Before coming to Ukraine, one of the most common questions I was asked was some version of, “Are you afraid?” Half jokingly but half seriously, I would say that it isn’t the war so much as it is the cold that scares me. I have never in my adult life been a fan of winter. As a kid, I kind of did, but it was more the snow days with no school, not the snow itself that I enjoyed.

But anyways, for eight years I lived in Southeast Turkiye, where winters are about as bad as they are in the Carolinas. Then for two years I was in the Philippines, where winters were the cool (aka 75°) and dry (aka no hurricanes and floods) season. I wasn’t sure after two decades of mostly skipping winters if I was ready to deal with the seasonal general that brought down Napoleon and Hitler.

I was half joking. But God, who knows the future, was up in heaven laughing. I am trying to make light of it, but that is something we have to do around here to maintain our sanity. From the attacks on January 8-9 onward has probably been the most challenging month of my life. While the temperatures have been consistently between -10° and -20°C, Russia has been systematically trying to dismantle Ukraine’s electric and gas infrastructure with almost nightly attacks on power stations, coal plants, and even Chernobyl multiple times. Sometimes it has been more than a day between brief moments of power. Most often, we have about 2-3 hours of power, then around 8-12 hours without, and back on again.

Through all of this, Kyiv Christian Academy is a refuge. One day last week the snow was bad enough in the morning that many students and teachers took more than 90 minutes to take the normally 20-30 minute drive to school. When the first class was supposed to start, there were three students, three teachers, and one secretary in the building. But we did not cancel school. Why? Because, as tough as the drive is, each student is guaranteed to have power, food, and warmth, as well as a God-centered, Biblically integrated education. More than 80% of the students braved the cold, snow, and ice to arrive that day.

The local power company’s motto throughout this time has been “Продовжуємо робити все можливе, щоб нести світло.” That translates to “We continue to do everything possible to carry the light.” God bless the brave and enduring people who are trying against impossible odds to do this physically. But this is also true for Kyiv Christian Academy, both physically and spiritually. Yes, this last month has been incredibly hard. But there is, without question, nowhere I would rather be.

Please Pray:
1. For Peace in Ukraine.
2. For those who are working for DTEK or the other companies that are trying their best to maintain and repair Ukrainian infrastructure.
3. For the families and students who have chosen either to be here or remain here to continue to be God’s salt and light in this time.
4. For those families and students who have chosen to leave either short-term or long-term, that they would continue to get the education and support needs they have, and that God will bless them and work through them wherever they are until they return.
5. For Kyiv Christian Academy. Most of the repair is done from the drone explosion in late November, but it continues to be difficult and costly to continue to be a refuge of light and warmth in a city of cold and darkness.
6. For the other teachers and staff. Many have options to go that they daily turn down to be here. Many, including myself, struggle to maintain the smile and the cheer as daily life circumstances continue to challenge.
7. For the board of KCA. They met recently to discuss both the short-term and long-term vision for the school. Ultimately, it was their wise choice to continue even when most other schools closed for the month of January. Pray for their wisdom as they continue to balance safety vs opportunity in the days to come.
8. Pray for the weather. While not record-breaking, this has been the coldest winter Kyiv has experienced in decades. A mild February and an early spring would be a huge blessing.
9. Pray for me. I cannot begin to express how grateful I have been for all of your continued prayers.
10. Pray for my summer plans and financing. I am still planning to come back to NY for June & July, but honestly, I have been so focused on the day to day that I have done nothing in preparing for that beyond buying the plane tickets.

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