Odessa Mission
Victory Day Celebration
Russia and the former Russian Republics celebrated the 60th anniversary of
Victory Day (end of World War II in 1945 which was commemorated in the United
States by President Harry Truman and is known as V-E Day ) on May 9th. In the
Ukraine , it is one of the biggest holidays of the year and the main reason is
because the USSR lost upwards of 30 million soldiers during the war, not to
mention the millions of civilians killed during Stalin's reign. Thus, Russians
are not only very patriotic but also very sentimental because of all they have
endured as a nation over the last seventy-five years. Since many individuals
still live without a true knowledge of God, their pain never seems to subside.
Most veterans receive a pension of just $50 a month which leaves them in
abject poverty. For many Russians and WWII veterans, May 9th is about all
they have left these days and for many it'll probably be their last Victory
Day. Please pray that somehow they will hear the good news of Jesus
Christ while they still have an opportunity to make Him their Lord and Savior.
These are the graves of famous war heroes from Odessa
This is the base of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.
The inscription on this monument reads: "Your country will never forget
you." This monument is in the vicinity of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.
"Giving Thanks", "Saying thanks", and "Showing thanks" - In these
photos, we see survivors and heroes being thanked by people who just
randomly would approach the veterans for the purpose of giving them
flowers or telling them how thankful they are for their former service.
In the distance is the monument built for those whose bodies were never
recovered and whose deaths couldn't be confirmed.
This is the base of the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.
This monument is next to the Monument to Heroes and is in the vicinity of the
Monument to the Unknown Soldier.
