Why HART’s mission matters so much right now
Over the past couple of months, Ukrainians have endured some of the harshest conditions of the war, facing the deadly combination of freezing winter temperatures and relentless attacks on power and heating infrastructure.
These attacks are meant for one reason: to break civilian endurance.
Families have been forced to bundle up indoors, cook on improvised stoves, and survive in dark, cold apartments.
While we in the West are quick to commend Ukrainians for their remarkable resilience, the following is an extraordinary look into the daily “resilient” lives of people in Ukraine. It is powerful and sobering, written by a young female journalist, and directed to us in the West.
“Here’s what I need you to understand amid all this — the resilience narrative is a trap. Not the idea itself — the actual daily practice of continuing under impossible conditions. That’s real, and it’s necessary, and we’re doing it because there’s no alternative.
What’s dangerous is the way that word is used by people watching from a safe distance to make sense of our suffering. It’s a heroic term, an honorable one even. But like all words that get used too much, it starts to obscure more than it reveals.
When you read about Ukrainian resilience, I need you to know this: none of us here are doing okay. We are functioning, which is not the same thing.
We go to work because the rent is still due. We maintain relationships, pursue careers, argue about restaurant choices, complain about traffic — all the ordinary friction of life continues, because if we stopped to fully metabolize what’s happening, we would dissolve. We would become puddles of grief on the floor, unable to move, and that’s not a metaphor. That’s a real possibility we each avoid through sheer force of will and the accident of having obligations that won’t wait.
On top of every wartime worry — where is the person I love, will the power stay on, will that sound be thunder or something worse — people still carry all the peacetime worries too. The difficult neighbors, the failing relationships, the aging parents, the children who won’t sleep, the bills they can’t pay. The war doesn’t pause these problems; it just makes them harder to solve.
So we continue. Not because we’re resilient, but because stopping means drowning, and we’ve decided — collectively, stubbornly, perhaps foolishly — that we’d rather stay afloat until the day we can finally breathe again. Until the war is over, we will tread water and call it living.”
HART’s work in Ukraine matters so much right now. Ukrainians are not simply “resilient”—they are exhausted, carrying unbearable trauma while trying to survive each day. But because of your generosity, HART and our church partners on the ground can reach thousands, with generators, winter supplies, warm meals, and the hope of Christ amid this ongoing crisis.
You are helping a wounded nation begin to breathe again. Thank you for standing with Ukraine when it matters most.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Lloyd Cenaiko
President & Founder
YOU are helping to bring abducted children home
It is estimated that over 20,000 children have been abducted from Ukrainian territories and taken to Russia. Save Ukraine, a HART partner, is the only NGO in Ukraine that regularly organizes rescue missions to return deported children from Russia and reunite them with their families. The picture above shows some of the children rescued by Save Ukraine.
YOU are building bunk beds for underprivileged kids
Pictured above is one of HART’s caseworkers, with four joyful children, thankful for their new beds.
THE NEED: Our Child Sponsor caseworkers have identified dozens of families living in deep poverty where children are sleeping in unsafe, overcrowded conditions. The need for bunk beds is urgent. Right now, we have a list of 45 beds that are urgently needed.
Each bed costs approximately $400*—providing children with something simple yet life-changing: a safe, comfortable place to sleep. *(Includes materials, transportation, installation, mattresses, pillows, and blankets.)
Watch the video below to see the bed installation process firsthand—and to witness the pure joy on children’s faces when their new beds are finally in place.
YOU are transforming the lives of young people
As a child sponsor, you can make an incredible difference in a child’s life—providing more than practical assistance but also hope and opportunity.
Watch the video to see Vladyslava and Ruslana’s heartfelt gratitude to their sponsors, who are transforming their lives with post-secondary education and laptops, opening the door to learning, connection, and a brighter future.
Siege of Leningrad 1941-44
The Nazi siege of Leningrad (present-day St. Petersburg) during World War II lasted almost 900 days. Now, it is commemorated every January 27th, where Russian officials lay wreaths, schoolchildren recite poems about Leningrad’s “900 days,” and state media broadcasts documentaries condemning fascist brutality against defenseless populations. The lesson drilled into every Russian: deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure to freeze and starve a population is the ultimate war crime.
Yet since October 2022, Russia has done exactly what it claims to condemn—deliberately and systematically targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, along with civilians in apartment buildings, hospitals, schools, and churches, through relentless waves of missile and drone strikes during the winter months, in an effort to freeze and break the spirit of the Ukrainian people.
Summary of key trends from the past two weeks of the war
- Humanitarian hardship is rising: As winter deepens, damage to power and heating systems threatens civilian survival, amplifying internal displacement, energy shortages, and reliance on international aid.
- Protracted conflict likely: Neither side is close to a decisive breakthrough. Russia’s infrastructure attacks aim to weaken Ukraine over time, while Ukraine’s counter-strikes seek to raise Moscow’s costs and erode its economic base.
- Diplomacy remains constrained: Although peace discussions continue, underlying disputes over territory, security guarantees, and recognition persist, making a meaningful ceasefire or settlement in the near term unlikely without a major shift in strategic conditions.
Please Share This E-Blog
Just a gentle reminder—if anything you read or see in these HART E-Blogs touches your heart, we invite you to share it with your friends, family, or personal connections. One of the best ways you can help is by spreading the story of what God is doing in Ukraine through HART. Your simple forward could inspire others to pray, get involved, and support this life-changing work if they feel led. Thank you for helping us reach more hearts with hope.
Pray Together with Your Church, Family, and Friends for:
- A just and lasting peace — that light would overcome darkness.
- Defenders, veterans, prisoners, and their families — for strength, protection, and hope.
- Christians and non-believers in occupied territories — for endurance under persecution.
- The safe return of kidnapped children & healing for broken families.
- Comfort for the grieving & restoration for the wounded.
- Protection of cities, villages, and civilians from relentless attacks.
- Global perseverance in standing with Ukraine during this long struggle.
- Wisdom and courage for world leaders as they confront tyranny.
