Has someone been telling you that the war in Ukraine is fake news? The US didn’t do this. NATO didn’t do this. This is the naked aggression of Russia alone, and today it hit pretty close to home.
Last Monday, July 3, we completed the final wave of our move back to Ukraine. Or house here in L’viv is in a somewhat chaotic state as we try to unpack, get rid of clutter, and readjust to life in Ukraine. Notwithstanding the stress of yet another international move, we are glad to be home! Sadly, it didn’t take long for us to be reminded that Ukraine is still at war.
This morning, a little after 2:00 am, we were awakened by the sound of an air raid. Sometime later, we heard a loud explosion overhead. As we followed our sources on various Telegram channels, we could see that missiles were being directed toward the L’viv region and that local anti-aircraft systems were fighting back.
Soon we heard second and third explosions and decided that we would wake the kids and move everyone to the hallway. Sheltering in a hallway is a common safety protocol here. It places you further from windows and usually in between two thick walls which provide better protection from shrapnel and falling debris.
More time passed, and then we heard explosions four and five. A few minutes later, the all-clear was sounded.
During these raids, we rely heavily on Telegram for news. You can actually form a pretty good picture of what is happening by comparing the various reports from government officials, bloggers, news channels, and friends who are a few kilometers closer to the action than you are. By the time we went back to sleep, we knew that there had been some hits in the city and that there were injuries, but further details were sparse.
This morning, we awoke to the news that the night of July 6 was the single largest missile strike in L’viv since the war began. Ten cruise missiles were fired at targets in the city, and seven were intercepted by air defense. Three struck apartment complexes. As of this writing, there are four people confirmed dead and dozens injured. Many have also been left homeless.
JULY 7 UPDATE: More bodies are still being discovered in the rubble. As of this morning at 7:00 am local time, the death toll has risen to 10.
The area of the city which took the brunt of the attack is located about three miles south of our home. There is a major military academy there as well as industrial infrastructure. Presumably, these were the intended targets.
We are grateful to everyone for your prayers and concern for our family. We are OK, but we grieve for those who have suffered in this attack. We know that God is with us, and despite the dangers, we remain undaunted in our commitment to be in Ukraine, to be with Ukrainians, and to share the love of Christ and the hope of the Gospel with everyone we can reach.
“Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Psalms 4:7-8)
How You Can Pray
- Praise the Lord for bringing our family safely back to L’viv. We are so glad to be home!
- Pray for the wounded and those who lost loved ones in this morning’s missile attacks.
- Pray for our fast-approaching CMO 2023 project. We kick off on August 8. More news to come!
- Pray that Americans — especially conservatives — would not fall to Russian disinformation campaigns. The war is real, and Ukraine’s cause is just. We need your support!
- Pray that Russia and all those that support it would be confounded, and that their efforts to oppress would be utterly defeated.
- Pray that God would continue to protect and bless our family as we serve here.
- Pray for peace and liberty in Ukraine.
