In Pervomaisk it was possible to just walk down the streets and find kids to play with. From morning to evening, life was lived on the streets of the town. Children would hang out with neighbors and play with other kids, always watched over by a nearby neighbor. The kids would walk and play and run and hide, till they heard someone’s mom yell, “Time for dinner!” Walking on the streets was a way of life—for community, for friendships, for learning and sharing.
Viola’s favorite subjects in school were always English, then Ukrainian, and then Ukrainian literature. In general, Viola enjoyed subjects like history and language much better than math and physics. The first three years of elementary school she spent in a small public school in the center of Pervomaisk, which was considered prestigious and modern, but was a 20-minute walk from her home. She then transferred to another elementary school, closer to home. Here the children came from poorer families, but she made very good friends there and liked it better than her first school.
One girl became her best friend, and people would say that they were like twins. They would dress alike, would do things in the same way, and would also go to summer camps together. Eventually, they attended youth group together and went to church together. Their friendship started in third grade and lasted till the end of 8th grade, when the war came.
Many students in Pervomaisk took music lessons after school. Viola attended music and art school in the Baptist church. Viola plays the piano, but she is not very confident in her ability. At church, Viola started to work with Olya, who was her Sunday school teacher; Viola helped her with the youngest children in the class. (Olya’s story is in chapter four.) This was Viola’s first experience of serving God at the local church.
As a young teenager Viola participated in the youth club JAM, Jesus and Me. She belonged to the younger section in JAM, while sisters Lena and Vika, whom you will meet in chapters seven and eight, were in the older youth group. When Viola advanced to the upper class in the youth club, Vika and Lena had already left for university. Viola said all her life circulated around the activities of the church. She was part of a small group for young people and also joined the small group for young women that Ruslana led. (Ruslana’s story is in chapter six.) All week long, Viola was busy with ministry-related activities, besides studying at school and taking music and art lessons. Looking back, she said she does not understand now how she had the energy to manage all of this. But she remarked that the town was so small that it was easy to get together with people and do things together.
Viola grew up in a Christian family where her mom and dad constantly served at the church. She was frequently at church, and this was just normal in her childhood. But Viola said she did not recognize how important life with God really was. She thought that coming to church, being at the youth group, fellowshipping before and after the worship service, was simply a great time of hanging out and being with friends. She did not understand that God has a purpose and task for the church, that there is a mission of God for the world, that these friends were more than just buddies, and that people should be invited to church to hear the good news. The best thing that could happen, she thought was for people to come to church, to youth group, and hang out together. She liked the worship music and she liked listening to the sermons.
In the summer of 2014, she was leaving for camp with her youth group. Even though she was only fourteen years old, she began to understand, from the news and conversations around her, that things were changing in her country. The group went to Word of Life camp in Kyiv for two weeks. During these two weeks, war broke out in Pervomaisk, and the youth group could not return home.
This was a very hard time for Viola. She struggled with not seeing her family, especially her grandma Rita, with whom she was very close. She did not know what would happen tomorrow, what was God’s plan in all of this. Could war possibly come to Kyiv as well? These were real fears for a teenager.
Being separated from all that was familiar, especially friends, family, and her church, was very difficult for Viola. She wanted to see her friends again, she missed her home and her family. Viola said she had to learn to hope in God alone. And she learned that God does not just live far away in heaven–-He was really nearby and close to her heart. God helped her during this time to know Him. She learned a lot about who God is and what He had done for her personally. She was beginning to understand that life was meant to be a living relationship with God. So, at the camp in Kyiv she dedicated her life to God.
Viola initially left for summer camp, planning to spend two wonderful weeks there with her youth group. She ended up staying the whole summer as war broke out in her hometown. Viola said that during the initial camp time, she was simply a camper, enjoying the activities. But once it was decided that the group would live there for the unforeseeable future, due to the war in Eastern Ukraine, Viola began working and helping at the camp. The youth group boys were working in the forest and the girls helped in the kitchen. Viola remembered that her hands were cut up and sore from peeling many vegetables.
During this time, Viola’s family was spread out all over the country. Her mother, Oksana, her brother, David, and one grandma, Tanya, had fled the city of Pervomaisk and lived in a refugee camp in Vinnytsia. In this camp, only women and children found refuge and shelter. Viola was thankful that at least part of her family was safe. They were able to talk by phone regularly, but neither Oksana nor Viola had internet at this time.
Viola’s father, Elisey, had remained in Pervomaisk. There, electricity was turned off, so the telephone lines did not work and the internet was disconnected. The family could not communicate with each other. It was an extremely difficult time for Viola. She did not know what was going on in her hometown, if her dad was well and safe, healthy or injured by bombs or shrapnel. Elisey was able to call his wife only one time for two minutes from an old phone. His message was, “I am well. Don’t worry. All will be well and normal again.” Very irregularly, Elisey would be able to send a text message to Oksana, who would then immediately call Viola with the news. This uncertainty went on all summer; Viola endured spotty communication, had no family nearby; fear and worry for her dad dominated her every thought.
As the end of the summer of 2014 neared, Viola began to think about school. She was supposed to start high school, 9th grade, but the family was still spread out all over Eastern Ukraine. Viola already understood and accepted that a return to Pervomaisk was not a possibility. Of course, somehow the family wanted to live together again; they had not seen each other all summer. Viola’s parents made plans to move to the south side of Donetsk, in the Ukrainian territory. The town had formerly been occupied by Russian forces, but had been freed by the Ukrainian army in their offensive push. The family would not be living at home in Pervomaisk, but close by, as Severodonetsk was located just a few miles from the actual front line of the war. A Christian family offered them an apartment to live in. Oksana, who had very mixed feelings about this move, travelled to Kyiv to pick up Viola. The two of them, along with little David, then moved to this apartment in the late summer of 2014, and finally Elisey was also able to join his family in this town.
The family lived in Severodonetsk for four months. The emotional toil of the past few months and the present danger to their lives was huge. Viola said she did not really understand what was going on. She wondered what was happening to her life. As she started high school, Viola lived with danger, great stress, and emotional exhaustion. Her father went back into the conflict zone repeatedly, helping other people. School did not go well. She simply could not grasp what was happening. Ruslana lived with Viola’s family during this time also.