My Connection to the War in Ukraine

Inna, my wife, is from Mariupol, Ukraine. We lived in Mariupol for a time to care for her elderly parents, and for other business reasons. We are in Alabama today.

I built a team of students in Mariupol. The team books and dispatches calls for our business. Every team member made it out of the country this morning except one: Denys Zarchenko, my social media manager. He lives in a small village southeast of Kharkiv, and I lost contact with him on Thursday [Feb. 24]. We don’t know where he is or if he is alive. We are praying for him.

Sasha, Inna’s thirty-one-year-old son, stays at Inna’s parents’ house during this time so he can help them. He goes and looks for groceries daily while shelling is heard close by. The Russian army knocked out Mariupol’s electricity yesterday. Sasha walked three miles to his house to get a battery pack for his phone, and we talked to him a few hours ago. We will likely lose contact soon.

We are not worried about our home and things. We can replace our possessions, but we can’t replace the lives. We are praying for all.

Inna and I have many close friends in Mariupol, and we are worried about them too. Follow me on Facebook if you want to see more detail about what we are learning. 

Thank you, and God Bless Ukraine!

Roger Daviston (www.rogerdaviston.com) is a personal growth consultant who works with HVAC and other businesses. This column is adapted from an email.