Ukraine Prayer # 477

Ira Kapitonova
The Lord reigns;
let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth quake!
Psalm 99:1
Our morning started at 5:43 a.m. Our air defense forces sent out a warning of missiles being launched by the Russian strategic bombers. We moved into our apartment hallway and tried to go back to sleep.
 
It was around 7 a.m. when we woke up from a few loud explosions, coming one after another. It worked better than an alarm clock, getting me completely alert.
The air raid was over at 8:15, so I could finally leave for school. I noticed how busy the street was – you could see children going to schools or preschools, their parents going to work by car or public transportation, people walking their dogs, and young mothers taking their babies out for a stroll. It looked so serene and ordinary that it was hard to believe there were explosions an hour ago.
 
We all had a little extra grace ready for each other today, knowing the morning was tough. We also secretly hoped the morning attack meant no air raid during the day, but we were wrong. Between noon and 6 p.m., we had two more air raids for a total of three and a half hours.
 
However, everything I shared above can be described as an annoyance or inconvenience, maybe a scare. But there were those this morning for whom it meant the death of a loved one or the loss of home. Russia targeted the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions with missiles of different types. 72 civilians were injured, eight more were killed, and hundreds became homeless. Residential buildings, non-residential premises, private cars, and a sports complex in Kyiv. The entire section of a high-rise building, multi-story residential buildings, a school, and other civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv. It feels like we are running out of even anger at this wickedness.
 
Pray for these cities today. Kharkiv is where our teams have targeted for ministry at this time. Pray for protection and for the Holy Spirit to minister to the people in these areas as the teams bring Hope.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Teams
 
Today's picture is an illustration by Maria Loniuk based on a video fragment showing a couple watching their destroyed apartment building being consumed in flames. Eight people have been reported killed, including an 8-year-old girl, but more might be trapped under the rubble.