From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 1016 – 3941 days since the original invasion)
Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
Psalm 115:1
These gloomy days with basically no sunlight make it tough for me. Perhaps it’s the rapidly approaching end of the semester (we have two weeks of school left until the Christmas break) or general emotional fatigue taking its toll on me, leaving my brain blank at the end of the day, so I crash on the mattress and wake up with my alarm clock in the morning.
However, God’s grace is incredible, and seeing His work in the hearts of our students is a blessing that keeps me going.
A couple of days ago, my 3rd-graders needed to write several sentences about the places in Kyiv they would want to show someone who is touring the city. One student wrote, “If I had to give a tour of Kyiv to someone, I would take them to the Independence Square. I want them to see the field with flags marking the soldiers who gave their lives for our country. It is my favorite place because it shows how people are ready to sacrifice their lives for someone else. I think they [the visitors] would also like to see this. I want them to remember Kyiv as a good place.”
I wonder why a 3rd-grader can have this poignant perspective, yet many adults fail to care about the bigger picture beyond their gain.
Tonight, at bedtime, our son said he thanked God that every day brings us one step closer to victory.
I realized that I envy his faith.
Today, some of the teens from our school got the chance to visit YWAM Kyiv and learn more about their history and ministry. We also helped them (at least tried to help) put up Christmas decorations.
I know that it was the full-scale war that pushed us to be where we are now. I thought about the first Christians who actually left Jerusalem and went to the ends of the earth only after persecutions began. They were too comfortable with their own lives until then. It’s hard to accept that God can use horrible circumstances for His glory yet it is this truth that gives me hope.
Voice of Ukraine 