ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Marta Fedoriw remembers the moment she first heard there were explosions in Ukraine four years ago.
“We really didn’t think it would last this long, but we were very, we held our spirits high because we knew that the Ukrainian people had the resolve to fight for their freedom,” said Fedoriw.
She has family in Ukraine, including some who fight in the war against Russia.
“One is a medic and one is actually in the trenches on the frontlines, and they’re not giving up,” said Fedoriw.
Father Richard Jendras also has family in Ukraine, a part of the country he said was relatively quiet until it came under missile attacks in recent months.
Father Jendras tells us his cousins’ apartment building was hit.
“Thank God, they made it out. They made it out, but 21 people in their apartment building did not make it out,” he says.
He is among people organizing a prayer service at St Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Allentown Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m., marking the war’s fourth year.
People will hear from family of two Americans who died fighting for Ukraine.
Father Jendras said he is hoping people walk away from the prayer service with a sense of hope.
“A sense of hope this evening because the Ukrainian people have not given up hope because if they did, they wouldn’t continue fighting for this,” said Father Jendras.
The church said it is working alongside other groups to collect donations from hygiene products to money for generators for the people of Ukraine.