The first night I slept in my new home I awoke to the sound of war. I looked out the window and could hear loud explosions going off in the distance. Suddenly, a teammate came into the room and told me to pack a bag and prepare to evacuate. As a precaution, our team left our home and headed to our shelter location to sleep. I lay awake with a mix of emotions racing through my mind. Eventually I was able to go to sleep.
A few short hours later some of my teammates and I headed onto the road to prepare to evacuate a father, his two children, and the grandmother from their home. On the drive out, a loud air raid siren went off and the little girl became fearful. Her grandmother consoled her and comforted her.
I have only been in Ukraine a few weeks and I have heard different sounds of war including air raid alert sirens and explosions in the distance. I cannot imagine the local Ukrainians who have been exposed to the sound of war for over three years. No one, especially the young children, should have to live in this fear.
My friend sent me this verse which has been encouraging to me. Psalms 4:8 “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.”
I hope the people of Ukraine can also come to know the Heavenly Father, the ultimate source of true and perfect peace.