Ira Kapitonova (Kyiv)
For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
Psalm 33:4-5
You know, sometimes there are prayer requests that you keep bringing to God day after day, but they remain unanswered, so you keep praying for them, but the enthusiasm is gone. Today, I saw a few news reports that encouraged me and showed that our prayers do make a difference.
Yesterday, there was a UN Security Council meeting, and the members voted on whether to allow the online address of the President of Ukraine. Russia voted against it (yeah, big surprise), China abstained, but the surprising response came from India. They usually abstained or agreed with Russia, but this time India voted in favor of Ukraine. Yes, it’s a small and insignificant vote, but I believe that it can be a stepping stone for a big change. Every day for the past 6 months, we kept praying for the countries and governments who support Russia (because they share the same worldview, are historically close, because it fits their politics at the moment, or because of the influx of Russian money they had been receiving for decades). We pray for the truth to prevail in the hearts of their leaders and people and for the truth to outweigh any temporary benefits or long-time preferences. I believe that this vote of India is an answer to our prayers.
A couple of days ago, I read that Russia has illegally deported over 5,600 children from the occupied territories. Over 1,000 children from Mariupol have been given up for adoption in Russia. My heart sank as I read it, and I simply couldn’t bring myself to think about what these kids had to go through or what their relatives must be feeling now.
Today, I read that Ukraine has tracked down and recovered 53 children who were set up for adoption in Russia. They are safely back home in Ukraine. Yes, it’s less than 1% of all abducted children, but it’s 53 lives saved and hope for hundreds.
Today, in Latvia, they toppled down the monument intended to commemorate the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, which in fact, was an offensive reminder of the decades of oppressive occupation by the Soviet Union, which ended in 1991 when Latvia declared independence. It’s the latest in the series of demolished Soviet monuments in the Baltic states. It took over 30 years to work up the decisiveness to do it, but even six months ago, it seemed unlikely. I believe it’s the result of prayers (not only ours but those that started decades ago) for the complete liberation from the poisonous worldview and Soviet heritage.
So let us keep praying, even if our prayers seem unlikely or take too long. Keep praying for the occupied territories (especially Mariupol suffering from a major fire), our POWs, the possible “referendum” in the occupied territories, and for Ukraine’s victory in this war against evil.
Pray for our building teams who are arriving at the site by the van loads. This is a picture of one of the first panel houses that has gone up.
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team
