Saved!

I lived with my family in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

In February 2022, on the first day of the war, we decided to leave immediately because our city was the main target of the enemy.

We thought we would be safe in our country house in Bucha. Unfortunately the town was soon occupied, and what followed were two of the most terrible weeks we have ever experienced, fully aware our lives could end at any moment.

We stayed in the basement without electricity, water, or heat.

We melted snow into water and had hardly anything to eat. I constantly feared my children would starve to death. Living under constant bombing, we knew our every breath was in the hands of the Lord, and it brought us very close to God.

Though our house was not hit, we knew it was impossible to continue living with the terrible fear, so we decided to escape. The alternative would be to starve to death. It was terrifying. We were warned the occupying forces would not let any cars through and would shoot ruthlessly. But the desire to leave was stronger than our fear, so we drove off. Others saw us leave and joined us. We ended up in a convoy, knowing we could be shot at any moment and very aware of the high probability of death. We prayed fervently.

At the first roadblock our convoy was stopped. And then the Lord performed a miracle! The driver of the first car was led away at gunpoint while we prayed incessantly. I have no idea what words the Lord put in that driver’s mouth, but when he returned, the Russian soldier got behind the wheel of the car and drove ahead of our convoy, signaling everyone not to shoot at us. In this way he led us through every checkpoint.

Outside the car windows we saw many who had tried unsuccessfully to escape. Both sides of the road were littered with the remains of shot-up and burned-out cars. We had faced death and escaped. God gave us a new life! We remember with deep gratitude the day God saved us in His great mercy. We will never forget as long as we live.

Thank You, Lord, for Your great mercy toward us.

Yana Kosian