Slava Ukraini. A fundraiser for Ukraine, and a bit of my story.

The Ukrainians are such a strong, courageous, resilient people. Years of oppression and persecution have made them this way. The past few days have reminded me just how proud I am of my beautiful heritage.

My own family's generational legacy has shaped and grown my faith, and that of my family. I grew up hearing stories of how the Lord spared their lives over and over again when under threat of imminent death due to their belief in Christ and refusal to reject Him. There's no greater legacy than that to leave generations to come.

We escaped Ukraine (under the Soviet Union) when I was just 3 years old. I faintly remember sitting on top of suitcases in the luggage compartment of a train on our way to Italy. My family’s story truly is miraculous. My grandfather spent 5 years in a Russian gulag (prison camp) in Siberia for spreading his faith. He was a great preacher. He survived (and lived to be 104!!) but most of his friends were murdered there. My grandmother was placed in a firing squad line to be shot, while pregnant with my dad, yet was able to miraculously walk away. Their lives tell such an amazing story--from famine, war, family members being murdered by the communist party, concentration camps, severe religious persecution, and immigrating to a new country, God protected and blessed them along the way. If you ever want to hear our story more in depth, let me know…I’d love to share it with you over a cup of tea.

I have been so heartbroken watching the past several days' events unfold. I have been so PROUD to see the courage and tenacity of the people of my homeland.

This clip is a Ukrainian family singing one of my favorite songs, "He Will Hold Me Fast." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7LDLCsmJVw This brought me right back to my childhood. We sang my entire life...usually around the table just like this...with tea. Singing and praising God was a normal part of our daily life. When my grandfather died this past year at the age of 104, two of my kids and I were able to fly out west for the funeral, which turned into a beautiful family reunion. Every time we gathered with family, we sang, we sang, and we sang some more. It was such a beautiful thing. In his final years, my grandfather lost much of his memory, but he remembered every single hymn, and sing them beautifully he did.

As I've been watching events unfold in Ukraine, I've been seeing such a common thread....SINGING through the hardship.

I've seen grandmothers SINGING while working to weave camoflauge nets for Ukrainian soldiers to hide in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdZ5KuNuUjs

I've seen videos of Ukrainian soldiers, while being fired upon, SINGING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIbGpSvtuGY

I've seen a woman cleaning rubble from her BOMBED apartment and SINGING while doing so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKcIJzHryYE

I've seen people singing in a subway station in Kyiv: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9j6HC9R8Wk

Look up more videos on YouTube..its truly an amazing thing...all of Ukraine is singing. The Ukrainians are such an inspiring and beautiful people.

I challenge you to watch these videos, let them touch your hearts and remind you to pray without ceasing for these precious people. The prayer of my heart is for supernational protection, that God does a great work in the hearts of these people, that the faith of the believers is strengthened, that their faith spreads like a wildfire to other nations, that this would be the beginning of a revival. God can do anything. God can work a miracle in this devastating situation and use it for His good. Please, please pray without ceasing. God allowed the sun to stand still for Israel...He can work a miracle in Ukraine as well.

While America has been my home for most of my life, and I am SOO proud to be an American, I am just as proud of my Ukrainian heritage. We still have family and friends in the Ukraine, many of whom do mission work there. Today, I am beginning a fundraising campaign for the Ukrainian people. 100% of all proceeds from sessions will be going directly to the Ukraine.
So many are displaced, so many are giving their all to help others. Just tonight, we received an update from a pastor in Chernivtsi who is working desperately to help others. “Our city has not yet been shelled. It serves as a city of refuge for refugees. They come to us in an endless stream. We support them in church and at home. We provide them with warm accommodation and food. More and more of them are coming. We get tired, but we do what is in our power and beyond our strength.”
This, friends, is what life here on earth is all about. Helping others, pointing them to Jesus, all to the glory of God. The people of Ukraine desperately need help. Children, women, and grandparents are fighting in the streets trying to defend their cities and their sovereign nation. They need our help.
Even if you’ve never had family photos done before, please consider getting some. Beautiful memories that will last a life time, but will also be helping some pretty desperate people across the ocean. If your photo frames need an update, please consider updating them. If you’re looking for a special gift for someone, please consider a gift certificate. Birthdays, Mother’s Day, ect…plenty of opportunities for gift giving. 100% of all proceeds from sessions will be going to help our brothers and sisters across the ocean.

Not only will you be helping others, but you’ll receive some beautiful captured memories that will last forever. Time goes by so quickly and children grow up in what seems like the blink of an eye. Capturing the beauty of the here and now is what I love to do best. Years down the line, it will be hard for you to remember that sparkle in your child's eyes, that smile, that toothless grin. Having beautiful photos of your loved ones will spark memories of those precious moments you shared with them. I work hard to capture the beauty of those moments so you can hold on to them forever!
And you’ll always have the memory of how that beautiful photograph helped people facing their darkest days across the ocean.

—Hope