a life without direction or purpose
Christina is one of the young participants in our “Successful Youth” Club, in Ternopil, Ukraine. She first came to us in September 2016, and she immediately began attending meetings at our training center and always took an active part in the activities of the youth club.
A little while after joining, she opened up and shared with us about her life:
“A lot has happened over the last year, and to be honest, because of it, I became a completely different person. Last year before I came to the center, I learned how to repair my own heart, how to reassemble my broken parts, how to cope without people who I thought they would be in my life for a long time… I learned that in most cases you can’t depend on others. That everyone is really looking only for some profit for themselves, and you need to deal with all your problems by yourself. Of course, parents can still help, but I personally have a situation where my parents do not want to help or understand me.
Because of this distrust, it’s challenging for me to express my emotions; it’s much easier for me to write than to talk with a person. I also had big problems at school: I had a serious conflict with the class. They bullied me for two years and made fun of me because I did not have a father. I became closed off, and cold … they finally stopped bullying me, but my brokenness remained. A year has passed since the bullying stopped, but I still did not feel free around other people. I was always haunted by feelings that I was not good enough. Even in my communication with my mother…I never told her that I love her. For some reason, it was difficult for me to say this. We always had misunderstandings, and we fought every day. When I would talk to her, it always seemed like she just did not want to hear me.
everything began to change
When I first came to the center for a meeting of the ‘Successful Youth’ Club, it was the best thing that happened to me! It changed everything in my little world! Now I know what my value is, and I appreciate everything that I have. I’ve become more confident than I was. My thinking and views on life have changed. I know I am blessed and that God has plans for my life. I am determined to follow His direction for my life. Now I know what I want to do in the future…. set goals and achieve them. I know how to act in difficult situations now. The club has genuinely helped me a lot! ”
beautiful inside and out
Kristina’s countenance changed so much that in early March, she was recommended from her school to take part in the beauty contest “Miss Ternopil!” She hesitated a little at first, but with the support she received from the leaders and members of the club, she decided to take a chance on herself. She shared this from the stage at the contest, illustrating how much her heart has been changed”
“I believe that each of us must make a choice. After all, life is a constant string of choices, which, whether good or bad, will determine our future. My choice in life is to “Shine and give light to others.” Amen!