PRAY FOR UKRAINE: VOICES OF MENA SURVIVORS

“Today we want to pray for Ukraine and ask for the Lord’s peace. We want to say to all those oppressed and hurt that you are not alone,” said Sirene Semerdjian, Presenter of SAT-7 ARABIC current affairs program You are Not Alone, as she opened an episode dedicated to survivors of the Ukraine war.

A Living Nightmare

Sister and brother Amira (19) and Ahmad (20) from Lebanon were university students in Ukraine. Fleeing from the war, they walked 25 miles for three days in sub-zero temperatures with no food and dropped their luggage on the road. During the journey from the university to the border, Ahmad became sick with a high fever and lost consciousness.

During her interview on You Are Not Alone, Amira cried as she remembered her ordeal and what people fleeing Ukraine are going through. The siblings were trapped at the border for two days and had to endure violence and discrimination. Twice Amira had the chance to cross the border without her sick brother, and twice she opted to stay with him.

Thankfully, Amira and Ahmad made it across the border and back to Lebanon. But with her homeland mired in crisis, Amira’s dreams of an education are now in question, and she is struggling with her traumatic experience.

“I am finding it difficult to overcome this ordeal. I get nightmares when I sleep,” Amira said tearfully.

Amira’s mother, Shadia, explained how her daughter woke up one night shaking her mother’s hand believing it was her brother’s and asking him to stay conscious.

Peace in the Midst of Chaos

In contrast, Peter Daher, also from Lebanon, chose to stay in Ukraine instead of returning to Lebanon. Father to a 15-month-old girl, he refused to leave his family alone in the war-torn country.

Despite the news of war, Peter found peace in the Word of God.

“At first, I followed the news of the war online and through YouTube, but later I began to realize that I must pray and learn from the Lord what I should do,” he said during his live online interview with the program.

Peter shared that he felt a desire in his heart to pray instead of fear. “When you read His Word, you have a connection with the Lord. He may not talk to me directly, but I feel His peace in me in making my decisions. I don’t have the fear that others feel,” he said.

How You Can Pray

Join us in praying for those in the middle of the Russia-Ukraine war, including those from the Middle East and North Africa who are trying to return to the countries they left for a better life or seeking safety in another country. Pray that the Lord may guide and protect everyone in danger and give them the strength and protection they need for the journey.