16K, 3.3M, 1.9B in 1 month

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What do all of those numbers mean? These are estimates according to https://www.reuters.com/. According to this source, 16,000 Ukrainians have been killed in less than one month since Russia invaded Ukraine. 3.3 million Ukrainians have lost their homes and fled to Western Ukraine and surrounding countries in less than one month. $1.9 billion dollars of damage has occurred in less than one month. Many have called this the start of World War III. Why do these numbers matter? Because my kids have been a part of the 3.3 million that have been displaced. You see, orphans on the lowest rung of the social class system. They are outcasts. They don't have a very bright future. Yet, I am fighting and advocating for them. Do I want them here? Absolutely. Just as any mom would. But more than that, I want them safe. And they are safe, for now. What's even more difficult to realize is that one of the strongest reasons that these kids continue to remain in Ukraine and Europe? Human trafficking. Of the 3.3 million people that have been displaced, 1.5 million are children. And Unicef states that these children are prime targets. "According to a recent analysis conducted by UNICEF and the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking (ICAT), 28 per cent of identified victims of trafficking globally are children. In the context of Ukraine, UNICEF child protection experts believe that children would likely account for an even higher proportion of potential trafficking victims given that children and women represent nearly all of the refugees who have fled the country so far," (https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-fleeing-war-ukraine-heightened-risk-trafficking-and-exploitation).  This is why it is more important than ever to make sure these kids, and all those who have fled, are safe. 

I have to wonder if we will see these kids again. My kids (Hunter and Hudson) regularly ask if N and Y and their sister will be coming. We pray for their safety every night. Each day that passes is harder. But, there are glimmers of hope. For example, this morning I woke to a message that my kids are safe. I also received these amazing pictures!