Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova (Day 404):

May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Psalm 104:34

A year ago today, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the Chernihiv region.

A small village in that region has a beautiful name, Yahidne (Berry Village), but a horrible story. Before the occupation, the town had a population of 400 people. When the invaders came, they told everyone to come to the school basement. About 370 people had to spend 28 days in that basement – no room to sit or lie down (they had just over 0.5 sq.m, about 5 sq. feet per person), no fresh air to breathe, no light, and very little food. People would faint or lose their minds because of hunger. At least 10 people died in that basement. Their names and the dates of their deaths were written on the wall because even in that basement, people believed that liberation would come one day, and they wanted to remember.

As I read this horrific story today, I wonder how many more “Yahidne” villages exist in occupied territories. For example, Avdiivka is a town in an active combat zone. While it was still possible to access the city, the journalists recorded stories of people who live amid war. They wrote about Iryna, who had lost her leg when her house was shelled. She doesn’t want to evacuate and wants to live peacefully in Avdiivka. They wrote about 12-year-old Dmytro and his family, who try to live an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances. Dmytro wishes he could go to school and play with his schoolmates, but his parents didn’t want to evacuate (the report was written before the mandatory evacuation of children order was passed). Dmytro looks at his parents and says, “If my parents aren’t afraid, then I won’t be afraid either.” The journalists wrote about Svitlana, who shivers in the cold basement and wishes to die from a bomb because at least it would be fast, and she wouldn’t have to endure this cold again. They wrote about 65-year-old Valerii, who seems oblivious to the things happening around his basement because he tries to stay underground as much as possible and says he is determined to remain in his home “until things start going bad.”

Hearing these stories, I imagine the cries of millions of hearts rising to the Lord. I imagine Him weeping and grieving for the horrible things His children have to endure. I imagine His heart breaking as He gently whispers to every suffering soul, “I am with you. Take my hand. Lean on me.” Oh, how I long for the day when the Lord will restore His justice.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24