Ukraine Prayer # 472

Ira Kapitonova
The Lord reigns;
he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed;
he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established;
it shall never be moved.
Psalm 93:1
When the full-scale war began, we were constantly wondering if we were safe enough in the village or had to move closer to the border. Once the Russians were kicked out of the north of Ukraine, I could breathe easier and felt more at peace about my friends who stayed in Kyiv, even though I was wondering how they survived the missile attacks and blackouts. However, many would say (and we ourselves see it now) that life in Kyiv feels almost ordinary now, with a few significant peculiarities.
 
At the same time, some cities keep being shelled every day because of their proximity to the enemy. How do people survive there? Is there life? How is it possible? I kept wondering about it, and a couple of days ago, I came across a Facebook post by Olena Pavlenko about life in Kharkiv, which is located about 30 km (20 miles) from the border and is shelled from the Russian territory daily.
 
Olena paints a pretty somber picture, saying that Kharkiv is now a city of severe and weary people who lack sleep and have high anxiety levels. She says she noticed more people buying and consuming alcohol as it seems to be their only way to get some stress-free rest (which, of course, isn't an effective long-term solution, but I guess it's hard to keep the long-term impact in mind when your life can be cut short any moment).
Olena uses an image of Kharkiv as a city of clenched teeth because people who stayed there do so out of their resolve — public transportation drivers, cashiers, journalists who record shelling aftermath, volunteers who fix military equipment and send aid to the frontline, and all those who have nowhere to go and those who stayed to care for them, those who don't want Kharkiv to become a ghost town.
 
One of the common adjectives used to describe Kharkiv is "made of reinforced concrete (ferroconcrete)," I think it also applies to the people who stay there.
I've been to Kharkiv only once, more than ten years ago, but I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to visit it again. Please, pray for Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, and smaller towns mercilessly shelled or attacked with drones.
 
Pray for the people of Kharkiv.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministsries Team
 
Today's picture is of a residential building in Kharkiv that was damaged during a missile strike a couple of days ago. Photo by Yan Dobronosov.