John, Marty, and Charlie Shower Are Sponsoring A Home For Strogiy Family

Nikolai Nikolaevich Strogiy, 55, Security Guard, Valentina Ivanovna Strogaya, 54, Maternity Nurse, Yulia Nikolaevna Strogaya (daughter-in-law), 32, Vladimir Nikolaevich Strogaya (son), 27, Auto Mechanic, Matvey (grandson), 6.

On February 24th, the whole family was at home, awakened early in the morning by the sounds of explosions. That day was a chaotic whirlwind, unlike anything they had ever seen! Initially, they didn’t plan to go anywhere; they just watched the news and saw neighbors leaving. But as strong explosions continued all night, by morning the young family decided to leave for the neighboring town of Voznesensk. The parents stayed behind, as they had to work. But later they also decided to flee, along with Nikolai’s mother, using a tractor to leave. Unfortunately, the tractor broke down on the way, and they had to separate. The Nikolai and his mother went with other villagers to a bomb shelter at a hospital in Chernihiv, while the Valentina walked with other villagers to Voznesensk.

Later, Voznesensk was occupied by Russians, throwing everyone into a new reality of occupation. On March 24th, after a bomb exploded, the family’s house was destroyed by the blast wave. The family learned this news from fellow villagers and realized they had nowhere to return to, understanding that they had lost everything in an instant! Living in Voznesensk became emotionally unbearable, as drones flew overhead every day, the ominous rumble of rockets echoed, and Russian troops regularly passed through. On March 28th, they made a crucial decision: to head to Western Ukraine and seek shelter there. Thanking God for a safe evacuation, the family headed west. In May of 2022, the parents returned to the village, and the young family found temporary shelter in the apartment of relatives at the end of June. Nikolai made himself a room from the shed where they used to keep pigs, just 7 square meters. He often spends the night there, refusing to leave his land and dreaming of rebuilding his home.