Hosting a Learning Marathon Journey

Despite the ongoing war, last month we hosted a Learning Marathon Journey for our client moms from all over Ukraine. The participants were those who have come to trainings, meetings in Life Centers, as well as those whom we had never met before, but only had the opportunity to send a care package with baby supplies. Some were moms who are in special need, in a war zone, or whose homes have been destroyed or occupied.

For nine days, our client participants completed different kinds of tasks, the purpose of which was to shift their attention from the horror of war, death and destruction, to the light and love that we receive from Christ.

Our focus was to admire the God-created beauty of autumn, the changing of the seasons, and that their children are just as wonderfully created. We spent a lot of time virtually and in-person learning together about how the Lord can comfort us in the midst of great grief and loss.

Autumn in the Carpathian Mountains in western Ukraine.

One of the most touching activities was when we shared personal stories from February 24, 2022, the day the current war in Ukraine escalated. Our staff cried together and comforted our clients and each other while reading through the different stories. We supported some clients not yet feeling ready to open up about their experiences, while some poured out their souls, thankful for the opportunity to speak out and get support. 

Here are a few of the war experiences that were particularly touching...

“When I got pregnant with twins, my boyfriend left me and I decided to return to my parents in the Donetsk region. Sadly, I was told that one of the twins didn’t survive. Following a difficult birth via c-section, the entire city of Donetsk was evacuated. I was discharged a few days later. It was hard, but I was blessed with my angel. My parents and I decided to make the tough decision to move to my grandmother's older house because electricity wasn’t available and the house had an old wood-burning stove. Shortly after, I found out about Save a Life International and I wrote to you. You all responded by sending a package with food and children's supplies for my newborn baby. Thank you! Through this event, I finally got to speak out and it just became easier.”

Another client wrote:

"On February 24th, I woke up from the fact that my husband called me and said: "The war has begun." At that time I was 6 months pregnant. I realized then that the most important thing for me was to keep my daughter alive. For almost 4 months, we went down to the basement every time there was a siren. I asked God to keep us alive and for my loved ones to be safe. On May 22, I went to the maternity hospital to be observed by the staff there. My daughter Alina was born on May 26. Before giving birth, I was helped with a box of baby supplies from Save a Life International. I thank God that there are people like the staff at the Life Center in Khmelnytsky, because they helped me a lot, and now they give me an opportunity to rest and enjoy small pockets of peace this fall."

At the end of the event, our team prepared gift care packages for each participant and sent them by mail to different parts of the country. It was so fun to receive letters in response…

"Infinitely grateful for your package. Very pleasant to receive and I’m so joyful. Thank you for being and doing good in such a wonderful way!"

Understanding that we can help Ukrainian women in such difficult circumstances adds a little light in the utter darkness of war. It encourages us not to stop, but to serve these clients in God’s name even more!