“Unfortunately, not everyone in our community knows what it’s like to lose a military husband. Without the moral and spiritual support provided by My Home, I would probably have lost my mind. It is very important for me to talk to others who understand my feelings and are always there to support me”. – Oksana Malyk, wife of a fallen defender of Ukraine.
Oksana Malyk’s village was occupied by enemy troops on the second day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian army stayed there as unwelcome guests for eight months. The war’s front battle line was just outside the village. Russian soldiers worked to identify outspoken pro-Ukrainian people in the community. Women hid in the basements of their own houses, trying to save themselves from shelling while worrying about their children and husbands.
“Houses were searched and cell phones were checked. Some boys were taken for questioning and beaten by the Russian soldiers. My family and I stayed inside our own yard. We were afraid to let our children out into the street,” Oksana says.
Oksana and her husband lived in their own unfinished home. They planned to complete the renovation and raise children in normal conditions. Their two sons are ages 14 and 5. The younger son is autistic and does not speak at all. Oksana recounted that it was extremely difficult to explain to a 5-year old that war had started. No child can understand unfriendly foreign soldiers roaming the streets with machine guns and having to gather some personal items quickly in the middle of the night to hide from bombings in the basement.
Thank God, the Malyk family survived the dark times of occupation and the Ukrainian army liberated Oksana’s village on November 11, 2022, She recalled that it was forbidden to attend church during the occupation period. The Russians did not permit faith expressions, and they were openly hostile to believers.
After the village was liberated, Christians began meeting at the local church again. Their pastor is also a My Home volunteer and provides humanitarian aid for the villagers. Additional assistance has been given to Oksana by My Home. The floor in her house was repaired and firewood for her heating stove was provided. Above all things, Oksana is most grateful for My Homes’ spiritual support, which strengthens her every day. Her husband, who stayed with his family throughout the occupation, volunteered to go to the front line two weeks after their village was liberated. He served as a sniper in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
“Going to the front line as a volunteer was my husband’s decision. He stayed with us during the occupation and saw the evils carried out by Russian solders first hand. He planned to take action after our village was liberated and prepared our family for his departure. As a man, he felt responsible to protect his home and the entire nation of Ukraine. He never hesitated and always said that we should win this war and not leave the task to our children. He didn’t want women hiding in basements with their children. He was killed three months after joining our Ukraine military forces. I lost the love of my life and the father of my children. I thought I would lose my mind from all the emotional pain, too, but My Home stayed by my side to support me and our family in many different ways. As a widow, my brothers and sisters in church and at My Home provide my only means of support,” Oksana says.