From Maia Mikhaluk in Kyiv (619th day):
Today in FB memories a post came up with a few beautiful pictures of our trip to Switzerland in the fall of 2021. I wrote then: Can anything be more beautiful than fall forest? Yes! Mountains dressed in fall colors! When I was younger I really disliked this time of the year – rains, fogs, cold weather, everything seems to be dying… But I sure feel differently about this season now. Partly because as a photographer I learned to see the beauty of any time of the year. The skies with clouds are giving more depth to the photos, blue skies are boring . Same way in life – we can be thankful to God for any season, the rainy and foggy times shape us sometimes better than the times when life is smooth and cloudless.”
When rereading those thoughts from 2 years ago, I was thinking of the “rainy and foggy times” that shaped us in the past 619 days. “Rainy” and “foggy” are not fitting words – it’s more like stormy, dark, scary, dangerous, heartbreaking, trying… But it’s still true that the harder the times are, the more clearly they define us, showing who we are, what is important, what is worth holding on to, what and who to rely on, and what attitude to choose.
It’s still dark and stormy, but the Victory and peace are one day closer.
Voice of Ukraine 
2 responses to “11/6/2023 – Can anything be more beautiful than fall forest?”
“When you are in touch with friends and know what is going on with them, it is easier than being in the unknown.”
From Lyuda Betina in Belgorod Dnestrovsky (Day 621): A nice sunny morning starts a new week. We have woken up and are gaining strength after yesterday’s night attack on Odessa. Odessa survived another massive attack of missiles and drones last night…
Bright spotlights pierce the sky in search of drones flying low, and missiles can be seen in the darkness as they fly toward the city. Not everyone has the opportunity to go down to the shelter. A city with many tall apartment buildings has learned to survive attacks in its own way. For many people, the two-wall rule remains their main defense.
You need to find a place where there are no windows and you are protected by walls inside. Many people sleep on the floor in the corridors. 20 apartment buildings were damaged last night and there was a damage of a historic building of the Art museum downtown. The rockets also hit some industrial facilities. It’s good that there is an opportunity to chat, support each other, and share news on the phone. When you are in touch with friends and know what is going on with them, it is easier than being in the unknown. And it’s a great relief to know that the attack is over and your friends are OK.
We continue to pray for Vitaliy, Dr Anya’s husband. He is recovering and he is in a good spirit, he is also a good encouragement for other soldiers in his ward. I wrote in my previous messages about Zhenya, a young man who lost both legs. He seemed to be active and positive, made a lot of efforts to learn how to function independently in his situation. But Vitaly noticed that he was very depressed inside, though he does not want to show it. He does not want his wife to visit him because he is embarrassed of his new look. Vitaliy asked to give him the telephone number of George, our counselor and George immediately came. At first Zhenya was reluctant to talk because he had already had some negative experience of meeting with psychologists. But when George shared his personal war stories Zhenya became open and started talking. They spent about an hour together and agreed to meet again. Zhenya does not see his future with his family because he thinks he can not be a provider for his family now. George helped him to see the opportunities of learning new professions, programming for example. Please, pray for Zhenya and George also needs our prayers, he does not feel well, because of kidney stones that give him much pain. He went to the doctor and is undergoing treatment, but there is still pain.
On Saturday we had a church dinner celebrating Thanksgiving. We were glad to gather as one big family and give thanks to the Lord for all His blessings. It’s so nice to see the group of our refugees as a part of our church family. Now, when people have so little joy, such holidays bring a lot of positivity and hope. We see how God can give peace to our hearts and help us to go through the difficulties together with Him.
One of the thanks we give to God is the opportunity to purchase and repair the ambulance for Dr. Anya’s unit. And last week there was another provision from God.
Paul Lukoshkin wrote that the car for which we raised money a few months ago was damaged. When he posted the photo, we were very worried and thanked God that all the guys in his group were alive. It was necessary to raise money for repairs because they really need transport.
We spread information about collecting money and two days later the required amount was collected. We thank God and everyone who follows the events and supports our military in their fight against the army of evil. Paul came home for a few days to repair the car. We hope he will have some rest and we hope to see him.
Another good news is that yesterday we received manuals on Christian counseling translated into Ukrainian. The publisher has completed printing and sent us 500 copies. This remarkable work by a team of practicing psychologists and experienced mental health professionals under the leadership of Dr. Langston Haygood is a valuable guide for Christian counselors in Ukraine. In our situation now we see how many people want to learn counseling to help our society recover from trauma. This is a wonderful opportunity to prepare and teach people to work and help. We, the consultants of the Springs psychological center, thank everyone who helped make this possible.
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