Progress Report – 2024 – February

February will always be remembered as a month when the 21st century peace ended in Europe. Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in order to depose democratic Ukrainian government and block Ukrainians from joining the Europe Union and NATO. Putin’s evil wish for an uncomplicated blitzkrieg turned out to be an exhausting war with massive casualties, millions of refugees, and countless tragedies. It nmasked the Russian government s evil and displayed enormous courage of Ukrainians in defending their freedom. At the beginning the support for Ukrainians has been spontaneous, and great but slowly it has diminished. Now after two years, we, the western supporters of Ukraine, feel tired and exhausted. Where should we turn to find courage and energy to continue this crucial fight against evil?

The prophet Isaiah writes these words: “Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Is 40:31). The prophet speaks primarily about God who does not faint or grow weary and who is always ready to defeat evil. We all should turn to Him and ask for courage and endurance in every righteous battle including this one. And we also should turn back and be inspired by all victories, small and big, which we accomplished together in this fight. The following stories of our Ukrainian students should inspire us not to grow weary but renew our zeal for victory.

Angelina (6-year-old) and Valeria (13-year-old) from Kramatorsk, came to Martin with their parents Maxim and Tana in June 2022. We found them permanent housing, registered them to our school, and later employed Tana as our teacher for Ukrainian students. Since Maxim’s right hand is paralyzed, after an extensive communication with governmental offices, Maxim was granted allowances compen- sating his disability. Four more lives were saved!

Kyrylo (8-year-old) and his sister Darja (17-year-old) escaped Mariupol with their mother Oksana. Shortly after they settled in Martin, Oksana died of cancer. Among other pending issues, the task of finding them a legal foster parent was extremely difficult because their legal documents were left in Mariupol, a city completely destroyed by Russian bombing and under Russian control. Our Ukrainian coordinator was able to track down Arthur, their 22 year old adult half-brother and after extensive paperwork, he became their foster father. Kyrylo enjoys being a student in LAMS and Daria is about to finish vocational training and start working. Two more lives were saved!

Alina is a 10-year-old girl who came to Martin with her mother Yulia, her father, and grandmother. Initially Yulia was afraid how Alina would do at our school studying in the Slovak language and without knowing her classmates. However, after a few months, Alina was fully integrated and began to enjoy our school. A month ago, their Slovak renter dramatically raised their rent so they could no longer afford to stay in the apartment and considered a return to Ukraine. When Alina found out about it, she burst into tears saying she loved the school and did not want to return to Ukraine. Later we found Alina’s family a new apartment so they could stay away from the war and Alina could study in our school. Four more lives were saved!

Dear friends and partners, these stories are just a fragment of numerous stories that are an encouragement for us to continue our efforts. We can name tons of groceries and clothes distributed through the Ukrainian center, volunteers at the border rescue centers, camps for Ukrainians children, food boxes sent to Ukraine, camps for Ukrainian children, and much more. Together we have done our best to fight evil and in many cases we were victorious. Our school is a safe and peaceful place where Ukrainians and Slovaks can grow in the knowledge of Christ. Let us not grow weary and let evil take over. Let us turn to the Lord so our strength is renewed. Even though the final victory is Christ’s, this battle is still not over!

Yours in His service,