Where there is unity, God has commanded blessing!

This is the story of Dasha Herasymenko. She is six years old. She is from the city of Nikopol in Ukraine. On February 23, 2022, her father died of cancer. On February 24th, 2022, the war began. Through a combined effort from CBN’s Operation Blessing, Orphan’s Promise, and Superbook, hope, joy, love and the warmth of Jesus has been poured out. Read on to hear this story of great transformation.

Lighting a torch in the darkness

Having just lost her father, a 6-year-old child needs the time to understand and process what has happened. She needed time to grieve. Sadly, the war wouldn’t wait for her. Dasha, her mother Antonina, sister Ira and her older brother were forced into a difficult decision to leave their home and flee the war. Only, before the war had begun, her brother was involved in a severe car accident rendering him unable to go with them. So, not only had she just lost her father and been hit with the reality of the war, she now had to leave her brother behind amidst the constant bombing.

Dasha, her mum and her sister fled to Poland. After two months of living in a Polish centre called PTAK, they heard the devastating news that their home had been bombed due to heavy shelling in the city. Thankfully, her brother wasn’t there when it happened. The trauma this war has caused is unimaginable. Even when families finally find a place to live, the emotional and mental trauma will take years to heal.

This is why we’re so grateful to our partners and donors who enable CBN’s Operation Blessing, Orphan’s Promise and Superbook to do this incredible life-changing work.“So, not only had she just lost her father and been hit with the reality of the war, she now had to leave her brother behind amidst the constant bombing.”

A Joint Effort

Our team first met Dasha and her family at the PTAK centre. It was here that Operation Blessing provided food and hygiene items. They provide the basic necessities that take a massive weight off the parents having to ensure their children have all they need. Especially so when they’ve gone through immense trauma, as Antonina has. Our Superbook team regularly held events at the centre, where they met Dasha and Ira.

The team share, “Dasha is a very kind and intelligent girl, and she listened very carefully to our lessons, watched episodes of Superbook, and she really liked it!” The girls often hugged the team, highlighting a real need for love. “We talked to them while we were drawing Gizmo colouring pages. We have seen they are opening up to us. And then one day, we arrived at PTAK, and Dasha and her sister were not there.”

This can often be the difficulty our teams face when trying to build meaningful relations with many refugees. Due to the constant flow of families coming in and out, it’s hard to maintain the vital emotional, mental, physical and spiritual support they require.

However, God’s hand was evident in this connection.“Dasha is a very kind and intelligent girl, and she listened very carefully to our lessons, watched episodes of Superbook, and she really liked it!”

Continued Support

After some time, the Superbook team moved to another shelter called “Big Heart” to hold an event. It was here that Dasha came running up to them, so excited to see the team and be a part of the events again. Along with her friends, they even prepared a little performance with songs and dances! The shelter owner commented that Dasha and Ira were very kind and smart, always supporting their mum.

Visiting the Orphan’s Promise centre every Wednesday, she continues to find new friends, enjoy the Superbook classes and learn more about who God is. At the centre, her mum can pick up boxes of food supplied by Operation Blessing, which helps in everyday life.

Even though there will remain a deep longing to go back to Ukraine, Operation Blessing and others have supported Dasha and her family in finding a place to live. The team share, “Dasha remained kind and with a smile on her face, even after everything she had to go through.”

Thank you so much to all our partners and donors who are enabling CBN’s Operation Blessing, Orphan’s Promise, and Superbook to keep making a life-changing difference to families affected by the war in Ukraine.

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