April 1, 2022 Update

 

Friends, family, kind strangers – it has now been 36 days since Russia’s invasion and the start of full-scale war in Ukraine.  It feels as though we have only just begun, but I also struggle to remember life before the war. I hate to say I have found a rhythm in our new life in the midst of war, but truthfully it all feels significantly less jarring than it did before. ** please do not share anything from this letter publicly without my permission.

Had the opportunity to serve a family from a local village with a few meals, a place to rest and shower, and my babysitting skills while their mom got some documents in order.

While the Zakarpattia Oblast, where I call home, has yet to experience any military attack – the air raid sirens have established an almost daily presence. They are eery and fear-inducing every time, but not altogether disrupting. The sirens indicate a potential attack in our city, and since our airport is still operational, it isn’t unlikely that we will experience some form of military action here. Though we do get to hold on to the hope of safety as our city is nestled so closely to the borders of Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland.  While we have remained fortunate, too many cities across the country cannot say the same.  According to Kyiv Independent, up to 400 Chernihiv residents were killed as of March 29 – 13 of the deaths were the result of attacks on civilians standing in line for bread. Up to 40 people get hospitalized with injuries in the city every day.  In Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, at least 300 civilians and 50 military service members were killed as of March 30.  As of March 28, over 160,000 people remain trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol. These residents are left without water, electricity, heat, mobile network, food, and medical supplies because the Russian Forces have largely prevented evacuations and incoming humanitarian aid. According to President Zelensky, about 90% of building in Mariupol are now destroyed.

Photo: Anadolu Agency

Someday, hopefully soon, it’ll come time to rebuild these cities. I pray the world is still standing with Ukraine then.  My ministry continues to embrace the needs of the moment, while also supporting and loving the children of the local orphanages. I have to give a shoutout to my new friend Jessica! She is also an American Missionary, but also now an IDP from Zaporizhzhia. Jess has lived and served in Ukraine for 13 years, but at the start of the war had to flee her home and come west. She hasn’t chosen to stay in Ukraine for now and has been a huge blessing to me and my ministry! She is a friend and a partner as we continue to serve in our callings here in Ukraine.

Another huge praise is that I was able to purchase a vehicle this past week!  This is my new Jeep – I’ve named him Jim. He will be absolutely vital in my ministry as I travel an hour one way to the orphanage 3x a week. Thank you to the very generous donors who specifically donated toward this car!

Ths purchase was all the more urgent as my friends from Shade for Children were able to complete the adoption of their son Jonathan this week! Clinton and Lena will take a step back from their visits to the orphanage as they focus on being parents. Thank you all for the prayers around this adoption, it truly does feel like a miracle in the midst of such chaos.

Adoptions from and within Ukraine, for the most part, have become completely impossible. While our region does seem to move forward on some domestic adoptions, all international adoptions and most domestic adoptions have come to a complete stop. This is because, in a time when over half of Ukrainian children are now displaced, there is no way to safely and responsibly place these children in homes. Many of the orphanages have had to evacuate, many outside of the country altogether. There is no way to know what this humanitarian crisis will mean for the orphan care system in Ukraine, but it won’t be positive. We anticipate the number of children in orphanages to go up, unfortunately likely undoing a lot of the progress to de-institutionalize the children of Ukraine. So while I don’t know the future of my ministry here, everything indicates that it’ll be all the more needed. Your donations not only make an impact in the now but will allow me to continue to serve the orphan crisis in Ukraine for the months and years to come.

So far your donations have allowed us to provide… supplement food and resources to two local orphanages. groceries and supplies to an IDP intake center. groceries and supplies for at-risk families in our community. a place of rest to those traveling through our city as they evacuate their homes. bulletproof vests for our local civilian defense legion.  travel funds for refugees. medicine for people stuck in Kyiv.  mattresses for a local IDP shelter.  strollers for displaced families staying in our region. rocking chairs for the orphanage. care packages for the orphanage workers who have evacuated with the children from the east. my availability – your donations also support me as an independent missionary and my life here in Ukraine. On Feb. 26th I made the decision to quit/step back from my remote jobs that were previously my primary livelihood support. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am doing frequent updates on my Instagram, so be sure to follow along there.  with love, Lina