I Care
Olga
A bomb exploded 50 meters away from Olga. The blast wave threw her into the hay barn where she was going to tend her cow. One piece of shrapnel grazed her head without causing serious injury. Later, the woman found several other large pieces of shrapnel nearby. It was a miracle that Olga remained alive and almost unharmed. During the war, living in an active combat zone in the Zaporizhzhia region, Olga saw many terrible things: a neighbor whose leg was torn off, an explosion in a barn that killed three cows, at every turn she came across unexploded cluster bombs and many pieces of shrapnel. She can already tell the difference between explosions and knows how to know the next one is coming – but even that doesn’t always help her take cover in time. “I’m afraid to see my house destroyed,” the woman explains why she doesn’t want…
Victor from Borodyanka
Borodyanka is one of the cities that the Russian troops came to “save” from peaceful lives, homes, loved ones, and life itself. Instead, the Russians left behind massive destruction and unbearable pain. Victor was one of those who suffered from that destruction. The most amazing part is that he and his entire family (five people) were able to leave the town at the very last moment, right before the Russians entered and occupied the town. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take his beloved dog with them, and it didn’t survive. Victor now shows others the ruins of his apartment that was completely destroyed. He shares that his family was so happy and enjoyed life so much there, but that now it is all gone. However, Victor is also very grateful that his whole family survived. He humbly received the iCare package from Mission Eurasia that his family needed so much. They now don’t have a…
Sasha from Kam’yans’ke
Sasha is from the village of Kam’yans’ke in the Zaporizhzhia region. This village has been under heavy attack from Russian forces and is almost in ruins. 93% of the houses are damaged and people can no longer live in them. On the other side of the village, people are so afraid of all the bombings that they don’t leave their cellars for days. No food has been delivered to their local store for a month now. This is the village where Sasha lives. His mother is so traumatized by the war that she doesn’t want to leave her house, which is the only house on their street not in ruins. She hopes the war will finish soon and everyone will be able to go back to their normal lives. Sasha’s mother is a single mother with three children. Sasha is the oldest child, so he already feels the responsibility to…
Anna from Kharkiv
“My mom and I are refugees from Kharkiv. I had an apartment there and lived with my dog Chaki. My mom lived in another area of the city. I am 57. I worked in a store, looked after my mom, and enjoyed my life. “On February 24, I woke up to the sounds of explosions and couldn’t believe that the war had started until I saw the tanks on our street. The first thought was about my mother. I quickly grabbed a couple things, my dog, and rushed to see her. Then life stopped. We had to spend 10 days in a cold basement, sometimes without electricity. Those were the scariest and hardest days of my life. I was really worried about my mom since she felt worse every day. During that time, my neighbor called me and told us something that was hard to process. Our apartment block had…
Anastasia and Little Kira
Anastasia Zyabko, her little daughter Kira (4 years old), and her mother Yelena became refugees in May 2022. That was when their village of Stariy Saltiv in the Kharkiv region was bombed. But before then, everything was quiet, and there were no signs of war in their area. But then the war started suddenly and was terrifying. The bombardment didn’t stop and people couldn’t leave their cellars for days. The village was cut off from all provisions, medical help, and even water. Anastasia shared that a missile hit one of the houses in the village, and a fire broke out. They quickly realized that the fire could reach the natural gas pipeline, which could cause a massive explosion. They knew that they had to put the fire out somehow, but there was already no water in the village. So people started bringing sand from the sand piles where children used…
Grigorii’s Story: From Communist Party Leader to Follower of Christ
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. – Psalm 119:18 “I spent most of my adult life working as a local Communist Party leader,” shared Grigorii. “I ran meetings and kept lists of party members, including members who brought shame on our Party by doing things like attending church. My entire meaning in life was tied up in the Party. “When the Soviet Union fell, I lost my job and my life lost its meaning. I moved to a small town and struggled to make ends meet. I faced a lot of health problems, including difficulty walking and seeing. My old glasses were completely useless and I had no money for new ones. It got to the point where I could no longer watch TV or read a book, and instead I just listened to the radio. In the summer of 2014, I…