My name is Maria.  I have been part of the Gift of Life family, working as the accountant, since 2016. The morning of February 24, 2022, became a point of no return for me and my country. For two months now, my people have been fighting for the very right to exist with an enemy, which is many times greater in number and capabilities.

The sound of air raid alarms has become our daily routine. Sometimes it seems that this noise is registered in the brain: sounds in the head constantly. Some people use bomb shelters for safety. My family spends alarms in the corridor of our flat because the nearest shelter is in a school that is 15 minutes of quick walking from our building and always full of people from the buildings in the area.

Millions of my compatriots have left Ukraine in search of safety for themselves and their children. Many countries around the world have sincerely opened their borders to refugees from Ukraine. They provide people with the most necessary things, demonstrating their own good hearts. Helping the needy is good. And “…if God is with us, who can be against us? Romans 8: 31

I really like to travel, and my free time has always been full of adventures and activities. Now it is possible to go as a refugee to almost any country. But the only place I want to be is my country, my town, my home. This is where I feel at home, and this is where I want to be as long as possible.

Everyone contributes to the common victory where he or she can be useful in Ukraine or abroad. My workplace is now at home because the possibility of air alarms makes the use of public transport dangerous. I feel that together with Ukrainian army I am fighting on my own front, continuing to work at Gift of Life and helping itinerate migrants coming from regions that suffer the most from Russian aggression.

As I look back at the last two months my heart is filled with controversial feeling: deepest grief and pain for lost lives and people who have been tortured and murdered. At the same time, I try to keep dignity and have the highest admiration of my country that is the bravest in the world.

I can surely say that I am proud to be Ukrainian.

Glory to God!

Glory to Ukraine!

Glory to heroes!

PS: We are especially grateful to those who have donated to the Ukraine Crisis Fund. These large shipments of aid are crucial for the wellbeing of the refugees who flood the city of Ternopil. I help offload and distribute them even though I am seven months pregnant.