07 April 2022 | Bucharest, Romania [Delia Fărâmiță with tedNEWS]
Anastasia arrived in Romania early in March, after fleeing Ukraine with her family and queuing endlessly to get through the border. Her family choose to seek refuge in Romania because of its proximity to Ukraine. They were hoping for a short war and a soon return to their homeland.
“My mother was the first to say we needed to leave as the explosions were getting closer and closer to our home,” Anastasia explained. With her family having to travel light to cross the border, deciding what to pack and what to leave behind was heart wrenching. In the end, “We decided to take some family pictures that are dear to us.”
With only a suitcase each for their possessions, the family left their home and country to face an uncertain future. “It’s like you’re going nowhere, especially when you leave everything at home and go to a new place not knowing what will happen,” Anastasia reflected.
An acquaintance was guiding and supporting the family online – but at the border with Romania, the internet stopped working. The father, looking for a solution, met one of the ADRA volunteers who secured accommodation for them at a crisis centre, providing them with food and essential items. After one night at the centre, the first night, an Adventist Romanian family welcomed them into their home.
Sadly, Anastasia’s father and brother were forced to return to Ukraine. “It’s been some weeks since the war began, but the sirens still ring in my mind,” Anastasia said. Despite the anxiety and stress that she is facing “particularly at night, when it gets dark”, Anastasia continues to put her trust in God.
Anastasia is full of appreciation and praise for the family who hosted her, and tremendously moved by their desire to support them. “We were even allowed to wear the clothes they had in their apartment, and they also provided clothes for the children.” She also expressed her gratitude to “the translators… and the people praying for Ukraine. Thank you very much! I am impressed by your support.”
“It is really difficult for me to believe that the war is really taking place,” shared Anastasia as she struggled to make sense of the conflict. While immensely grateful to her new Romanian friends for taking care of her family, Anastasia is hoping to be able to “return home, where it feels like home.”
Today Anastasia is studying Foreign Languages and Literature at the University of Bucharest, Romania. She finds comfort in playing the piano and singing prayers for Ukraine
This story was originally published on the ADRA Romania website.
