Braving a New World

Two days after Christmas, 59 year-old Natalie Kaschenko went to Kyiv to take care of some financial transactions. As she drove in, she saw buses heading toward her, leaving the city. But these were not the usual municipal buses on their normal routes; these buses were carrying the dead -- Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers who had been killed in battle on the frontlines of the war with Russia.

Overcome with grief, Natalie had to pull over and get herself together before she went on into the city. And she still hasn’t been able to bring herself to tell her son, Oleg, about what she had seen because she found out shortly afterwards that one of the dead was a soldier in her son’s volunteer Territorial Guard group.

Natalie Kaschenko lives in a village on the outskirts of Fastov, Ukraine. Under ordinary circumstances, this rural area provides access to many of Ukraine’s beautiful natural resources.

Several years ago, after having worked in marketing, mobile phone sales, and the restaurant industry, Natalie had the opportunity to move away from the hustle and bustle of Kyiv and retreat to a country home in the forested peace and tranquility of Fastov’s outlying woodlands. Natalie worked first as caretaker of the cottage and land, and then took over as operator of the farm, raising profitable groups of chickens, ducks, and rabbits.

Her entrepreneurial spirit blossomed as rabbit-breeding became a lucrative source of income for her. Her business continued to grow and she expanded her offerings to include special orders for custom baked goods and sourdough breads.

Now, however, the town is set amidst the ravages of her war-torn country, and Natalie works the farm while waiting for the next missile to fly over, for the next siren to sound, and for the next explosion to be heard.

She’s been forced to confront the harsh realities of her situation. City jobs are hard to come by as the fallout from the war has created a severe economic downturn in Europe’s (already) poorest country. Running the farm has become increasingly difficult; with Oleg now in Kyiv, Natalie has assumed almost all the chores and responsibilities herself, and the physical demands are nearly overwhelming.

I’ve written about Natalie’s son Oleg many times over the last two years. Oleg provided first-hand information on what life was like as a member of Ukraine’s Territorial Guard, a volunteer organization that protects citizens and provides support for the army. One of Ukraine’s elite drone operators, Oleg has lived in the war’s hellish circle since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. He volunteered on the very first day of the war, and he has been serving his country ever since.

Oleg has shared videos and pictures of destroyed buildings and automobiles and downed Russian drones covered in hate speech. I’ve seen pictures of the outside walls and doorways of civilian Ukrainian houses riddled with bullet holes from Russian soldiers trying to make their way inside.

But I know Oleg has shielded me from the worst of what he has seen. And he’s tried his best to shield his mom, too, but she is constantly bombarded from all sides with the tangible reminders and physical scars of the war, from burned out buildings to the buses carrying the dead.

Now, Oleg is on temporary medical leave due to injuries suffered serving with the T-G. There’s no end in sight to the war, and Oleg has virtually no chance of escaping Ukraine anytime soon.

But Natalie does.

Her own life story has been rewritten many times to reflect the challenges and opportunities she has faced, and now, she has chosen to change her own narrative, take a leap of faith, and seek both healing and prosperity on America’s shores.

No stranger to tough decisions, Natalie recently applied for legal immigration to the United States through the Uniting For Ukraine program. The plan provides a humane and legal pathway to citizenship “for Ukrainian citizens and their immediate family members who are outside the United States to come to the United States and stay temporarily in a two year period of parole.” The other caveat is that the refugee must have an American-based sponsor.

And even though it’s a great opportunity, the process itself is daunting, burdensome, and overwhelming. And it’s not guaranteed. At any moment (or, more likely, after the upcoming election), the United States could decide to discontinue Uniting For Ukraine.

We all knew that time was of the essence. Oleg and Natalie have become very dear to us over the last two years. We all reflected on her chances for success and survival if she remained in Ukraine. We thought about how dire her situation must be that she felt she had no choice but to flee her homeland for the unvetted safety and promise of a country she’s never even visited.

David and I made the decision to sponsor Natalie. In less than a month, Natalie will arrive at the Atlanta airport with a suitcase full of clothes and a heart full of hope but also sadness for what she has left behind.

Natalie will need so many things. Time to heal and quiet her mind. English lessons. Meaningful connections with other Ukrainian refugees. A job with insurance (!). A car. Compassion and community.

We all have a lot to learn on this journey.

Hopefully, the next pages of Natalie’s story will be filled with comfort, happiness, and reconciliation.

If you’d like to donate to Oleg or Natalie, please email me at stephtrumble88@gmail.com. I can help you donate to them directly.

David and I also endorse Dnipro Hope Mission, an international faith-based charity that has committed itself to tending to the physical, spiritual, and financial needs of a Ukraine in crisis.

Uniting for Ukraine