This morning I stopped at my Wells Fargo bank in sunny San Diego. My teller, Laura, had a sign stuck under her name. It says: I am Ukrainian. She was a pretty, blonde young lady with sparkles in her hair in the form of pink barrettes, like princesses have, and sparkling rings on her fingers.

I told her “I am so sorry for all the suffering in your country,” and asked her if she had relatives there. She said her mom and dad just made it to America and now are staying with her, but all her other relatives were killed and died in the first two days of the war. For a moment I thought I misunderstood. She repeated it and was teary-eyed. I became teary-eyed too, and could not contain my tears as my heart was going out to her people.

As you all know by now my husband and I are from Europe, Austria-Germany and France. From Dietrich’s side there are ancestors as well from Hungary and some other eastern countries. In fact, Gisela, my husband’s sister, and I had planned an adventure trip (which was never realized) to take the train from Vienna, Austria, through Hungary and arrive at the first town in Ukraine, and spend the night there. Hungary is on the border of Ukraine.

I always felt Hungarians and Ukrainians are the same family, and all of my and my husband’s ancestors are one family now. We come from so many different countries and they all share the same descendants with my Americans kids. How can we fight?

One day I had a beautiful experience in Hungary, in Sopron. Lots of Viennese go there (one hour by train from Vienna) because it is very cheap there: the restaurants, clothing, massage parlor, hair salon etc. The city is also very artistic and I went there several times to connect with the life of our ancestors’ family.

A few years ago when I went to my habitual hair stylist there, she asked where my husband was as he usually came to pick me up and return together to Vienna. I told her he passed away, and then she remembered all the beautiful moments she witnessed with our couple. She started shedding tears for someone she saw just a few times. I did not know that our love could reach a stranger. She remembered my man.

I read in the news that at least 50 trains a day are pouring into Vienna, coming from Ukraine through Hungary with refugees from the war zone. May they finally find peace as they rebuild their lives, and may global leaders pray to find a way to global peace in consultation with God.

What I wanted to say is we are all one family under God, Our Heavenly Parent, who since the beginning of time wished to have only loving families who care for and love each other. God could not prevent the fall of man because he gave us freedom and responsibility.

Freedom is so precious; people now are giving their lives for it. We are born free, but because of the fall of man we needed a savior. Jesus came and went and said he will come back.

When the marriage supper of the lamb happens will we see the signs, and recognize the Lord of the Second Advent and his bride who will show the way of true love, and after all these terrors of wars and rumors of war truly establish the kingdom of God on this earth, together with us with our own hands.

Watch the video above to learn more about God’s kingdom.

Your friend, Elisabeth Seidel