Is it war?
Refugees
And again - children of war
Baptism
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ?"
Balloons of "Soviet" parades
Відспівали перші, другі півні – мені все ще не спалося. Нарешті виключив комп’ютер. Помолившись, лiг спати. Проте проспівали й треті півні, та сну все не було. Я підвівся. Закип’ятив молоко. Вкрившись ковдрою, як у дитинстві, пив маленькими ковточками. Знову спробував заснути. Проте й далі не спалося. Колись у таких випадках рахував до ста, я ж – бухгалтер. Тепер промовляю «Отче наш». До речі, так робив у дитинстві, так мене навчила мати. Незчувся, як заснув. Прокинувся, як тільки почало світати. Здивувала тиша за вікном (зазвичай, раніше з вулиці долітав звук автомобілів, адже поруч об’їзна дорога). Ще заспаний визирнув у вікно. З восьмого поверху, там, внизу, побачив запруджену двома рядами автомобілів полосу, у бік Львова. Вона не рухалася. Зате у протилежному напрямку, жодного авто. «Мабуть, корка спричинила автотроща (за п’ятнадцять прожитих років, тут це звична справа). Однак, всі вони траплялися у протилежному напрямку. Та зараз він вільний, жодного авто, – розмірковував я. – Дивно…» Глянув на годинник – ще досить рано. «Мушу трохи подрімати, бо цілий день буду ніякий», – подумалось. Тож я знову приліг й одразу ж заснув. Прокинувся від настирного телефонного дзвінка. Спросоння глянув: «Кому це не спиться?». Товариш. «Пізніше передзвоню, – вирішив. – Він рано лягає спати і вдосвіта встає. Після другого інсульту – йому нічого робити». Дзвінок довго не замовкав, однак нарешті заспокоївся. Я вже засинав, як у мене промайнула інша думка: «Може, з товаришем щось трапилося? Може, йому потрібна моя допомога?» Взяв телефон. Набрав номер. – Алло! Що трапилося? – буркнув сонним голосом. – Ти що, спиш!? – почувся крик із трубки. – Сплю. А що? – Війна! – Не зрозумів? – Путін напав на Україну! – Знову жартуєш? – Яке жартуєш?! Вже ракетами обстріляв всю Україну, навіть Західну. Я заціпенів… Сон як рукою зняло… Вже довший час ми всі чули, що Росія концентрує війська вздовж наших кордонів. Нас запевняли – назріває війна. Лякали то тією, то іншою датою. Та прогнози не справджувалися і ми перестали їх сприймати всерйоз. Як у тій казці про вовка. Та вовк таки напав… Я теж не вірив, що буде війна, хоч вона вже давно стукала в наші двері – це просто не вкладалося у голові. Та нині війна – незвана гостя – переступила наш поріг… Молюся… «Боже бережи Україну!..» На церковному Вайберi читаю повiдомлення пастора: «Брати та сестри – в Україні війна! Прохання посилити молитву. Не панікувати. Бог – наша охорона!» Не знаю, як так вийшло, але нині мав читати Книгу Плач Єремії. Телефоную дочкам. Здається, не панікують. Старша живе у столиці, кілька днів тому повернулася до Києва, якраз перед війною. Моїй внучці немає й півтора року. Перед тим два місяці дочка гостювала у мене, на заході України. Пастори наших Церков об’єдналися у спільній вранішній молитві на захист нашого міста та України. Слухаю новини й дізнаюся, що близько п’ятої ранку Росія напала на свого сусіда, на нас, Україну. Як символічно – тільки сліпий не бачить – все, з 2014 року, почалося за гітлерівським сценарієм, а ще за сталінським, як у випадку з Фінляндією, а ще – афганським… Росіяни майже одночасно вдарили зі всіх напрямків по всій довжині спільного кордону від Луганська до Чернігова, а також з анексованого Криму. Частина їх вторглася з території Білорусії з благословенням бацьки. Проте, гадаю, що білоруський народ не вважає нас ворогом, але це поки що. Побачимо, як буде далі. Удари пройшлися більше, ніж по сорока об’єктах військової інфраструктури майже у всіх регіонах країни. Після чого розпочався рух танкових колон та живої сили противника. Збройні Сили України тримають удар. Кажуть, була тривога. Не чув – я живу на окраїні мiста. Мимоволі визріла паралель – москалі досі вважають, що всі ми теж їхня окраїна. Тож лізуть до нас, в Україну, з літаками, танками, гарматами – несуть нам свій “мир”, ще й дивуються, що ми такого “миру” не хочемо. Тож “прінуждают” вже кілька віків. Тепер ось знову. Проте ми вільні люди і знаємо, що мир може дати лише Господь. Отож, будемо боротися, хто як може, та однозначно – будемо. Телефоную дочці до Києва. Вона повідомляє, що всією сім’єю біжать у метро. Молюся за своїх дітей, внучку, за ЗСУ, за всю Україну. Вимикаю телевізор. Виходжу на вулицю. Автомобільні колони – до заправок. Людські черги – до аптек та магазинів. Тупо йду вулицею, ні про медикаменти, ні про харчі не думаю. Я живу сам. Те, що маю, для мене достатньо. Але ні. Забув. Не сам – зі мною Нана, моя кицька. Треба їй купити їсти. Що таке війна і хто такий путін, вона не знає, не в курсі. Намагався їй пояснити – не розуміє. Російський керманич, мабуть, і сам не знає і не розуміє, хто він, і те, що ось уже вісім років через страждання, біль, руїни та смерть, які приніс на мою землю, об’єднує Україну на всіх рівнях. А ще не розуміє, що тим самим розвалює Росію. А ще те, що іде дорогою Каїна. …Зайшов у магазин для тварин, купив їжу для Нани. У церковному вайбері пастор поміщає адреси укриттів у містi. У нашому районі поблизу їх щось не чувати. Молодша дочка скидає геолокацію найближчих. Виявляється, таки є. Я якось тим не переймаюся, але обіцяю їй, що у випадку тривоги залишатиму «свою» багатоповерхівку. Телефоную до Києва. Тепер старша дочка днює в метро. Внучка сидить на рюкзаку. Плаче. У неї продовжують лізти зуби – їй болить. Терпи дитино – на Україну продовжують лізти «брати», мені болить за тебе і за всіх наших дітей – чужих дітей не буває. Ми вистоїмо. Ми молимось. Нас захищають наші ЗСУ. Та найперше, вірю – нас захищає Господь. Слава Богу! Україна – Божа земля! Дочка повідомляє, що буде ночувати в офісі, він на першому поверсі, їх же помешкання на вісімнадцятому. Тож у випадку тривоги збігати вниз з такої висоти з малим дитям непросто. А ще потрібно подолати відстань від дому до метро. На все це необхiднi і сили, і час… Говорю з молодшою. Вона тут, як і я, і нікуди не виїжджає. Повернувся додому. Ввімкнув телевізор. Новини невтішні – на нас знову суне орда, як колись вісім століть тому, і ціль її та ж сама – Київ – столиця міст руських (не російських). ЗСУ й далі тримає удар. Молю Господа про захист древньої столиці і всього українського народу… Потрібно щось перекусити. Дякую Господу за те, що маю. Увесь вечір та ніч то молитва, то новини. Вся надія на Бога. Вірю, що все в Його руках! Над ранок все-таки засинаю… «Боже, бережи Україну!..»
...Our church is preparing to receive refugees. The head of the external relations department has already been appointed and is responsible for the reception of refugees in the premises. Of course, in such a difficult time, people fleeing the horrors of war need not only lodging and food, but also spiritual support, which is what our senior presbyter Ihor Bylorus does - he is now a chaplain. Responsible persons have been appointed to provide products and hygiene products. The members of the church take what they can: food and dishes, gas stoves and funds, stock up on mattresses, bed linen... Sisters volunteer to prepare food. Day and night shifts are established. A refrigerator is needed. I'm at the other end of the city. I'm trying to contribute something, but that's enough for now. To some extent, I don't feel very needed. But the matter is not in the church, but in me, because in recent years I have unlearned how to work in a team. The flow of refugees is increasing every hour. Viber. Pastor. Video message: "Good morning, dear church! Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! We glorified God when we were well. And now, in times of war, we also praise Him. Dear brothers and sisters! I think that we have already recovered from the shock. What happened happened. And now I propose to serve our Lord. You know, Jesus Christ taught like this: "For I was hungry and you did not feed Me, I was thirsty and you did not give Me drink, I was a traveler and you did not receive Me, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was weak and in prison and you did not visit Me" (Matthew 25:42-43). do you remember In the time of peaceful existence, all this was so far away: there were no hungry people, no cold people, no travelers. Today, dear church, many refugees are coming. You know, there are several people who have joined and have been working hard for two days, taking in refugees. We need blankets, mattresses, cots to accommodate as many people as possible. We need drivers, those who will prepare food, as well as those on duty in the premises. We have to... You understand - we are soldiers of Jesus Christ and we have to do it. Arise, dear church! May God bless!" A refrigerator is brought for lunch. They buy products. Food is being prepared. They arrange places for refugees to stay overnight. It seems that the body was taken care of. Let's not forget about the soul - tomorrow the worship group and preachers will perform. The pastor's message again: "Today we receive refugees, almost seventy, in the church premises and in homes. Thank you to everyone who prays for us, who helps, who serves. We still need prayers and financial support, there are many needs. If anyone wants to help, call me..." The business goes until midnight. I was about to finish praying, when suddenly - a siren. "WARNING! Address of the regional administration: "Citizens! Air alarm! Air alarm!" I say the last words of the prayer. "Turn off the light, gas, water, put out the fire in the stoves. Take personal protective equipment, documents, a supply of food and water - and go outside! Warn the neighbors." The neighbors are already running down the stairs. "Help the elderly and the sick." My sick friend refuses to let me take him outside. "Get to the protective structure as soon as possible. Follow the order. Keep calm. Do not panic under any circumstances. Pay attention to the following messages from the regional administration and local authorities." I'm not panicking, but it's hard to keep calm - missiles are flying at Ukraine. "Lord, protect and preserve our region, our Motherland!" Neighbors gathered on the street, under the house, some in the basement. True, I can't see anyone from my entrance. I go to the first one. People of different ages, with backpacks. One of the men with a gun. There are not many children, it can be seen that most of them have already been sent to the villages. There are conversations, even jokes. However, there is anxiety in the human noise. Our basements are not equipped for shelter - they have one exit. The windows are barred. During his presidency, he did it himself - after someone cut the electric cables to the elevators at night. So the basements are ordinary. There are no rooms with benches either. I'm not talking about ventilation. An acquaintance from a former job calls. She is alone with two small children. She asks if I know where the nearest bomb shelter is. I send her the addresses. He calls back that he has something close to her. I send her geolocation. An acquaintance informs that she is going to church, where, as it were, people gather... Finally, they report about the repulse. Glory to You, Lord! I return to the apartment. I drink tea. I watch the news. And again: - Attention! Air alarm! "You can see everywhere - Muscovites won't let anyone sleep today," I think to the sounds of sirens. I'm waiting, maybe it will end soon, but no... I listen, listen, listen... ... falling asleep...
...The daughter and her family have been in the village for the second day. After Kyiv, they leave from stress. I receive a reply from them via Viber: "Everything is fine with us. Slept all night normally. True, I dreamed of both tanks and explosions..." I am asking my daughter to send a photo of her granddaughter. Also sends video. From the photos and videos, I can see that my granddaughter quickly adapted to village life. I think that even when she grows up, she won't remember how they sat in the subway all day and for some reason didn't go anywhere, how she didn't sleep at night at her house, and at dad's work, in the office. Maybe I was imagining it, but it seems to me that she has grown up in those three days. They say the truth: "War does not have a child's face!" For some reason, she remembered her great-grandmother, born in 1942, who had the status of a "child of war." Exactly eighty years later, this fate also befell my granddaughter. "God, protect the children of Ukraine!" In one of the photos, snowdrops are white spring flowers, as a reminder that winter is not endless. Somehow, behind all those troubles, it was forgotten that spring is just around the corner. Therefore, I hope that the Sun of Truth will shine over Ukraine, that due to the difficult trials that have come to our land, the ice will break from people's hearts and they will know the Most High God, and will fall on their knees before Him, and bow their heads before His face. I believe that after that there will be no more clouds on their life horizon and peace will descend on the Ukrainian land. And for now, we are only one day away from spring. But in the conditions of war, every lived day, every hour turns into eternity... "Peace to Ukraine!"
...Since I am not currently on shift, but just spending the night in the premises of the Church, I went to bed earlier. In the morning, somewhere around half past five, the movement began - people were slowly preparing to leave. However, the children, who could not sleep a few hours ago, now behaved quietly. Our refugees are drinking tea with cheesecakes, humming quietly.
05:32. Air alarm. However, nobody pays attention to her here - we are in the basement. Nevertheless, at six o'clock no one is in a hurry to go outside - the anxiety continues. Little by little, those refugees who are not leaving today are getting up.
7:30 a.m. The siren sounds again. Now for the rebound. "Finally!" - those of our guests who have already packed their suitcases are happy. Saying goodbye Thank you They go to the car. "With God! May the Lord protect you on the way!"
Well, now you can have breakfast with other people. Around ten o'clock, ours began to gather. We have to go to a baptism in one of the nearby villages. It seems that everyone who should have been is. Before leaving, Pastor Ihor preaches: "Peace be with you!" - this is how we always greet each other. "Shalom" - "Peace". But today, when we say "Peace be with you", it has a very important meaning. We, Ukrainians in the West, felt in empathy what was said about those places where there were shelling. I want to appeal to everyone who is making a covenant with God today: believe me, this is a very important day. When a person comes into this world or gets married, these are big holidays. But baptism surpasses both the first and the second"... Pray: "Blessed are You, Lord - the Great One God. Glory to You from us, people, through Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! We bless You, Lord, today! Jesus Christ - You are the Prince of Peace. In this prayer we ask You for peace for our country. Thank you that today we can expand Your Kingdom, for those souls who want to make a covenant with You. I thank you for my brothers and sisters by name. Bless them. Stay with us and bless everyone. Let the heavens rejoice now in the name of Jesus. And in the midst of this sadness and grief, a drop of joy will appear. Amen!" We sing the psalm "Our God is Almighty, He rules on earth and in heaven in glory, wise, strong, loving. God is a wonderful God…” There is not a single cloud in the sky today. It seems to be bursting with blue. We stand around the pool. Pastor Ihor addresses the nine who will be baptized: "What you will do now is God's will. Before His ascension to heaven, Jesus Christ said: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved..." (Mark 16:16). Saved means that your soul will be with God forever in paradise. There were people who heard what God wanted from them, but they, for example, the Pharisees and lawyers, rejected the will of God for themselves and were not baptized by Him..." Apostle Peter says: "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! (Acts 2:38.) That is, the first thing they did was to repent. I have a question for you: - Have you repented? - Repented! - the answer sounds... The pastor asks if they believe that they are already cleansed of sins, saved, and receives an affirmative answer. So it leads them to the conclusion that nothing stands in the way of baptizing them. And now the candidates for baptism lined up in a chain. Women are the first to be given such an honor. The same action then happens with the brothers... The second part of the service is Communion. For those who were baptized for the first time. Prayers of thanksgiving sound... The bright day is coming to an end. Later in the evening, darkness and anxiety await us. However, the bright holiday of baptism reminds us: the Lord is with us, our homes are not here, so we should not live in fear - we are only travelers on earth...
…This night from 2:30 to 3:00 am my prayer. In general, I am on the night watch all the time. They say that sleep is the sweetest, and the first thing for the young, and also for the soldier. I do not fit into those categories. So I take any hour - the one that no one has taken. For a pensioner, this is not a problem - if you wish, you can make up for the sleepless time at any time. True, I still manage accounting. But this is also the kind of work that can be done both during the day and at night. If only the terms of reporting and payments should not be violated. Now the situation in Ukraine is not the best - there is a lot of grief, tears and blood, a lot of challenges. So the prayer of the church not only strengthens us personally, it closes the sky from enemy fire. God can create a protective dome - this requires the joint prayer of the entire Ukrainian people. So I pray: "Lord, I come to You at this time with a request: close the sky over Ukraine! Cover it from enemy fire: rockets, shells, bombs, mines, bullets. Unlike those governments and people we ask - You can do it... God, intercede, save and have mercy..." After the prayer, I didn't feel like I fell asleep. Got up around nine o'clock. I read the scriptures. I had to go to the city - a transfer came from abroad. I have to receive and distribute the transferred funds to the addressees. A siren sounds.
13:01. Air alarm.
I take everything I need and go outside. I go on foot. But after walking a little, I understand that there is no other way - public transport stopped until the alarm ended. On the way, I went to one of the exchangers, which was working. It turned out that they do not issue transfers. They advised to contact the banks. However, they are also closed. They are calling me again from abroad, asking what happened. I explain that we have anxiety, which means that nothing works...
15:11. Cancellation of the air alarm.
I go to the bank. While people are waiting in line, I find a free consultant. I find out that now you need to make an application for currency in cash...
15:28. WARNING! Air alarm!
Bank customers are escorted out the door. I complete the application on the street. Nothing to do - I'm going home. I'm just passing the exchanger. More than half an hour has passed since I came in here. So I come in again. However, it is still closed. Today is probably the most worrying day. The longest worries. Usually there were one or two of them in the evening, maybe around midnight and early in the morning. Now they started at one o'clock and still haven't shut up for four hours with a small break, and it's not the end yet. I'm going home. I see more and more buildings that have started working, and which no longer only lay paving stones, but also insert expensive, mirrored windows. I remember from the stories of the displaced people that the windows are the first to fly out, even when a shell or bomb does not hit the house, the glass is blown out by the blast wave. However, we have glass. Apparently, they believe that everything will end soon, or that a bomb will not fall on their house, a rocket will not fly. Give, God! Our people are used to building. Wars have passed through the long-suffering land for centuries, leaving behind ruins. But we always rebuild. Probably, because of this, almost all of us are at least a little builders. Now we are building all over Europe and beyond. Russian Petrograd was once built with the blood and sweat of our former Cossacks. And in the last century, Gulag prisoners, a significant part of whom were Ukrainians, built entire towns, which later grew into large cities. Maybe we would still be building the mother race if we lived in peace. But, unfortunately, they contacted not those who build, but those who destroy, especially someone else's. The streets of the city were filled with Russian speakers. Most of the locals either work or have left. Someone is sitting in a bomb shelter. Visitors walk around the city more. Perhaps our anxieties are not anxieties for them: they have been under a real bombardment. Our worries are like a reminder that the war is still going on, that Ukraine is being shot and crucified. It's been two hours in a row, and after a break it's like that again. So, somewhere it's very hot, somewhere it's very tense, it's very scary. "Lord, save those who are now under fire - be they military or civilians, protect them for Christ's sake!" After half an hour I can already see my house.
17:51. Cancellation of the air alarm.
I'm finally home. A bank SMS arrives: "Wait for confirmation one day before the date of the order." I watch the news.
20:39. WARNING! Air alarm!
21:21. Cancellation of the air alarm. "You can go back to your normal life. Everything will be fine." Well, I'm only in favor.
23:20. WARNING! Air alarm!
At night I pray for Ukraine, for children, grandchildren, relatives, for the church.
...It's quiet from midnight to early morning. In the middle of the night he got up to pray. "First of all, I thank You, Lord, that I did not sleep, that I can join the prayers for our Ukraine. Therefore, I am asking You, God: save, protect and save her! Save our soldiers, children and all civilians, save our homes. Protect our borders. Make sure that the plans of the enemy do not come true - destroy them, Lord. Make sure that the invaders flee from our land with great fear and never encroach on it again! Give our soldiers strength, give them strength, courage and skill so that they can drive the enemy from our land. Be ahead of them, be their guide. Take care, inspire, strengthen and help them. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask You, Lord! Protect all those who may be under bombardment right now. Support those who have suffered tragedies, lost their relatives and loved ones, and whose homes have been destroyed. Help them, Lord, in these difficult situations, in these trials. Help us, Your children, to help such people, respond to their grief, trouble, and their requests. Help to show Your love and care, Your compassion in the name of Christ. I am asking You for all this. And You, Lord, be blessed, be glorified forever and ever..." I wanted to write: "Waking up with the first rays of the sun". But today we have such a gray morning, the ground has not yet dried from the rain. And so I got up a few minutes after eight. Oddly enough, I got out of bed because of what used to annoy me - from the sharp sounds of saws cutting wooden beams (a small lumber yard across the road, right in front of my windows). However, today for some reason I was glad to hear them - they reminded me of that peaceful time that this hateful war has unscrupulously stolen from us. That's how you hear the sound of sawdust, see how people are working on the construction site, how cars drive here and there on the road, people hurry somewhere - everything is as usual. But you return to the bitter reality and remember that there, on the other side of Ukraine, there is a struggle between life and death, good and evil, light and darkness. "Lord, do not deny us help to defeat evil, return the long-awaited peace to our long-suffering land! Help us rise from the ashes and build a new country!" I think: "How we all want this now. This situation seems to speak to me in the words of the Great Kobzar:
"And on renewed earth There will be no enemy, no opponent, And there will be a son, and there will be a mother, And there will be people on earth."
"Lord, I thank You for this morning! Thank you that I woke up in my bed, in my house, in my city, in my country! Thank you for not waking up from sirens, especially not from explosions! Thank God that I can still walk, see, hear! Thank you for the food you give! Help me also to eat spiritual food from Your Word! Send, Lord, what You want to say to me today. Direct my thoughts to the spiritual and let Your name be hallowed from now and forever. Amen!"
08:24. Telegram. Address of the mayor: "Defenders, thank you for another peaceful night in our city! Glory to Ukraine!" I read and say about myself: "Sincere thanks, honor and glory to our Lord, who gives strength of spirit and skill to our soldiers!" You know what you don't say, but in times of war, God is on everyone's lips! I myself have never prayed so often. Glory to our Lord Jesus Christ! In Him is our victory over ourselves, and over the enemy forces of darkness as well!.. While I lay down with the papers, I turn on the TV news: "Good morning - we are from Ukraine!" I look at the screen out of the corner of my eye - and there... sowing is in full swing there. A farmer is talking to the TV host. Listening to this man, I thought that now, more than ever, the Lord calls us, Christians, to sow His Word... 20:26. Church message on Viber: "Who will separate us from Christ's love? Is misfortune, or oppression, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? As it is written: For You we are put to death all day long, we are regarded as sheep doomed to be slaughtered. But in all this we are victorious through Him who loved us. Because I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor Angels, nor powers, nor present, nor future, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord!" (Romans 8:35-38). Today Jesus takes care of each of us because he loves - Glory be to Him!"
22:25. Anxiety!
23:16. Cancellation of the air alarm. "You can go about your business - everything will be fine!" ...Today's night passed without anxiety - glory to our Lord God! 09:12. One sister wrote a message on Viber: "Peace to you! I am forwarding a touching post from the battalion commander of my daughter's classmate, who is currently serving in the Armed Forces: “When I passed through the devastated villages, where the survivors were more like weeping shadows, I did not feel much despair. Somewhere in the second week of the war, the brain simply turned on the protective response, and I stopped worrying. But I reconsidered something: peace and tranquility are an illusion and a deception, all your plans for a peaceful life are just vanity. The world is in the grip of evil, as it was a thousand years ago, and tears and suffering are its normal state. From the tortured Buchi to the millions of victims of the Holodomor - closer than we thought. A corpse in a place where flowers abounded recently is not a special case. Flowers and corpses alternate here for hundreds of years. The only thing that can break this cycle is God. We will never overcome the devil's kingdom by relying on lesser evils: mat, unreasoned violence, witch rituals and so on. A yellow and blue flag is not enough to overcome evil incarnate. Evil has a thousand flags. We are not dealing with a Buryat horde. We are dealing with a spiritual disease. The behavior of the Russian army - from the rank and file to the commander-in-chief - is the behavior of the possessed. The soullessness and impersonality of their army betrays spiritual defects to at least a little watchful eye of a believer. Unfortunately, this war has not yet given an impetus to mass conversion. Our daily liturgy at the unit deployment site is almost empty. Someone mistakenly believes that clothing is more important than Communion. We are sustained by patriotic fervor, but when we realize that the war must not just be stopped, but won, we will understand that the struggle will not only take place in the fields and cities, it is a war of the armies of heaven and hell. We lack flags, we need a cross, we lack colonels and generals, we need angels and archangels. If people come at us with the determination of the devil, then we can only oppose him with the omnipotence of God. God, not NATO, should become the main ally of Ukraine, only in this way and only in this way do we have a chance. It's a terrible and terrifying choice, but it's the only right one." Under the messages, I see how many people put "Amen!" I agree. Let it be so! I'm going to church. On the way, I stopped by a neighbor, he asked to buy some of the products. 11:00 a.m. Collection. The glorification group, as if in confirmation of what was said above in the message, sings:
"God, save Ukraine! Lord, have mercy on sinners! Have mercy on us and forgive us, We pray to You, Almighty! And protect us from the enemy, Because without You we are powerless! Lord, change everything around, Save Ukraine!"
Pastor Igor comes out. Today we have two guests from America: brother Glen and Corey, however, he lives in Warsaw now. Glen comes to the microphone. He is from Texas. Glen is 63 years old. The brother devoted two thirds of his life to missionary work. Since 1982, he has been conducting missionary trips to world football championships. Once, Glen was at a concert of a famous singer, when before the performance, pastor Genadiy Mohnenko from Mariupol came on stage. He and his wife adopted 33 children. Gennady spoke about the world cycling tour with the campaign "Ukraine without orphans". Glen was very impressed by the pastor's speech. They met, became friends. This meeting changed his life. A few weeks after that, Glen prayed and realized that the Lord did not want him to go to the World Cup in Russia. Later, when he was 59 years old, he joined a bicycle tour. So in the summer of 2018, they cycled across America - from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. Every evening, their team held a meeting, telling the audience how important it is to adopt orphans. - People collect things that are important to them, - said Glen. - Do you know what the Creator of the Universe is collecting? What is very valuable for Him is our tears, our suffering... He cries and suffers together with us!...
...If the time machine took me back forty-two years, I would have woken up in the walls of an old dormitory on Lvivska Street, from a terrible banging on the door. - Hello! Guys! Get up! Let's go to the demonstration! This is Komsorg. He needs This is how he earns inflated grades during exams, and even seminars, and some more benefits, such as a room in a dormitory, the opportunity to be the first to be assigned job referrals after graduating from higher education, and much more. So, the rest of the gray student mass, among which I too, although without particular zeal, get out of bed. We also need this - otherwise they can deprive us of a place in the dormitory. And we are not all the children of heads of collective farms, directors of plants and factories, zavmags and other honest Soviet citizens, not to mention the children of the party nomenclature. Some, like me, have retired parents. My father's pension was as much as 34 roubles. And this despite the fact that he was at the front. However, he lost his documents during the battle. So he never received any benefits, pension, or medals. True, he has labor awards. And the mother, who raised seven children, has a pension of 20 rubles. Of course, you cannot rent an apartment with such income. Therefore, one way out is a hostel. I won't lie: because my parents are pensioners, I got it. However, later this right had to be constantly fought for, because it could be lost for any wrong step. Finally, let's return to the May Day demonstrations. Here we are, in groups, by faculty, lining up in the courtyard of the institute. We are being enumerated. Banners, balls and even flowers are distributed. We learn to shout slogans. Then we line up in a column. Let's go out. On our faces, "happy smiles", "joy and pride for our great family expands our chests", it seems that this is how I should describe this "sacred" action. However, we, beaten Seluks, Malorossi, Khokhlas, in the end, Bandera residents and nationalists, are thinking all the way how to get out of this inflated parade as soon as possible, because our parents are waiting for us at home - either to plant potatoes or for some more important matters. At the first opportunity, I do so. Thank God for giving me the mind not to carry a banner - there would be nowhere to put it. True, you can ask one of your friends, but they are also preparing to take a nap. And the balls are like this: here they are, and then "ba-bah" and they are gone. Without them, you can huddle among passers-by, and there the road home is open. But let's go back to the present: I didn't believe that Putin would attack the whole of Ukraine, I thought that was the case in the past. But the people say: "The grave will straighten the hunchback." Apparently, it's about them, the Russians. Our past has always told us what a lying and vile people this is, although they consider us to be such, but "a hat is on fire for a thief." And yet, I couldn't believe it. When I was young, everyone was silent. Maybe it just seemed to me. I was not interested in politics, but while serving in the Soviet army, I noticed that the best in the army at that time were the Ukrainians. And no matter how the Russians picked their noses there, what Ukrainian, returning from the army, did not have at least two junior sergeant's patches. Otherwise, it's a shame. And we are also a nation that continuously fights, which has now been proven. However, then we were on the same side and I had friends from Moscow, Novosibirsk, then Leningrad and other cities. It was as if there was no difference between us, at least I didn't feel it. However, for some reason, the best friends were Ukrainians, Balts and guys from the Asian part of the heresies. Apparently, it happened on some subconscious level. I served abroad, in one of the countries of the Warsaw Pact. At that time, political scientists were so hard on us that we were ready to shoot at anyone. The number one enemy was the NATO countries and the USA. I see that little has changed since then. I think that the Russian soldiers are ready to shoot at them at any moment. One of the reasons for Russians' hatred of Ukrainians, which they repeat as a mantra, is the fact that they believe that we are some part of them that fought back from their hands, some kind of Makhnovites. And also traitors. In general, Muscovites like to turn everything upside down, because we suffer from their betrayal for centuries, as Lina Kostenko wrote in her "Berestechka":
"We bear the mark of that betrayal, by which we have been betrayed for ages."
However, we are a free people. They will not understand this. Not to understand that Cossacks are free people who are ready to give their lives for their will, for their brothers, because Cossacks are not ruffians - we are our own decree. I do not know how long this war will drag on and whether all Russian subjects will be drawn into it. If so, it will be very difficult for us. But the Cossacks fight to the last and die for the Motherland. They never bowed their heads to anyone. So the Rashists should know that if they go further, whatever happens to us, it will result in great losses for them. Our people and the military are now on the rise and are unlikely to forgive, especially after the Buchs, the Irpins, and the Borodyankas. Grant, God, that we live to the time when we begin to forgive again. We hope that it will come sooner than we think, because we are outgoing. We can be brought to a white fever, to a boil, but we cool down and harden, because fields and buildings, a peaceful sky and a peaceful life await us, and when there is peace, we are good, because: "Whenever possible, if it depends on you, live in peace with all people!" - wrote the apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Romans 12:18. Today we have Communion - the Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ. "We receive salvation, eternal life through the cleansing of Christ's blood," says Pastor Andrii at the end of the short sermon. We thank the Lord for His holy blood shed for us, for His broken body. "Lord, glory and praise to You! We thank you for the Word we heard and the reminder of the salvation that is in Jesus Christ. Lord, there are still people in our country, in our city, who live in sins. We ask that as many people as possible believe in You, stand on Your side, to serve You, so that Ukraine says: "Thank God!" Thank you for the salvation and hope that You gave in Jesus Christ! Amen!" - young preacher Vitaly prays. The service is coming to an end. Pastor Ihor performs the final prayer. - Sister Sasha wants to repent, - she says to those present. A woman says a prayer of repentance. Brother Igor is also praying, asking for God's blessing for her and the future child. Praise God and thanks for another saved soul... I go home by trolleybus. In the evening I am already on duty. Let's have dinner. Let's talk. Migrant women talk about Kharkiv. "Well, the Russians don't want war. Even the song "Do Russians want wars?" - intervenes another. "The Russians are pretending," I say. - As if they "don't want it", but they have been fighting throughout history. As long as Russia exists, there will be wars. Unfortunately, not oil and gas, but war, the occupation of foreign territories is their bread and butter. And it is even more unfortunate that they are our neighbors... Here I remembered the morning song before the Divine Service:
"God, save Ukraine! Lord, have mercy on sinners. Have mercy on us and forgive us, We beseech You, Almighty."