From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 624):
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.
Psalm 24:3-4
Our school has started an incredible initiative this year. During their Community Service lessons, our middle school students make salads, which are then sold for a donation to the army needs. Watching many of them learn how to be more skillful with a knife or listening to their excited chatter while working, my eyes well up with tears. What a powerful encouragement to these kids to know that even they can do something to aid the army. Last year, they were making masking nets. In March, they counted the minutes they read to fundraise for an evacuation vehicle for the medical battalion. On Christmas, we’ll have our traditional charity fair. I love how our kids can learn about many ways to help their community!
You may remember the bakery that employs people with mental disabilities, ‘Good Bread from Good People.’ They keep their ministry, baking bread, bringing it to the frontlines, and distributing it among those who need it. Their most recent trip was to New York, a small town in the Donetsk region. It is mostly the elderly who stay in their bombed-out homes, refusing to leave and not having anyone to go to. It’s amazing how this mercy ministry works both ways — caring for the elderly and empowering people with mental disabilities.
These examples show me that it’s not hard to make a difference because no kindness is too small, and every person matters.
Voice of Ukraine 