Story shared by Lena Voznyuk
Recently, the director of a social dormitory approached me with a request. Of course I was willing, so we stepped into her office. She thanked me for Last Bell’s work with young people. She knows how we help them.
Then she shared her request: she wanted us to help her with a girl’s medical care, putting her in the hospital and everything else – so the girl could have an abortion. She’s sixteen, and the father is an orphan we work with named Yuriy, who lives at the social dorm.
I took the girl’s cell phone number, and promised we would help: not with an abortion, but in a different way.
Snizhana & her unborn baby
The next day I met with the girl, whose name is Snizhana. She comes from a poor family, alcoholics who live in a village. She came to Zhytomyr to study at the trade school where our Yuriy visited her.
Thanks to God that we have a good community of friends in Zhytomyr who can help! I took Snizhana to Mission to Ukraine, an organization that helps women in crisis pregnancies. She received counseling, and they persuaded her not to have an abortion. She’s going to have her baby! Praise the Lord!
Soon-to-be-parents Snizhana and Yuriy
Mission to Ukraine set up a meeting with both Snizhana and Yuriy. The baby should be born very soon – an event that might not have happened, without God’s leading of the social dorm director and our friends at Mission to Ukraine.
I’m thankful to God for being present wherever there is a need.
Please pray for Yuriy and Snizhana and their baby. Our dream is that they’d become Christians and get married. Pray for a change in their hearts, and a good future for their little baby! Pray they will come to our Stop the Cycle meetings, where they can receive groceries and clothes and other practical help, learn about parenting, and develop close, mentoring relationships with our staff.
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Update: the baby was born, and Snizhana is now living with the baby in a crisis center. Yuriy visits occasionally.
Lena Voznyuk with the new baby
Lena with Snizhana, checking in a while after the baby’s birth. Lena passed along some diapers and supplies from Last Bell