Ukrainians in Diaspora #5
Children of Ukraine - Faces with Names
By Sam Waitt, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville
and Spence Maners, Christ Presbyterian Church, Nashville
It is apparent to all if you have had the television on over the last 113 days, what has been and still is happening in Ukraine. We have heard the stories from news correspondents’ reports but to see and hear first-hand, suddenly puts a face with a name.
Often these stories are very similar in that it took 5-7 days to make it out of Ukraine, fuel was not available, the train was full and then there was the occasional car riddled with bullets from the Russian Army. There was little to no food or water on this journey, and they were lucky if they made it out with a single bag.
Keep in mind that the average mama has a child on one hip and is dragging or carrying their bag with the other hand. Buried within all these stories are the kids and their beautiful personalities, the toys they left behind, and the friends and family that they did not get to hug before leaving.
Over the course of the last week, we got to spend several hours just playing with the kids. While playing, the thought kept playing on repeat in our heads: “how could someone do such a despicable thing to these kids?” These little innocent eyes have had to see things that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. I cannot imagine what that goodbye to their father was like while bombs and sirens were going off in the background. The scary feeling of not knowing what is happening while dad who used to play soccer with you in the afternoons cannot go with you.
This is 2022, should this really be happening?
For some, the goodbyes were said at the house or edge of town while others discovered that they had to say their goodbyes at the Ukrainian border as men 18 years of age and older had to stay in Ukraine.
At first, communication was tough when playing with the kids, at least for us as adults until we realized you just got to be a kid and just start playing. Hand slap was a favorite of all ages, followed by anything with a soccer ball, paper airplane races, and paper football. It was really wild how some of these games came back to you in the moment after many years.
A few playdates really stuck with us…
Zlota (age 8) – The most beautiful eyes and smile… Zlota will probably never be able to go back home with her mom and brother as their town in Eastern Ukraine has been sieged by the Russians. Life for her in her Minnie Mouse dress will never be the same. I will miss having that little hand pull at my shirt and then stick her hands out for another game.
Artmani (age 10) – He and his mom (7 months pregnant) were in one of the shelters in Warsaw. We helped give a baby shower for his new little sister. He stood quietly right by his mom’s side the whole time. He did not talk or play much. I’m sure he is feeling the pressure of helping mom during this time. He helped us put the stroller together for his mom. He was not as much helping put it together as he was watching how it worked (figuring out the zipper, clips, breakdown, etc.). In his mind, I knew that he had to grow up far beyond his years to help his mom. His dad would be proud!
John (3 months old) – John was born outside of Kyiv the day the bombs started falling on 2/24/22. His mom had to be transferred to the basement of the hospital where the power was shut off, and the temperature was a cold 18 degrees. She had to start her journey with her newborn son almost immediately while saying goodbye to her husband and first-time dad. After about 5 days, John and his mom made it to Poland where they checked back into a hospital for some time.
The older kids were all much more reserved and shy. They have seen a lot and knew what is going on. You could tell that they wanted to be teenagers and hang out with their friends but instead were living in group housing which included a lot of younger kids.
