From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 1052)
Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 2:11
The school is back in session. The first three days felt exhausting yet wonderful. These kids are my daily reminder that there are many battles out there worth fighting, and the Lord is fighting for us no matter what.
During study hall today, my third-graders discussed the drone attack from the previous night. It was a casual conversation that someone was awake because of the explosions, and the other one told all the details of the directions drones were coming from. It’s part of their reality, yet they are not paralyzed by it. They’re still able to thrive.
We started this semester with their resolutions for 2025. Reading their goals gave me a glimpse into their hearts. There were some silly and truly childish things they were excited about, like having a birthday party or going to 5th grade in the fall. However, they impressed me with their personal goals – someone said they wanted to help soldiers more, someone else was looking forward to summer to make and sell crafts to fundraize for the army needs, and yet another one (among other things) added a very realistic goal “not die.”
The joy and excitement so intricately interlaced with somber realizations seem to be our current reality.
As I was writing about children, I came across this illustration by @shapovalyura. Its title is “Children,” and it is about kids who grew up too soon.
Voice of Ukraine 