Over the past week or so, we’ve all seen social media and the news engulfed in covering Russia’s attack on Ukraine. We’ve seen horrifying reports of damage to Ukrainian civilians and reports of Russians willing to protest the invasion being arrested for doing so. We’ve also seen amazing stories of the strength of Ukrainians rallying to defend their home — from 13 Ukrainian solders willing to sacrifice themselves against a Russian warship bomb strike in order to guard Snake Island territory, to the nation’s very own leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, standing his ground and involving himself in the fight, to Ukrainian civilians reportedly capturing and taking over a Russian tank. We’ve also seen monuments around the world light up in blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.
I had the opportunity to witness this support firsthand, during a recent visit to the State of Utah. As we drove by the Utah State Capitol Building, I saw a group of people standing in front, waving giant blue and yellow Ukraine flags. Many people honked as they went by, and it touched my heart to see such support unexpectedly. Later, I Googled to see if any events like that were happening in New Mexico. Indeed, I came across a KRQE article covering a group who rallied together in Albuquerque to express their support as well. “The group drew honks from drivers near I-25 and San Mateo Friday afternoon,” the report stated about a week ago.
I’m not an expert on foreign conflict, and I don’t know how this particular conflict will unfold or where it will lead, but focusing on the here-and-now, I can say that it’s been nice to see the unity throughout it all. It seems nowadays that there is controversy and conflict surrounding almost every issue, from the serious to the trivial. It’s become almost impossible to take a stance or express an opinion about anything without being largely ridiculed by those that don’t agree. These are contentious and divided times we are living in, so whenever I see the majority of people unite over anything, it’s pretty nice to see.
I’m also amazed by the creative ways people have come up with to offer their support. I saw one report where a person discovered that they could offer quick and easy support by purchasing nights from a Ukrainian Airbnb, without the intention of staying there of course, simply to send quick financial support to the owner of the property, who, at the time, was utilizing the space to house Ukrainian refugees.
According to https://www.cnn.com/travel/amp/ukraine-airbnb-donations-cec/index.html,
“Airbnb hosts in Ukraine are being flooded with bookings from people all over the world who have no plans to visit. It's part of a creative social media campaign to funnel money to besieged Ukrainians who need financial assistance as Russian forces bombard their country and cut off services.” The report continued, “The idea has picked up momentum. On March 2 and March 3, guests from around the world booked more than 61,000 nights in Ukraine, according to an Airbnb spokesperson. More than half of those nights were booked by Americans, the spokesperson said.”
It’s efforts like these, among all of the other positive stories and displays of unity I mentioned, that truly inspire and bring light to the darkness. We need that light every day, more and more nowadays. No matter how dark the world or situations seem at times, we need to not let it dim the light. One of my favorite verses, John 1:5, says “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” This holds true in both personal battles and large-scale ones.
Please join me as I pray today for peace and protection for Ukraine, as well as for continued unity and light to break through around the world.
God bless, Cibola and Ukraine!