Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1

For the past two weeks we had over 70 volunteers come from all over the world to help us build just under 50 temporary shelters for this coming winter. Many of you have given and some of you were even on those teams that came. Here are a few stories, photos, and a video that we want to share to help connect you with what has been happening in villages around Kyiv.

Valentina evacuated from the Nalivaikivka village during heavy shelling.

After the rocket hit her house, all her property burned and she was left with nothing. When she found out that her house was gone she said, “I didn’t know if I was alive or dead.” Valentina lived alone. Her children had renovated her house and made it comfortable for her. The next plans were to finish up some repairs in the yard, but the war destroyed everything. She evacuated her house and went to her daughter’s for safety.

Later, her neighbors described the destruction, “Soldiers were shooting and it seemed as if the sky was on fire.” Her house was completely destroyed. Valentina underwent treatment because her nervous system could not withstand the stress.

After the liberation of the village, she returned to the burned down house, sat in the shed for days and did not go outside. A friend came to her, brought her some seeds and forced her to plant something in order to get out of her depression a little. Now Valentina is still having a hard time, but when we arrived she was working in her garden, taking care of flowers and was happy about her new house as a small ray of hope.

We would like to invite you to pray for Valentina with us. Pray for new strength and a rise of hope in her life, that the ruins of her past will not weigh on her, but that God will show her a bigger hope in a future with him.

Rolfo joined us to help build! We interviewed him to hear about his experience.

Kata: What is your name and where are you from?

Rolfo: My name is Rolfo, I’m 44 years old and I come from Argentina.

Kata: How did you feel at first about coming to Kyiv, Ukraine?

Rolfo: A lot of expectations. I was thinking about how we’re going to serve the people. I had a lot of desire to serve.

Kata: Were you afraid to come?

Rolfo: Before understanding the situation, yes. But once I got to know the situation and meet and talk, no.

Kata: What was your experience like with Homes of Hope?

Rolfo: It’s amazing getting to know everybody, the way they work, the joy they have, wanting to serve and love on people that just don’t have anything. I’d love to be able to do this in Argentina!

Kata: What did God speak to you during this time?

Rolfo: Being able to give them a house, but not just giving them a house but being able to touch their hearts and give hope to these people who don’t have anything. So, my goal was always not just to build, but get to know the people, the family, give them a hug, pray for them, tell them about God, to bless them. There were actually quite a few experiences where I got to just chat with the people and see them cry and feel the presence of God.

Kata: Is there anything else you want to add or say?

Rolfo: I would love to come back and be part of the team.

Kata: You are always welcome back!