“I Don’t Have My Father Anymore… But I Have You. And I Have God.”

Our Team Wears Many Hats

Our team members are not defined by a single role.
Depending on the need, they package and distribute aid, work with children, staff the offices, photograph, write, and they serve as counselors, women’s ministry leaders,
evangelists, and Bible teachers.

Our team in Odesa has encountered entirely new challenges during the war.
There is much need for wisdom and sensitivity as they offer emotional and spiritual support to traumatized children – many who have lost their fathers – and to women who have lost their husbands.

Sofia is 11 years old and attends our Bible club near Odessa. She shared her feelings with our worker Angelika.

Here’s her story:

My name is Sofia.

My father disappeared during the war. The messages stopped – no letters, no calls. Just silence. Everything inside me froze. I couldn’t smile anymore. How could I laugh, not knowing if my dad was suffering – or worse? People just assumed I was shy and withdrawn.

I didn’t talk to anyone about the pain.

When I started coming to Bible club I sat silently for the first month. I just listened and observed. The others were talkative and open. I felt like I came from a different world. But no one forced me to speak. They simply sat with me.

One day our teacher said,
“Jesus never turns away from those who cry in silence.”

From that moment, something started to change. I began answering when people spoke to me. Eventually I even laughed at a few jokes. And not long after, I found the courage to share what had been weighing on me.

The important thing is: I’m not silent anymore.

I know my father is gone, but I’m not alone. I’ve been accepted by people who saw me as I was – silent and somber – and now rejoice with me as I begin to smile again.

I believe God sees every step I take, even the smallest ones. I didn’t break. I’m alive.
And now I have hope.