Ingrid Woodbridge - Lives Left Behind - 10 Ukrainian Women in War and Peace

They lived at the camp for one month. As more and more refugees came, the conditions in the camp became worse and worse. This camp received not only Ukrainian refugees, but also refugees from other countries. Bad things were happening in these camps; it was not safe to live there. Veronika said it was especially challenging to live there with a small child. She desperately wanted to leave the camp. Through Polish friends they found out that near Gdansk a small room was available for rent. The only real cost would be for utilities, water and gas. This seemed a good possibility to Veronika. Artur could work and earn enough money for a living. The family bought tickets to travel to the south of Gdansk, to a small town called Malbork.

When they arrived, their host met them. He was a 70-year-old Christian brother. They understood each other poorly, because they did not speak Polish. The older gentleman spoke some Russian, and they were able to communicate a little bit. Their host first took them to his own house, not the area where the apartment was. This made them suspicious.

Veronika’s family sat down in the living room and waited. What was going to happen next? Was there a room available for rent or not? Their host asked them how much money they had to live on. After hearing their answer, he told them they would need to live with him, that they didn’t have enough money. He was building a private room for his mother in the back of the property, but it was not finished. Veronika’s family could live there. In the evening, his wife arrived; she did not know anything about these plans. When her husband told her that this family was going to live with them, it was a shock to her. Artur and Veronika moved in and stayed – for seven months.

They helped their hosts to finish the room, and Artur did much of the physical labor. Their second son Samuel was born in Poland in 2015. The host family helped the Ukrainian refugees in many ways. Veronika needed a doctor during the pregnancy, but she did not speak Polish. Their hosts, themselves retired doctors in the fields of dentistry and family medicine, had friends who specialized in gynecology. Artur worked and earned money. But ultimately the situation was unsustainable, as the two elderly people wanted peace and quiet, while Veronika’s family consisted of two small children with lots of energy and loud voices.

The question arose again – where to live? Veronika’s parents had returned to Pervomaisk after the wedding in Ivanov Frankivsk. Could they return, too? But her parents wrote to Veronika, telling her that after living underground for ten months, they were leaving Pervomaisk. Veronika’s mom had blood pressure problems due to the stress of war and the constant experience of fear due to the occupation of their home town. Veronika’s siblings were spread out across Ukraine. One brother was married in Ivanov Frankivsk, two of her siblings had stayed with him after the wedding. Veronika’s youngest brother Sergey had been in Kyiv at a camp the entire time. Life was so stressful for him emotionally, that his hair turned gray at age fourteen.

Veronika and Artur had lived in Gdansk with the elderly couple for seven months. Another move became necessary. One Ukrainian believer, Maxim, was Artur’s friend and helped Artur to find work and an apartment to rent near Gdansk. Veronika’s parents also arrived in Poland. They had organized a choir and were on tour in Poland, telling the Ukrainian war story to Polish churches through songs. Veronika and her parents met in Gdansk, and the grandparents met little Samuel for the first time. Veronika’s parents kept traveling, going to Germany and Switzerland, sharing the Ukrainian story. Her brother Mark lived with Veronika for a while. Artur was able to work a lot, and her little boys, Benjamin and Samuel, had an uncle to play with.

At the local Baptist church, Veronika enjoyed fellowship with other young women, while their kids played with each other. Veronika said it took her two bus rides to get to church with her little boys, but it was worth the effort for the sweet fellowship she experienced there and the emotional and psychological support she received among believers. Veronika was able to make real friendships with people who were in a similar situation to hers.

When their rent was raised, Veronika and Artur had to move yet again. They found a less expensive, and even better, apartment in Gdansk. Again, this apartment was empty, but with the help of local believers, the place was furnished simply. Even the landlord was friendly and supplied some furniture. Veronika worked for an hour or two, cleaning apartments in the building, while the children were sleeping. She didn’t earn much money, but they got a reduction on their rent.

Veronika did not really like Gdansk. Artur spent long days at work while she was just home with the kids; when he would finally come home, she really needed some time by herself. She would go to the park and eat sweets. In Poland, kindergarten isn’t free, so they could not afford for Samuel or Benjamin at attend. Veronika put a lot of effort into learning Polish. A Polish believer gave her free lessons, and she learned to speak Polish from simply being in the community and in the Polish Church.

After living in Gdansk for one year, they were faced with yet another decision about relocation. The family had started the paperwork to stay in Poland permanently. It was a complicated bureaucratic process. Veronika recalled that it was a very stressful time, because they did not know what was going to happen to their family next. They had to go to the post office regularly and check to see if they had mail from the government. A letter would eventually decide what was going to happen. They were hoping to receive a permanent visa for Poland. After much waiting, worrying, and hoping, their permanent visa was denied. By 2016, they had received another notification telling them it was time to leave Poland. They decided to return to Ukraine, choosing L’viv as their next destination, because by this time, Veronika’s parents were living there. Veronika’s pastor, Elisey Pronin from Pervomaisk, had relocated with his family to L’viv as well.

Veronika’s family moved from Gdansk, Poland, to L’viv, Ukraine, in October of 2016. Initially, they lived with Veronika’s parents in a house on the outskirts of L’viv. She recalled that they were grateful for this home, as they could not afford their own place. Veronika’s youngest brother also lived with them in L’viv. Her parents submitted some documents to the housing administration, stating that their current home was too small for a family of seven, soon-to-be-eight, with the addition of Veronika’s sister Lena. For one year, they lived together in two small rooms. Eventually, God blessed her parents with another apartment in the city. Her brother and sister moved with their parents to the new apartment. Veronika and Artur stayed with Benjamin and Samuel in the house and finally had a home to themselves.

Veronika long ago stopped counting how often she has moved. Life has been very difficult. But now, looking back, she sees God’s hand, how He takes care of His own. During the most difficult circumstances, God sent them people who would help. God repeatedly used believers to bless them. Countless times they experienced His mercy and grace. “God was teaching me to trust Him, and I was learning to trust Him,” reflected Veronika.

Before, in Pervomaisk, life was normal, simple, stable. They had problems, but nothing earth shattering. The last four years of her life had been anything but stable, she admitted. Even now, she wouldn’t describe her life as normal, she said. Artur is constantly looking for work to provide for the family. Refugees receive a small amount of financial aid from the government to pay for an apartment. “God is continuing to teach us to trust Him,” she said. Their third son, Luka, was born in August of 2018.