Halyna's husband, Ivan, a soldier was killed in battle near Bakhmut in October 2022. This tragedy came as a terrible shock for the family, especially for the eight-year-old daughter, Katia.
“I was frustrated,” Halyna recalls. “Ivan was a great support for us. When he died, I had no desire to live. I remember, I was walking down the street and I didn’t understand whether someone saw me or not. I was like a ghost.”
Then Natalia, a member of the evangelical church and mother of Katia’s classmate, invited Halyna’s family to go out to the countryside. Halyna understood that such a trip was very necessary for her and her daughter, so she agreed. During this time Natalia was able to support and counsel her which helped to bring back some normality and put life’s pieces together again.
Only God's mercy and grace gives a way out and healing
Halyna started attending meetings for wives of soldiers and very soon, Sunday worship services. From the very beginning until now she feels that every sermon the pastor preaches, he talks about her. She reads the Bible and thanks the women from the church who unselfishly help her, assist her in learning the Word, invite her for walks, and sincerely love her and her family.
Halyna has great hope for the future. Now she believes that whatever happens, it’s all for the good. Previously she used to rely only on herself and felt abandoned by the whole world. Now she is learning to let go and entrust everything into God’s hands.
She concluded,
I am a qualified psychologist. At the age of forty I was searching for answers to my questions in books and with other psychologists. But ultimately, I was simply fading away. Psychology can explain what is happening to you, but it does not help at all. Only God's mercy and grace gives a way out and healing. Now I'm recovering.
Pray that this 40-year-old widow will experience God’s enabling as she cares for her family. Through SGA’s widows’ project, conflict widows have received help through the evangelical church.
It is our desire to help many more like Halyna!
Look out for the SGA Christmas cards that support conflict widows in Ukraine.