This is Ksenia and she and her two sons have lost everything! They fled the city of Severodonetsk in the Lugansk region of Ukraine. Ksenia’s husband is in the Ukrainian military and is fighting on the front lines so they had to leave without him. They are now living in Kremenets (Western Ukraine) at a hostel for displaced people. Our good friend Alexey, from Water of Life Church, has been caring for this family.
Alexey was told that this family needed help. He and his team were ready to respond. When he went to meet them, he told me that he was so surprised to see how humble and positive they were. He was almost in tears when he heard their story.
This is what Ksenia shared about her experience.
“We did not leave right away. To the very last moment, we hoped for at least a little stop to the bombing so we could gather some things before leaving. But it was not meant to be. The first shell hit our apartment on March 8th. Our apartment was burning. The second shell hit our apartment in June. After that, our apartment was completely destroyed. There was nothing left, so we made the painful decision to run away from home. I was crying so hard I had hiccups. I just started driving, but I didn’t really know where I was going. I blindly drove across the country and somehow my heart brought me to Kremenets where we found ourselves a temporary home. I thank God that on my way I met good people because to go to a strange city where you don’t know anyone is very scary. I believe that God brought us here, to meet Mr Alexey from Water of Life church because he helped us when we desperately needed it.”
We have been working with Alexei to provide new clothing for some of the thousands of displaced children in the area. As a part of this project, MPI bought clothing for Ksenia's two sons. After all, they had almost no clothes to their name. When you have lost all your belongings, a few t-shirts and pants mean quite a lot.
But Ksenia's story moved Alexey so much that he decided to give her a little extra money to buy some of the other things they needed. While they were out shopping, something incredible happened! Ksenia found the EXACT SAME BLANKET that they owned in Severodonetsk! Now, this blanket is a little piece of home for Ksenia. It makes her feel like God sees her and that she and her sons are loved.
Life could seem very bleak from Ksenia’s perspective, but she says she’s happy. HOW? How do you find joy when all you own is taken away? Well, Ksenia says she is grateful just to be alive. But she is also happy that they found a community of support in Kremenets. Ksenia and her sons are coming to church every Sunday now. She and the boy are praying for their husband and father's safe return.
I'm incredibly humbled to have been a part of impacting Ksenia's life. A few items of clothing are a small price to pay for such a HUGE impact. This is the effect your donations have. MPI donors provided for Ksenia and her children and together we restored some of what has been stolen from them. Your donations truly are life-changing!
You can change a life like Ksenia’s. Click on the donate button to rescue and bring hope to another Ukrainian like Ksenia today.
