Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 454):

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
Psalm 4:1

Mankind became the highest point of God’s creation. We were created in His image and in His likeness. We cannot avoid people because humans stand behind everything that surrounds us. Someone’s intelligent mind invented the device you are using to read this post. The chair you are sitting on was crafted by someone’s skilled hand. The flowers in your vase and the fruits on your plate were grown by someone’s dedicated effort.

Every item and every event has a human story behind it. How I wish we could hear the stories of every person affected by this war. They could be stories of tears and joy, victory and despair, loss and gain. The war has taken away so much, yet those not ready to give up will keep finding new opportunities and hope amid chaos and desolation.

My inspiration for today is Hanna Plikhtchynska, a 67-year-old resident of Stepova Dolyna village, at the border of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. This settlement in the South of Ukraine has been turned into ruins. At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Hanna evacuated, together with her cow Lana, to the Cherkasy region. Now they are back home, and Hanna checks her fields for mines and unexploded devices with a metal detector. I admire her courage and determination and can only imagine what it would be like to hear her story. Are we allowed to give up when we have such incredible examples of perseverance? No! So let us live so that our stories can also become an inspiration to someone.