Before we share the email from Irina, last week we sent Irina and the orphanage NZ$2,500. Thank you to everyone who has given over the past weeks, it has helped them immensely.
If you'd like to give to the Irina and the people of Ukraine, see details here. Please reference any banking with: Ukraine, and we'll send that to Irina.
Here is the email from Irina:
Hello dear friends of PEAK Vision Church! Today I woke up before dawn. Somewhere in the distance there were explosions. I turned on the lamp - there is no light. I thought that maybe they were shooting at the Trypilska CHPP. It's about 40 km. At the beginning of the war, one rocket fell there and, but it did not do much harm. Fear crept into my heart. I imagined how people live in my Mariupol. City in a cauldron. Russian troops cannot break through the defenses of Mariupol; during the years of the war, powerful fortifications were built there. And the enemies began to bomb civilians. It's horrible. Yesterday, a maternity hospital was bombed in the city center. In which I lay 32 years ago My apartment, in which my son and I used to live, seemed safe. It is located on the western outskirts of the city.
The road to Zaporozhye passes nearby. They make a corridor for the evacuation of residents. But it is always bombed when an evacuation is announced. Near the house, almost everything was bombed. In one of the videos, I saw that our house was intact. Many people remained there - Acquaintances, relatives, friends. They sit in basements, they live there. Cooking food on the street, on fires. The vile Russian leadership opens evacuation corridors towards Russia, but people prefer to live in cellars under bombs than to flee to Russia. Children are dying, women, old people. The corpses lie on the streets and they do not have time to bury. They are buried between bombings in mass graves on the outskirts of the city. I don't know why the world community or NATO cannot close the sky over Ukraine. ?? and protect civilians. Sometimes it seems to me that it is beneficial for them to drag out the war in order to weaken Russia. But then it's so inhumane. On the other hand, I do not know all the motives why the strong cannot stand up for the weak. And another evacuation is under fire. This is an evacuation from the western regions near Kiev - Bucha, Irpen, Vorzel. A bridge was blown up there and people had to walk some part of the way. It is very dangerous. Yesterday Olya (who used to work in our center, you know her) was supposed to evacuate with her family, but at the last moment they changed their minds. Their house is intact, but the sirens there roar so often that one can say that they live in the basement. It's very dangerous there.
There are not so many refugees coming to our house anymore, they are moving west to the border. Having survived the bombing, they already want to go where no bombs can reach them. All neighboring countries provide free housing and food. This is so touching!
And I want to tell you a little about home comfort in the midst of this hurricane of pain, tears, war.
Rostik and Natasha live with me. Their mother drinks (I don't know where she gets money for moonshine?) Recently it was Women's Day and Rostik brought me and my sister flowers. Such a knight is growing! We have 3 women - refugees from Kyiv, they do not want to go anywhere. They cannot decide where and when to go... They cook delicious food and we feed the children and invite many people from the church to visit. We deliver food to families. Now there are deliveries of products. they are brought by cars, there is already diesel at the gas station. Now I'm looking for empty canisters to fill them with diesel in reserve. If we have to leave urgently so that we can leave, even if there is no fuel at gas stations or there will be huge queues like at the beginning of the war.
I brought little Ilyusha and Masha to visit me. On the way we stopped at a store. The whole store is empty, but there is ice cream left and the children drank hot chocolate. The children were delighted! There is a bakery in our city, they bake bread and cookies. More and more products can be bought. Yes, long queues, but you can buy.
We decided to take a break from the war and draw. it was nice .. we tried to remember the letters with Ilya, but there was a rollback. Ilya forgot half of the letters he knew. We will study further. The school announced that distance learning will continue on 14.03.
Pray for us, dear brothers and sisters! We really need prayers, We believe that God is a just and faithful and loving God! Every day we gather in church for prayer. We pray, we communicate. This is very encouraging and inspiringI am very grateful to you for your prayers and support, your many years of friendship. Blessings to you and a peaceful sky above the earth. Irina Klimova Rzhishchev. Ukraine
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