Ukraine Prayer # 426

Ira Kapitonova
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4
 
I read a story of a 17-year-old boy from Mariupol. He is an orphan who had to change several foster families in his life even before the full-scale invasion. Once Mariupol was occupied, he was taken to Russia, but he had to undergo filtration and torture before that. In Russia, he was tossed from one orphanage to another, being bullied by the Russian children for being Ukrainian and speaking Ukrainian. Finally, he devised a plan to return to bombed-out Mariupol and then get to the free territory of Ukraine. The volunteers who helped him evacuate said they were shocked that this child by age had the look of a grown man with eyes that have seen too much in this life.
 
Orphans and the elderly, one of the most vulnerable groups in any society, are among those who suffer the most from the Russian aggression. But God promised to be the defender of the widowed and fatherless, so I rely on His justice.
 
Pray for the children and elderly who are caught up in the worst of the evil of this war. Thousands of children are still unaccounted for.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Today's picture — children kneel to pay their respects to the fallen hero. Photo by Slavuta City Council.