Hearts for Ukraine

Update: 7/25/2022

Friends, it is hard to believe, but it has been 152 days since the first bombs hit several critical cities in Ukraine. The people of Ukraine have stood steadfast as they defend their homeland and culture. Snezhana, Daniil and Arina have been in the United States just shy of 5 months, where they have started to build a new life, still in the absence of Vitaliy, a devoted husband and father.

Vitaliy remains in Ukraine to serve his country and provide humanitarian relief to so many in need. He has stayed out of harm’s way, but moving about in Ukraine has become extremely difficult. Vitaliy and his parents have moved east, closer to Kyiv, where they are strategizing their next steps. We were successful in sponsoring Vitaliy’s mother, Zhanna. This means she is free to travel to the United States under the “Uniting for Ukraine” program. She will likely arrive in the United States in October.

As mentioned, it has been just shy of 5 months since we picked up Snezhana, Daniil and Arina at Chicago O’Hare. Our household has been bustling with activity ever since. We have laughed, we have cried, gotten down to business, and had a lot of fun. The goal has been to find long-term housing so that Snezhana, Daniil and Arina can have their own space and find some stability. Through many charitable contributions to their GoFundMe page and with help from Midvale Community Lutheran Church, the Bykov’s will move into their own duplex on August 1st. This could not have happened without the generosity of this community. Thank you so much!

Snezhana has filed all the paperwork for Temporary Protection Status (TPS) so she and her family can stay in the United States for at least 18 months. In addition, this status will allow her to work. Arina is going into the fourth grade and will start school in the fall in Middleton. Daniil continues to look for tuition funding so he can attend the University of Wisconsin – Madison to pursue a business degree.

Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please keep the Bykov’s in your prayers as they enter this new chapter.

Update: 3/20/2022 - It has been two weeks since Snizhana, Daniil and Arina have come to live in our home in Fitchburg, WI (Madison). As the war continues on, they will likely be with us for an extended time. Please read our story below and consider donating to this fund. 

The recent crisis in Ukraine has touched all of us here in the United States. The images of crowded subways, jammed train stations, and the thousands of families walking over the border to safety have been challenging to comprehend. So many frightened and desperate faces, looking for answers.

 

We have an extraordinary place in our hearts for the people of Ukraine, especially for Vitaliy and Snizhana Bykov. We first met Vitaliy and Snizhana in 2004 when we adopted our sons Alex & Jacob from Kyiv. To say Vitaliy and Snizhana were instrumental in our adoption success would be an understatement of biblical proportions. When we returned to Ukraine in 2010 to adopt again, they insisted we stay with them. Little did any of us know that our second adoption would not go as smoothly as the first, and we would be in their apartment for 45 days. Even though it took an extraordinary amount of time, we ultimately successfully adopted Katia & Eric. Once again, in no small part due to the Bykov family’s unconditional love and generosity.

 

Jump ahead to the present day, as the Russians dramatically increased the number of forces gathered on the Ukrainian border, we chatted with Snizhana almost daily. Once the Russians invaded Ukraine, the mommas sprang into action. Snizhana worked tirelessly to get her children to safety while getting funds and support for her family and friends who could not escape the Russian advance. We researched travel plans, wired funds, and posted updates on Facebook, introducing our network of family and friends to the Bykov’s plight. The million-dollar question that we kept asking was, “How can we help?”

 

Snizhana was able to cross the Romanian border with her two children, Daniil and Arina, and two other moms and their four girls. The husbands, including Vitaliy, stayed in Ukraine and joined the Ukrainian Defense Forces. On March 6th, the Bykov’s arrived in the US with a single suitcase, approximately two weeks after leaving all they knew behind. They are currently resting comfortably in our home; well, the kids are. They are channel surfing, eating Girl Scout cookies, and smiling at our feeble attempts at speaking Ukrainian. Us moms are doing what moms do worldwide, taking action, making lists, handing out orders and getting things done.

 

Over the past two weeks, we have received an outpouring of support, prayers, and many asking, How can we help?" This GoFundMe is one way we can support the Bykov family directly. The current plan is to start a new life here in the United States, and they will need a tremendous amount of support. Many of you supported Jeff and me as we took on the journey of building our beautiful family. As a family, we owe everything to Vitaliy and Snizhana. Please consider donating to this fund so that the Bykov's can build a new life here in the United States.

 

Thank you for all your prayers. It fills our hearts with gratitude.

Jeff, Anne, Alex, Jacob, Katia and Eric