Ukraine Series: A Collection of Stories

People used to have a hard time finding Ukraine on a map, or they often just considered it a suburb of Russia, but it has now captured the eyes and hearts of the world. Here are a few stories of Ukrainian refugees who have come through the 12-bed shelter OMS is managing in Budapest seeking safety from the war in Ukraine.  

One family revisited their house before leaving, and it was in this state. All the windows were blown out and it was freezing cold.

Ilona and her family.

Ilona and her family lived in Bucha and Irpin, two small suburbs of Kyiv, which were the scene of intense battles and much destruction and which eventually fell to the Russian army. Thankfully the whole family was able to evacuate to Switzerland, but not without danger. Ilona and her son Thomas, who came through Budapest, evacuated within the first couple of days of the war to the sound of bombs and gunfire, but her parents stayed longer. 

When the Russian army began a serious assault on the city, her mom escaped, but her dad stayed—even though there was constant warfare and bombing and limited or no services like electricity or water. He finally got out when much of the city was destroyed, but was left shell-shocked and nearly destitute. Thankfully, by God’s grace and the prayers of many, friends in Kyiv found him and were able to send him to a safer place in Ukraine to meet his wife and to eventually move on to Switzerland to join Ilona. 

Randy (left) with the couple that has now evacuated safely to Switzerland.

One couple came to the OMS shelter shell-shocked. They couldn’t even sleep overnight they were so on edge. They had lived in an eastern Ukrainian city near Lugansk that has been heavily bombed. They slept in their own beds the first night of the war, but spent 24 days straight after that in a bomb shelter. The electricity was out, and the only time they had lighting was when they ate because some of the men harvested batteries from some abandoned trolleybuses. Otherwise, they lived in darkness and listened to bombs shaking the earth above them. 

They were able to visit their house once (pictured), but the windows were blown out and everything was frozen. When they finally were able to escape the city, a missile exploded just around the corner of a building—scaring them but just damaging the building. 

Thankfully, they made it to Switzerland and reunited with their daughter. A farmer there even gave them a small plot of land where they could plant vegetables. “We have our own dacha in Switzerland,” they said, expressing thankfulness to God for all the help they had received during their evacuation.

Randy (left) with Lena (right) and her daughter (centre).

Another couple of families who stayed at the OMS shelter evacuated from Kharkiv, a large town near the Russian border in northeastern Ukraine that has been under heavy attack. One of the women, Lena (red hair), shared that she learned to distinguish the sounds of the various types of missiles that were exploding in their city because she heard them so often. “No woman should be able to do that,” she said in Russian. She remembers cooking borscht in her kitchen when bombs were falling and deciding not to run for the shelter because it happened so often. 

Unfortunately, she had to leave her husband behind—no men between 18 and 60 are allowed to leave Ukraine. That’s why most of the refugees are women and children. But she was able to escape with her teenage daughter. And her daughter was amazed at all the help they received along the way—food, lodging, transport. “Mom, God really loves us,” she said. Her comment surprised Lena since they didn’t usually talk much about spiritual things. 

Olya (centre) with Randy and his wife Shelley.

One young woman, Olya, came through Budapest with her aging mother on their way to Belgium. They evacuated from Kyiv when the medical supplies started becoming scarce. Her mother had had surgery in early January, and she needed medicine and bandage supplies that were becoming hard to find. During their brief stay in Budapest, with a feeling of peace and safety, she was able to take her first walk since the January 7 surgery—and it was a chance to look out over the Danube River and enjoy the lights of nighttime Budapest. The walk “was so important for my mom—to have a gulp of fresh air!” said Olya.

One family was so grateful for the chance to stop and rest at the OMS center in Budapest. Even so, they said the air raid sirens from their daily lives in Kyiv were still ringing in their heads. A fresh rush of adrenaline would jolt them every time airplanes flew over—just because they remembered their fear of enemy bombing runs over Kyiv. One daughter, a successful economist, lost her job because of the war, and she had to leave her husband behind in Kyiv. Still, she and her whole family gave glory to God for how He helped them escape the war. 

Please continue to pray with us for peace in Ukraine.