"Dear friends

We have started writing our next update several times but stopped every time by the thought that we mostly upload sad and tragic news on you. It is not what we want for you. Yes, we want everyone in the world to know and remember the heartbreaking and vicious deeds executed by the russians invading my country. By the enemy, taking over lands and wiping out villages and cities, stealing everything they can, kidnapping children and people, and even if not, forcing them to embrace their rules, language, and laws in the territories taken over.

June was the month when most students finished the school year. Having one child in middle school and another as a freshman, a picture of the high school graduates dancing a traditional farewell school waltz in front of the ruins of their school in Kharkiv Irene came across on the Internet while reading the news touched us deeply. None of us would ever have wanted such a life for our children or others.

*Banner photo and photo above by Ukrayinska Pravda

Having that in mind, we do our best to help children and teens to have a bit of normalcy in the middle of the war situation in the country. Yes, we still get nervous and scared during the air-raid alarms (especially after the several latest enemy strikes that hit the shopping mall in Vinnytsa (killing dozens of people, including three children). The most vulnerable and innocent one, four-year-old Lisa, a little girl with Down's syndrome, was among them.

Every time we realize that life can stop. Abruptly. Every time we hear the alarm going off, we pray fervently and thank God when it stops. We aren't to waste our time but take a chance to share God's love and the Good News of Jesus."

*Photo by Fakty