“Fellow believers share words of comfort with me every day,” Liudmyla says. “Their calls do not stop. I was also moved to tears by a letter with words of sympathy from the branch in Ukraine.”

The war started on February 24, 2022. Petro, who served as a ministerial servant in a sign-language congregation, was killed as he and his family were attempting to flee the intense bombing in Kharkiv on March 1, 2022.

That day, after several days of shelling, fighter jets roared overhead and began attacking the city. The family gathered the bare necessities and left within 30 minutes. Petro and Liudmyla were in one car. Their son, Oleksii, and his wife, Maryna, were in another. “We were driving down the street in a residential area and came under an air strike,” Liudmyla says. “The car literally shook from the shock waves.”

Petro, who was 67 years old, swerved to avoid a collision with Oleksii’s car, but sustained severe injuries. He and Liudmyla were taken to the hospital where Petro later died. Liudmyla sustained injuries to her leg and abdomen from shrapnel. Oleksii and Maryna were not injured. Liudmyla learned of Petro’s death after being discharged from the hospital three days later.

Liudmyla says: “The more I think about Jehovah’s kindness and wonderful purpose, the more inner peace I feel. I am sure that in the new world I will definitely see my husband again, and I can’t wait for that joyful moment.” {continue reading here}