Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 504):

Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.
Psalm 54:4‭-‬5

As I sat down to write my daily update, the air raid warning was spreading throughout Ukraine. Kamikaze drones are attacking Kyiv and the Kyiv region, and the missiles that pretended to target something in central Ukraine are now moving to the western regions. We don’t know the outcome of this attack, but we keep trusting the Lord.

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been very busy with some of the activities from our “life before the full-scale invasion of 2022.” We could do some traveling, see some of the friends we haven’t seen in over a year, and attend some activities we had to miss because of the war. Life was busy, exciting, and so similar to “ordinary” that it was tempting to pretend nothing was happening. It was tempting to pretend that war is distant and has nothing to do with you. Thankfully, God keeps sending us reminders, even though they may be bitter.

You look around and realize that some of your friends are missing, and then you remember that they are taking refuge in a distant country because of the war. And you don’t know when or if you’ll ever see them again.

You see a family and wonder where their husband/father is, only to remember that he is with the army, defending our country, so you breathe a prayer for him and all the warriors.

You enjoy a pleasant day with a family, but then you are suddenly overcome with guilt as you remember a friend who is preparing to be deployed but lacks safety gear, you remember another dear person who is recovering from a wound received in a battle, or you catch yourself thinking that you are tired from this war, and then you see the exhausted eyes of a Ukrainian soldier.

These reminders are unpleasant, but they are necessary.

God knew that our memory is short, so in His wisdom, He gave us instructions on what we are to do in remembrance of Him. He told us to be a part of a congregation, to take His communion, to celebrate His feasts, and to share His testimony. He gave us these instructions not out of His vanity or for His pleasure, but He knew that we need these to remember Him.

God is always good, and I thank Him for keeping our memories fresh, even if it comes through pain.