From Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (582nd day):
A few days ago we got together to celebrate Mykyta’s birthday and yesterday FB brought in memories birthday celebration from 3 years ago. It seems in 2020 September was also very warm. The world was still in the middle of pandemic then. We thought life was complicated. But “complicated” in 2020 meant very different thing from “complicated” now. Nevertheless, life goes on. We have two new babies in the photo of 2023 celebration. We sure miss Danny in our group picture but more than anything we miss having him at home, even for a short time! My father aged noticeably. I suppose we all aged. The stress of the past 582 days is not easy on anyone. But we are grateful for family and friends, we are grateful to our defenders who protect our land from being taken over by invaders and we are grateful to God for being close through the most difficult times in our lives.
Voice of Ukraine 
One response to “9/29/2023 – We thought life was complicated…”
Message a year ago: Oct 2, 2022
(Day 221): Dear brothers and sisters, I want to thank you for your messages, sorry that I cannot answer each of them. But I read them with my husband, it’s a big encouragement for us. And sometimes you give us some good and practical advice, thank you. Thank you for your prayers and support.
We woke up with no electricity. I hope there will be electricity and internet in the church and I will be able to send my letter today from there.
Yesterday was a very warm day, even hot. Sxxx and I did some work in the yard and it was so nice to be outside. My parents have some nut trees that are big and give a lot of shade in summer. It’s time to pick up nuts and later when it gets colder we will collect leaves that will cover the ground.
Yesterday we had a support group meeting and a new family joined us – a couple and their 12-year-old daughter. They came few day ago and it’s a miracle how they got out of Kherson occupied area. They say that there are volunteers who risking their life regularly come to the occupied territory to transport people to the territory that is free.
They say that their village that is on the border with Crimea was occupied on the first day of the war. Russian tanks with Russian flags came like monsters and there was no peace since then. They stayed mostly at home all seven months hiding their daughter. They didn’t starve because in the village people have some food they grow in their gardens but they had to eat the same food everyday and missed variety. When they came to our town the first thing they did – they went to the supermarket and bought a lot of ice-cream.
They felt so well being in the group where people listened to them, asked questions and understood very well what they went through. They met people from the neighboring village.
Their daughter Dxxx who was in the youth group also shared some things about her. She loves spiders and she had ten spiders which lived in big glass jars. Each of them had names and she watched them every day, she knew what food they liked, how each of them behaved. When they were leaving she had to let them out in the garden. She misses them very much, especially Pampushka, which was her favorite.
At the end we suggested them to play scavenger hunt, which we had planned beforehand. The game was based on the topics that we discussed with them before – new reality, looking for the opportunities, overcome obstacles, belonging to the group, etc.
As they began to play they got so excited. The whole café was watching people of different ages running here and there, deciphering texts, solving puzzles, using special maps for direction. It was fun for everybody.
I wish you to have a good worship day! May God bless you!
In Christ,
Lxxxx
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