She and Olya spent a month or so in Feodosia and got their war news through the internet. No one could relax or think about anything but the war. The bad news just kept pouring in. Their apartment building in Pervomaisk was on fire at one point, and they found out through Facebook posts when the fire was finally under control. Criminals roamed the streets and acted authoritatively. Their church and pastor were threatened. Then their beloved church was burned. This happened in August 2014. How much worse could it get? An anticipated cease fire was supposed to enable some people to leave Pervomaisk, but would it come, and would it hold? Was it more dangerous to leave or to stay?
“God kept my heart quiet,” Galina explained. She doesn’t quite understand how that could be since her family and her husband were still in occupied Pervomaisk, but she was calm. What happened was indeed horrible, she said, but in her innermost spiritual being, she experienced peace. God supported her nerves and strengthened her hands, helping her to endure this tense and difficult situation.
The general expectation was still that within two to three weeks the conflict and the fighting would be over, and the population could return to their homes. But after Galina had lived in Feodosia for a month, it became clear that the war was not going to end, she said sadly. The troubling questions were: What to do? Where to go? How to live?
A Christian brother called them in Feodosia and offered them his apartment in Kyiv to use as a temporary residence. What a blessing from God this offer was! Galina moved in August 2014 to Kyiv with daughter Olya. They received more help from these Christians: financial aid, clothing and humanitarian items and also fresh produce for their refrigerator. It was an amazing experience of the family of God coming together and meeting dire needs. With tears, Galina recalled that they had no winter clothes by late September, and the pleasant fall weather would soon change to winter bitterness. They had left everything behind in their apartment in Pervomaisk. Their lives were left behind in the East. She experienced such rolling emotions at this time, Galina said.
Galina lived in different places in Kyiv from August 2014 till October 2016. The government helped with some of the needs of the refugees in Kyiv. They were provided with warm winter clothes, coats, and boots. Coupons were given out, allowing the people to get shoes and other clothes. Galina and Olya registered as refugees and were part of this immediate-help program. After a few months in the apartment in Kyiv, the owners returned from their vacation and needed their own home again. A pastoral friend called them just in time and offered them a place in his church building, which was refurnished for refugee use. Galina and Olya relocated to live in this Baptist church in Kyiv for the foreseeable future. More than thirty people lived there together, using Sunday school classrooms as bedrooms.
Sasha was finally able and willing to leave Pervomaisk as well, having experienced the war firsthand for months. Sasha rode his bicycle to get out of Pervomaisk to the nearest refugee camp. Then the church brothers helped him get a ticket for a bus, as no more trains were commuting between the war zone and the capital. Sasha arrived in Kyiv without any personal belongings, because it was simply too dangerous to return to one’s apartment since rebel forces had taken over many houses in Pervomaisk.
Galina’s brother still lives in the occupied territories with his family. She keeps praying and sharing with them about a new life, not just in L’viv, but a new life in Christ. She has seen some hopeful changes in her brother’s life and she continues to pray.
Galina, Olya, and Sasha had lived in Kyiv for about a year when Olya was invited to go to America to get away from the chaotic life in Ukraine. She spent ten months in America, from November 2014 till August 2015, and then came back to join her parents in Kyiv.
Much help was given to Sasha and Galina in their new life situation. They really liked living in Kyiv, Galina said. People were friendly and supportive. There was an abundance of clothing and produce; no one suffered from lack. At the church in Kyiv, Galina and Sasha slept on mattresses on the floor of a children’s Sunday School room. Every Sunday, they would need to put their few personal belongings away, because the room would be used for Sunday school, of course. As crazy as this time was, Galina laughed and said it was still a great time. It was an adventure with God. They felt very blessed with all the goodness and kindness the family of God showed them. In the end, Galina and Sasha lived at the church building for almost two years, till October 2016.
Not long after Olya returned from the States, she went to L’viv and, after an interview, received a job offer from Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary, Galina reminisced. Olya soon moved to L’viv, but it took her a while to find a nice, affordable apartment to rent. Eventually, Olya was able to invite her parents to move to L’viv to live with her. They relocated to L’viv in the fall of 2016. God still had some amazing plans for this family.
Galina said that once they arrived and settled in, she analyzed their new situation and came to the conclusion that their lives now were better than before the war. God had blessed them in so many ways, with financial support, with humanitarian aid goods, and with a beautiful new city to explore. Galina also had all the necessary documents gathered to retire with a pension from the government. Galina remarked that she really likes her new life here in L’viv.
One huge component of these blessings is that now they go to church together as a family. Back in Pervomaisk, Sasha would not go to church with them. He became a Christian in Kyiv during this time of forced relocation and war turmoil. While he lived as a refugee in a church building, he was surrounded by God’s love and God’s people. He went to all the small groups that were a part of the church’s ministry. When he trusted Christ as his personal Lord and Savior, Galina rejoiced. Once they moved to L’viv, Sasha followed his public confession with believer’s baptism at Disciples Church. Now, at home, they pray together every evening – something unimaginable before, Galina said. Sasha also found work in L’viv, since, as his wife playfully tells him, he is far from retirement!
With her friend Rita, Galina now manages the work with refugees for Disciples Church. She handles the humanitarian aid supplies coming in and going out to needy families and individuals. She is able with a grateful heart to sympathize and help others coming in as refugees. She has received so much help and encouragement that now she gladly shares with all who need it. She loves the new church plant under her pastor Elisey. She is truly happy.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ruslana
Ruslana was born in Pervomaisk in the Lugansk region in 1993. She is number four among five children, as she has two sisters and two brothers. Her mom was the most influential person in her life. They were very close. Her mom was a homemaker, managing the household and caring for the kids. She showed Ruslana how to live the Christian life and was a good example for her. Ruslana’s parents were also very hospitable and had many guests in their home. Their many dogs, cats and parrots were also considered members of the family. In school, Ruslana liked physical education best and math least. She participated in school competitions for sporting events and she dreamed of sport tourism as a future career.
During the summers, she would go to the lake with her friends and do family vacations by the Azov Sea. She would also go with her siblings to visit their grandma and help her, working the potato fields, typical Ukrainian pastime. Oftentimes, she would simply play in the streets of Pervomaisk with other kids, running around, and inventing their own games and schemes. Kids would play a lot on the streets for the simple reason that there were never a lot of toys, and certainly no board games. Ruslana really liked sports as she grew up, and whatever sport she was playing at the moment – soccer, volleyball, baseball – was her favorite! She learned UNO and Chess, though.