How an elderly woman in Ukraine finds hope and love in the midst of hardship

Nadiya’s struggle to keep moving

“I get up very early and I want to do something, but I can't even take a step because my legs hurt so much that I can't stand it.”

Nadiya, 76, lives alone in western Ukraine. Her daughter lives far away, and she relies on two canes to get around. Despite constant pain, she tends chickens, cats, a dog, and her garden.

“I walk with two sticks, slowly, doing something,” she said.

Her neighbour and friend, Oleksandr, who works with Mission Without Borders, helps her daily.

“Nadiya is in a lot of pain, and only medication helps her sleep a little at night. But she can’t imagine life without work,” he said. “I started helping her a few years ago – bringing water, chopping wood, buying medicine, taking her to the hospital.”

Nadiya tending to the chickens.

Love and loss

Mission Without Borders began supporting Nadiya two years ago, providing food parcels and hygiene products.

“She attends church, prays, and reads the Bible. It opens the door to talk about spiritual things and eternal life,” Oleksandr said.

Nadiya’s story is also one of love and loss. “My husband has been gone for eight years. He was unwell for nearly three years, but caring for him was not difficult because I loved him,” she said. “He was very loving and caring. I considered him a blessing from God, because my first husband was a drunkard and beat me a lot. My second husband healed me with his kindness.”

The war in Ukraine has deeply affected Nadiya and her health. “In my life I had never seen war, but in my old age I have. Thank God, it is calmer here in the west. Still, the feeling of fear doesn’t leave. No one feels confident, no one is planning the future. Life has almost stopped in many ways.

Nadiya and Oleksandr talk in the kitchen.

“The worst part is that many young people are dying at the front, including those from our village. My health began to deteriorate from the constant alarms, the threat of bombing, and fear of invasion. Even now I wake up every day and think about how our flourishing land has turned into ruins. Prices have skyrocketed, and government assistance is scarce. My pension wasn’t enough to live on.”

Life-changing support from the Mission

For elderly people like Nadiya, support from Mission Without Borders has been life-changing.

“Two years ago, I started receiving help from the Mission. It’s very valuable; it helps me to live, not just survive. I think about God all the time. I realize that I sin every day, both in thought and word, and I ask Him for forgiveness. My hope is in Him alone. If God does not have mercy and help me, no one will.

“God is helping me, I know it. How? Look at Oleksandr. He obeys God and he helps me. His goodness strengthens me, warms me, and helps me live out the days allotted to me. I feel love when I receive help from the Mission, which comes from donations from good people. I hope one day we will all meet in heaven.”

Support an elderly person like Nadiya today. Together, we can share God’s goodness and love with the vulnerable in Eastern Europe.