Yestereday we went to the newly liberated villages outside of Kyiv, Bucha, Irpin and a number of smaller villages. We had a very enlightening time with many of the villagers. They were typical Ukrainians, jovial, animated and very much wanting to tell their stories.
Two posts from Ira (Kyiv)
The first one is from an oncologist. Her elderly patient and his wife are from Bucha. Unfortunately, they lost precious time because of the war and occupation, and the doctors are desperately trying to make up for it. Their conversation:
– Were you scared?
– We were at first. But we stopped thinking about it. Our neighbor kept saying that the Russian soldiers were the good guys and they wouldn’t hurt us. In a week, once they realized they wouldn’t be able to take over Kyiv, they got wild. They killed that neighbor and then another one. They shot the hands and feet of some neighbors just for fun. I am a nurse, so I was called to help.
– Do you have any pictures?
– Pictures? No, those whose phones weren’t taken away were keeping them safe; otherwise, you could be killed for keeping them. They were shooting everyone because they felt hopeless. You should have seen how we kissed and hugged our soldiers once they came…
A simple hospital room seems like a luxury suite after the time in a basement amid ruins. A simple hospital soup became a high delicacy after meals cooked in secret over a fire.
The second post is from a blogger and children’s writer. She shared some conversations of her children:
* Her 3-year-old son said, “Thunder is when there’s an air raid warning, a siren, and then the “boom!”
* Her daughter studies geography from the messages of her friends scattered all over the world.
* Mom, meet my new friend. She is from Mariupol. Their car has holes. And they have a funny dog. And they don’t have a home.
* Mom, I read the news. It’s so complicated. It’s easier in books. In a book, there is a villain who does something terrible, but then someone nice always comes to undo the damage. The news said that a Russian missile killed many people. And I know that no nice person would ever be able to undo this.
The hardest part is to realize that these children will have to live with this experience, and all we can do now is to make sure they will never have to talk about war ever again.
These two posts show how this brutal war comes into the lives of both old and young. There is so much pain between the lines; it’s unbearable. So I can only pray for God to intervene. Come, Lord Jesus. Come soon!
Please pray,
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team (Kyiv)