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Thank you Albert Lea Tribune Managing Editor Sarah Stultz for your powerful June 4 report on the seemingly endless plight of our local Ukrainian families, as well as the millions of families left back in their own homeland of Ukraine not knowing what horror they could face next.

This reality became all too real for me having just completed a 15-person, 13-day Rotary Peace Tour of eight Eastern European countries, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Our mission was not only to see firsthand the human/property devastation and power insanity war causes, ie. Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, leveling of Warsaw, amongst many other war reminders left all around the countries. Our mission was also to support hope for peace that can be planted in young minds to forge/nurture peace back in their respective countries. The university that I am speaking of is called Lithuania Christian College, LCC, of Vilnius, Lithuania. All proceeds of our tour went directly to this very unique University.

A co-leader of our group was a graduate of that university — she also hailed from Ukraine. Her name is Solomiya “Miya” Odemchuk, she holds her BA from LCC, master’s from London School of Economics, has studied also in Japan and Egypt and is now on her way to study at Oxford. I think it is because of Miya that I had the strong reaction to this Tribune article. An article that tells the story of war from a family-splitting perspective. Exposing the heartless horror war is.
Mahatma Gandhi once said;

“We must be the change we want to see in the world.”

Miya is doing just that. Learning, growing, dedicated to bringing peace back to her homeland. And she does it with great distractions from within. For you see all the while she is studying, moving about the world, her parents and siblings remain in Ukraine. You can see the stress caused by fear in her young face. That unnecessary fear that war causes is exactly why it needs to be eliminated. All throughout the cities we traveled the verdict was clear with signs reading “Putin Hands Off,” “When,”

“Putin Get out of Ukraine NOW.” When will they get the message?

In a travel book of Poland I found a most interesting quote:

“To be defeated and NOT submit, that is victory; to be victorious and rest on one’s laurels, that is defeat.” — Jozef Pilsudski, 1867-1935 Polish commander-in-chief.

The families of Borysova, Kulachek, Odemchuk and the many millions like them are the victors for they will not submit to wrong no matter what the odds.

Rotary has a wonderfully simple motto; “Service Above Self.” Albert Lea Rotary’s theme for this coming year is “Time to Serve Peace.” I can’t think of a better time than now. Join Rotary, we meet every Wednesday at noon at Wedgewood Cove. There you will hear more of the local and global projects of Albert Lea Rotary.

I thank Albert Lea Rotary and St John’s Lutheran Community’s support for this unforgettable Eastern European journey, and to my family who prayed for me while I was gone.

Don F. Malinsky
chaplain
St John’s Lutheran Community