Growing up, Nadya was mostly raised by her grandmother, Nadia, who was a faithful worker at Mission Without Border’s Soup Kitchen, devoting about ten years of her life to ministering to children and cooking for them. She prayed every day for her daughter Valentyna – Nadya’s mother – who has long been addicted to alcohol and has shown little interest in Nadya or her sister.
As Nadya grew up, she was very close to her grandmother, who passed away several years ago. She attended the Christian meetings at the Soup Kitchen with excitement and never missed a day. She knew a lot about God and his love. As Nadya grew up, however, she began to drift away from God and instead followed in her mother Valentyna’s footsteps. She started dating various men, trying to find real love. She became a single mother and is now raising her children.
“I now share an apartment with my own mother who still has a drinking problem and doesn’t care about us,” Nadya said. “There was a horrible moment where I realised that one day, I’ll become just like her…”
The Mission Without Borders staff at the Soup Kitchen had not forgotten Nadya, whom they had known since she was a little girl, and they knew that God had not given up on her. “We never lost touch with Nadya, even though she avoided us for a while,” said Inna, one of the staff. “I kept telling her that despite the wrong choices she’s made, God is waiting for her to return. God has a plan for her life and a better future for her children".
One day we had a heart-to-heart conversation, and Nadya confessed that her life feels like a heavy burden and she needs help. Now her children attend Soup Kitchen regularly.
Nadya became open to communication. Our church tries to help her spiritually, emotionally, and materially. Today we brought Operation Christmas Love food parcels to them. Nadya said, “Even though I’ve forgotten a lot from my childhood, I do still remember clearly that I was so happy every time I went to the Soup Kitchen. I hope that one day I will return to God for good.”