know, how in my nightmares I was imagining that Sasha would give birth in a snowy field under bombings, or in a bomb shelter, or even at home. But God took care of everything! She was in a good hospital, had an excellent doctor, and Sasha, Nikita, and Bria were given the best room. They also had very good food – now because relatives are not allowed to bring food, restaurants are donating a variety of wonderful meals to hospitals. The nights Sasha and Nikita spent at the hospital were more comfortable than at home – they got to sleep in the bed, rather than on the floor in our bomb shelter.

Yesterday they also found a very good private paediatric clinic close by. The doctors in this clinic didn’t leave Kyiv! They are currently not charging anything – people can pay what they are able to or have services for free.

God has been so good and so faithful every step of our way through this valley of shadow!’

In the midst of war they are very aware of God. God is at work here too, in the immense relief effort, in collections, in fundraising efforts, in the offering of homes for refugees and in prayer as we join with the church across the world in praying for peace.

Join with us as we pray for the situation. You may like to use this prayer or follow Maia on this link (1) Maia Mikhaluk | Facebook

God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Amen