It’s Ukraine night at Rivermont Baptist Church, and the congregation has turned out in full force.
On a screen in front of the pulpit is shown a recent documentary film about the horrors taking place an ocean away.
For one of the evening’s guests of honour, Ukrainian Maria Zjivotova (33) from Dnipro, it brings out the emotions.
– Every single day I have hoped that the war would end, but…
The voice cracks, and Maria breaks down in tears.
– All we want is to go home again.
Private refugee reception
Maria’s journey began in February, four days after Russia’s large-scale invasion.
The trip went first to Romania, then to Sweden, where she had friends. But Maria was never able to find peace there. So when acquaintances in the United States suggested that she should come there, the 33-year-old jumped at the chance.
SMALL-TOWN IDYLYL: Nearly 30 Ukrainian refugees have settled in rural eastern Virginia. Photo: Picasa / Municipality of Lynchburg.
After months of applications and case management, she is now in place in Virginia, where her friends have undertaken to support her with food, housing and other practical support.
In the USA, there is no state reception system for Ukrainian refugees. It is volunteers who stand up. In a way, it is an advantage, Maria thinks.
– Here I was met by ordinary people who gained nothing from helping me. But they willingly opened their hearts and their house, she tells TV 2.
– At the same time, I know that I would not have survived here if my friends and their relatives had not stood up.
The war in the forgotten book
Pastor Andrew Moroz is originally from Ukraine, but has lived in the United States all his adult life. He is at the head of the congregation’s work with refugees.
MOBILIZING: Full pews at Rivermont Church’s Ukraine event. The congregation has been strongly involved in helping Ukrainians on the run. Photo: Øystein Bogen / TV 2.
So far, they have managed to find host families for dozens of Ukrainians in eastern Virginia. They have also collected over NOK 1.6 million to help the civilian population who have not been able to flee.
But the most important thing for Moroz is to try to prevent the Americans from forgetting the war.
– My task is to keep the topic hot, so that the congregation, the local community and our city do not forget what is happening. The war is still in full swing and many people need our help. We have to stand up and show charity, says the pastor to TV 2.
From economist to housekeeper
Another of the refugees TV 2 meets in the church this evening is Tatjana Jasyshchyna. Together with her four-year-old daughter Olesia, she came to the United States in June.
She also lives with a host family, who, in addition to housing and food, have helped her get a job.
ALONE, BUT SAFE: Tatjana misses her husband, but is now working hard to learn English and try to create a new life in the United States. Photo: Øystein Bogen / TV 2.
The 28-year-old, who has a degree in economics from Kyiv, now works as a maid. Her English skills are currently too weak for her to do other work.
Tatjana finds it difficult to be so far from home. Especially since her husband had to stay back in Kyiv to help defend the country.
– We haven’t seen each other in six months. We have been married for eight years and this is the first time we have been away from each other.
Recently, the electricity has been out for large parts of the day in the Ukrainian capital, and the two have not had a chance to speak to each other for three days.
– How much longer must my daughter be without her father before this ends? I strive to have faith in the future. It is very difficult, she says to TV 2.
Will take root
The US Ministry of Security writes in an email to TV 2 that well over 200,000 Ukrainians have been granted residency in the US so far this year. This is thanks to the 180,000 host families who have signed up to take in refugees.
DEADLY WINTER: Maria’s hometown, Dnipro, has been subjected to countless Russian rocket attacks. Photo: Stringer / NTB.
33-year-old Maria, who has only been in the US for three months, takes a dark view of Ukraine’s prospects. She doubts that she will ever go back to her homeland.
– I have been in a waiting position since spring. Now I want to settle down and try to have a life here. It may take several years before it is possible to return. I don’t want to have to break up again and move.
The worst thing for her is the thought of all those back home who could not or did not want to escape, and who now live in constant danger for their lives. The tears come again.
– I have asked myself why I deserved to survive. I’m not the best person in the world. There are many who are better than me. Good people dying, right now.
