We’ve been in Ukraine as Open Arms a long time now. In fact, this months on the 26th is the 14 year anniversary of when Melissa and I first moved to Ukraine and we’ve had “boots on the ground” ever since. So to say that the country of Ukraine is dear to us doesn’t even begin to cut it. These people. These cities. The president. I’m American, but Ukraine will also always feel like its a part of me too. So all of this feels like it is far more personal than just a far-off war somewhere. It’s not just Putin attacking a former soviet country, news of tragedy we don’t know.
These horrific images of cities being bombed, shot at, burned… we’ve been there. Melissa and Sasha were married in Kharkiv. Okhtyrka is where we buy our groceries. Sumy is where we moved to 14 years ago. Our church is there.
These people we’re praying for, they’re not only a general “Ukrainian people” to us. They’re our friends, our family. Sasha, Ira, Dusya, Vala, Roman, Andre, Anya, Denis, Gala, Emiliya, Valentine, Vova, Yura, Sergey… We know them. We watched many of them grow up in the orphanage and then have their own babies. Some of them we’ve loved them for their entire lifetime. They taught us their language, their culture, their inside jokes, their stories.
Kharkiv as we knew it, photo from a team retreat in recent years. 
Kharkiv in the last 24 hours, after Russian missiles hit.
This all feels as much ours as it can without actually being Ukrainian. So whether my phone is alerting me of a new attack in a place I know or a new donation from a stranger I don’t know… they both bring tears. Thank you isn’t sufficient for how grateful I am for all of you giving, for your prayers, your checking in. It makes you a part of this too. Keep those prayers and donations coming. Our Ukraine needs it.
Anika