From: Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 1317)
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
Psalm 118:7
It’s our break week at school, so we get to spend a couple of days at my grandma’s. Today, I felt relieved we didn’t have a school day because there were several air raids in Kyiv during the day, which is mostly unusual. I imagined how hard it would be in a basement and praised God for breaks. I don’t know if this compartmentalizing is a healthy thing, but I go between getting very self-centered and focused on our local threats and getting overwhelmed when I think about the people living close to the frontline.
For example, the situation is dire in the Chernihiv region. Recent strikes caused a massive blackout there (which also affects the power supply to the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant), leaving hundreds of towns without electricity and water. It was reported that all schools in the Chernihiv region will switch to distance learning, and it’s heartbreaking.
Today, 205 Ukrainians returned home as part of the POW swap. I saw a report with a man weeping because he felt both happy and devastated, because so many of his friends were still in captivity. He had been captive for 1267 days!
I cannot fathom how that man feels or what he has experienced, but I can definitely relate to feeling both relieved and devastated at the same time. Yet may the peace of God flow like a river into all troubled hearts.
Voice of Ukraine 