In the summer of 2025, nestled among the green hills and quiet forests of Uzhhorod, a girl named Zhenya—Yevehniya—found something she hadn’t felt in a long time: Joy.
Zhenya was eight, from the Zaporizhzhya region in eastern Ukraine. Her family had fled west in 2022, when the war reached their doorstep. They arrived in Uzhhorod with little more than a suitcase and each other, and found shelter at the Nehemiah Center—a place that offered not just safety, but kindness. Her grandparents, still in occupied territory, remained unreachable. Zhenya missed them deeply.
That summer, she joined the Explorer Camp run by NGO Nehemiah. It was almost three months of laughter, movement, and discovery. Every morning, she woke up to the sound of birds and the buzz of campers gathering for breakfast. The camp was alive with energy—sports tournaments, forest hikes, theater rehearsals, and dance-offs under the open sky. Zhenya especially loved the games in the woods, where she felt free and fast, like nothing could catch her.
The Bible stories, told around the campfire or acted out in skits, gave her comfort. They spoke of courage, kindness, and hope—words she clung to. She played roles in the camp theater, danced in the talent show, and learned to trust again. The young leaders were cool and funny, but also gentle. They noticed when someone was quiet, and they listened. Zhenya made new friends—kids from all over Ukraine, each carrying their own story. They shared secrets, snacks, and silly jokes.
For the first time since leaving home, she felt like she belonged.
One evening, as the sun dipped behind the hills, Zhenya sat with her cabin group, roasting marshmallows. She looked around at the faces glowing in the firelight and whispered to herself, “I’m not alone.”
That summer didn’t erase the pain. But it gave her something to hold onto—a memory of warmth, of laughter, of being seen. And when she returned to the Nehemiah Center, she carried that light with her.
