Desiring to be Free.

Meet Taras Golub. He is 30 years old. He and his wife Maria live in Kyiv, Ukraine with their two sons, Luka (6 years) and Matvey (20 months). In September of this year, Luka, or Luke, will enter first grade. He loves to play the guitar and sing worship and praise songs. Matvey, or Matthew, is growing fast.

Before the war, Taras was a realtor and had opened his own business – a real estate agency, He sold houses and apartments and everything was going swimmingly. Life was good. That is until the invasion by Russia began.

The war began consuming all that was good in cities like Kharkiv, Mariupol, and Kyiv. It took lives, homes, resources... and livelihoods. It took all of Taras' business prospects. Nothing seemed to work. Everything he tried failed. Ukraine's economy is suffering and commerce disappeared. Though slowly returning to life. His real estate market is a little more than a slow unsteady "drip".

Maria, more affectionately called Masha, is a devoted wife and a stay-at-home mom. She works hard to raise the boys and care for Taras and their home. Now, just to make ends meet, she is trying to find a job. But jobs are scarce or nonexistent. But together, following the Lord and living by faith, they make a formidable pair.

Taras, shared, "Masha and I have been going to church since childhood, the pastor of our church is actually my father-in-law (Masha’s father). The congregation isn’t big, but it is very family-oriented and warm. The love of our Lord lives and breathes in our church."

Taras and Masha met when they were very young – they were sweethearts in high school. They have been together for more than 7 years. One thing keeps Taras going, "Our family is crucial to us. Family is all we have."

For more information on how you can sponsor of Taras and Maria Golub or other Ukrainians fleeing the war, visit: https://www.uscis.gov/ukraine

On February 24, when the war began, Taras, Masha, and the boys fled their home on the outskirts of Kyiv in the early hours of the morning. They made their way to western Ukraine to escape the violence and shelling. He said, "We lived in different places for more than three months. Eventually, we returned home to Kyiv, but we were met with more rockets, missiles, and bombs. Every day we feared for our lives and the lives of our boys."

He went on to say, "In Ukraine, life has become extremely difficult for our family because of the war. Our economy is failing, there are no jobs, and it is not safe to raise our boys. We dream of taking Luka to school and not having to worry about his safety and whether the school will be bombed."

Taras and Maria are devoted to each other and their boys. They are committed to following the leading of the Holy Spirit and placing God first in their home. They hope for a new life in America. They want to be responsible citizens and make their own living.

"We put everything in the hands of God! Our hope is in the freedom that people find in America," Taras said. They have no illusions about life in America. However, they fully realize that they need help — they can't do it alone.

They need the Lord's help and their hope is that He places the right people at the right moment squarely in their path.