He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Revelation 21:4).

Editor’s note: Your gifts to SGA help support biblically faithful churches across the former USSR. And a large number of those churches are in Ukraine. That help is reaching non-believers for Christ in numbers not previously seen. Yet it is also helping give comfort to your brothers and sisters in Christ whose lives have been disrupted—losing loved ones, homes, and familiar routines and networks. Despite that loss, Jesus remains their hope. Thank you for helping provide the tangible, emotional, and spiritual support they need. Here is one woman’s story:

My name is Svetlana, and I come from the village of Poltavka, Ukraine. My life before the war was simple, but full of peace and gratitude. My husband and I lived in our own house, which over the years became not only a roof over our heads, but a real home—a place of warmth, care, and work. My husband worked on a farm, and I looked after my paralyzed mother. We grew vegetables, fruits, kept cattle, and had chickens. We lived our rhythm of life and were happy.

The end of earthly peace

But on February 24, 2022, our piece of the world collapsed. The war burst into our village with shelling, fear, and despair. The light disappeared, the water stopped flowing, and life became unbearable. The most difficult thing was the circumstances with my mother, who is 87 years old. She is blind, and in recent months her condition has deteriorated significantly. She hallucinates. She needs constant supervision, and now she is under the care of a psychiatrist. It was painful to leave the house, in every corner of which are our memories. But it became impossible to stay. The military helped us to evacuate, including my mother. Now we are in Zaporizhzhia. We live in a rented apartment. It’s a completely different life, and everything seems foreign and temporary.

I also have difficulty. Because of the war, I have constant anxiety, fear for my mother, uncertainty about the future. Also, panic attacks began and now a psychologist is working with me. Sometimes it seems that the world has collapsed, and I will not find the way back. My heart hurts for what I lost, but most of all for that calm, real life where there was work on earth, fresh air, apples from a tree, and my mother, who was still smiling. I miss our happy life. Today everything is different.

“Happiness only in Jesus”

But despite the pain and fatigue, we do not give up. I know I’m not alone. God is close to those who cry. I believe that the Lord sees our nights without sleep, our prayers through tears. And even now, we’re getting help from kind people, volunteers, acquaintances, and strangers asking, “How are you holding up?” We ask for prayers. This is the biggest support for us—prayers to have peace on difficult days, for peace to come—lest we lose ourselves among the ruins. I am grateful to everyone who helps—those who do not forget about the refugees, and who did not pass by someone else’s pain.

This is love in action. This is Christ among us.  We are waiting for victory. But more—we are waiting for healing. And even if the world has changed, God has not changed. He remains our shelter and strength.

We continue to pray for our country, for our people, and for our future. People who have experienced such pain only want to be happy. Now, we have happiness only in Jesus Christ, and in His salvation.