Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 341):

By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
Psalm 41:11

I often say that this war takes us on a wild rollercoaster ride, often leaving you dizzy and nauseous. You try to find balance but end up swinging from despair to hope, from helplessness to eagerness, from passivity to restlessness…

I guess we all follow one rule – do what you can. Do what you can, no matter how big or insignificant:
— Take care of those in need, and if you feel like this task is too big, then start with taking care of yourself and your family.
— Support the army – donate to the military funds, bring supplies requested by volunteers (for example, candle wax from used-up candles can be repurposed for trench candles), offer your hands making masking nets.
— Support Ukraine’s economy – work and pay taxes, buy goods from local vendors, provide for your family and neighbors.
— Offer emotional support to those who lost their loved ones or those separated from their loved ones – check on them, bring them food, take them out for a walk, and be there for them.
— Invest in Ukraine’s future – become an expert in your field, acquire new skills, find opportunities to apply yourself, bring up a new generation of Ukrainians.
— Defend Ukraine in your line of duty – guard your mind and heart against informational and psychological attacks of the enemy, spread the truth, raise awareness, debunk false news, even if your audience is limited to your household or neighborhood.
— Keep your faith and keep interceding for those God puts on your heart.

Do what you can.

The things I listed above are examples of what I’ve seen around us in the past 11 months. There are days when I can do a few things from this list, and there are days when I manage just the bare minimum. I remind myself that it’s okay to feel low and weary as long as you remember to do what you can. There was a silly motivational quote circulating on the internet a couple of years ago, “Run towards your dreams. If you can’t run, walk toward your dreams. If you can’t walk, crawl toward your dreams. If you can only lie flat, then lie facing your dreams.” All Ukrainians share in one big dream, and it’s the one we’ll be moving towards, even if we can only crawl or lie flat. We will do what we can.