Iryna's Story

Iryna's Experience - Four years of large-scale war in Ukraine

We have a large family. We now have 11 children. It was terrifying for them at first. We were afraid of the occupation and of atrocities.

We’re so anxious. It is a time of shelling and air raid sirens. The children cry and seek shelter in the basement when they hear the sound of planes or drones. We feel powerless to protect them. Sometimes it seems that the whole world cannot stop this.

The hardest moment for me was the death of my older brother. I lost my best friend, the pillar of our family. My mother has never gotten over his death; she is still grieving. And we have neither peace in our hearts nor joy. The war stole it all. We used to make plans, dream of being happy, and wanted to see our cheerful grandchildren around us, whom we would spoil. Now the future is shrouded in fog.

It is frightening to imagine that our country has no future, that we will always be forced to live in danger. It is frightening that our children will scatter to the four winds. War paralyzes, it makes people callous and evil. Everyone has lost something or someone.

My husband and I pray for peace, for all our children to have faith, for Christ to bless all our circumstances in life. We hope for peace, that our children will live in peace and be able to raise their own families.

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