Dear friends,
My second week in Ukraine was full of rich gatherings with the Last Bell community. On Wednesday, I visited the Shelter. The Shelter staff, Restoration Project crew, moms, and kids sat and talked over lunch in the Shelter’s beautiful outdoor space. Even the kids chimed in, and it was easy to see how each person felt secure in his or her role in this big family.
In the back, underneath the stack of chairs, is the Shelter’s generator, sealed with foam to block the noise.
Sasha and photographer Masha gave me a tour, since I hadn’t seen the Shelter for eight years! A new mural in the playroom was painted by our own Marina Shepeluk. I also saw reminders of war. Hallways and corners of rooms were stacked to the ceiling with diapers, protective equipment, clothing for refugees, and other war relief supplies. Among the kids running around was a staff couple’s granddaughter. They’re helping care for her while their son-in-law serves on the front lines.
Right: battery backup for the water heater. Our staff are always ready for a strike on the electric station.
After lunch was cleared away, I sat down for tea with the two moms currently in residence, Karina and Olya. Olya told me that at the Shelter, “you don’t really think about the war because you feel very comfortable and calm.” Olya is from western Ukraine. Many people from her village volunteered for the military, and thirteen have been killed. Her brother was recently wounded on the front lines. “When there’s a hard time for someone,” she said, at the Shelter “everyone helps and makes it easier.”
The war hasn’t changed the Shelter’s warmth or welcome to moms and kids. Thank you, friends, for making this home for Karina and Olya, where they’re making a new life for their little ones!
Emily Millikan
Communications Liaison