There are a few types of women in the Ukraine. They have their Babushkas which are the Russian grandmas. The business type which are the ones who walk down the streets of the Ukraine wearing business attire and lack of emotion. There are the posh ones who look like they could walk down the runway at any given moment. They also have the everyday-woman who would be considered “normal” in the States, but who still look like they could a make a cover of a magazine. Finally, there are the homeless women- the forgotten ones who live life day by day in survival mode. The homeless women were the ones that touched my heart that month; they were the ones I will never forget. Here are just a few women who impacted my life in awesome-crazy ways…
Tatiana: I met this woman at the street-kids club where my team did ministry every Tuesday and Thursday. Tatiana came with her son in order to get cleaned up and to be fed; she completely broke my heart. Her daughter had recently passed away and it seemed, as though, she was drinking her life away. On our last visit, I gave the part of my testimony about my mother and afterwards Tatiana got very quiet and then started speaking in a soft-motherly tone. “Did you forgive her?” was the question she asked me and my heart sank; out of any woman this year, Tatiana reminded me of my mother the most. I told her I had forgiven my mother and she seemed relieved. She then told me that before her daughter died, they had stopped speaking and now she regrets not making an effort to repair their broken relationship. Tatiana cared enough to not let that happen to me- and for that I will be forever grateful.
Marianne: The first time I saw this woman, it was late at night and my team walked passed where she was sleeping for the time being. She was making weird laughing noises (that did NOT sound pleasant) and her eyes looked like they were rolling in her head. My spirit started reacting and I knew something demonic was attached to this woman; I later received confirmation from other team members. I felt like I should have stopped to talk to her, but I just kept walking instead. I told God that if HE wanted me to see her again that HE would make a way and sure enough, two weeks later, she was sitting across from our humble-abode. Kate and I bought some bread and took it to her and the three of us ended up conversing for a good thirty minutes. We found out her name was Marianne, that she was a college graduate at a top-notch-school, and was a mother of two grown girls who lived elsewhere. Marianne told part of her story to both Kate and I, and we were blown away that this woman (who was so successful at one point) was now living on the street. I still knew that there was an attachment, but Marianne was a strong individual who was fighting for her life. Kate and I prayed blessings and freedoms over her and then walked away amazed; we were the ones changed that day.
Anna: Oh, dear old Anna! This little-old-homeless Babushka was a precious fireball. When my team arrived in Odessa, Ukraine, I spotted her at the corner of the train station; I felt as though I should talk to her, but I knew it was not the time. One day, Sarah and I walked to the train station to pass out bags of food to the homeless and ended up coming across Anna. Anna speaks no English whatsoever and wears layers upon layers of clothing that makes it look like she has a hunchback. She told us her story, that we obviously did not understand, and she even wanted to pay us somehow for the food we handed to her. After a few minutes, we convinced her to take the food as a gift and with that she began telling us her story again. I found out that Sarah had also seen Anna the first day and felt like she should lay hands and pray for this little woman. Well, Anna was NOT a physical touch person (we knew this because Sarah touched her on the shoulder and she leaped back and said, “NO!”) but allowed us to pray for her. On our last night, we were at the train station and sure enough, Anna was there. She walked over to us and seemed so happy to see us. Anna began speaking in her thick-Russian accent and then began rummaging through her bag. She took out some crackers and passed them to Sarah, Annie Rose, and I and then handed us a handful of flowers, in which she also, kept a few for herself. Sarah and I were filled with joy-we both prayed that we would be able to say our goodbyes to our little Babushka. It was then time to leave and Sarah asked one more time if she could hug Anna. Anna stood there for a second and then shook her head yes; Sarah got that hug, after all. Afterwards, I asked Anna if I could have a hug and sure enough, she gave me one; followed with Annie Rose. The three of us felt so blessed to have been able to give Anna a hug and we all knew that was one of the reasons God had sent us there…saving lives one hug at a time!
Natalka: Talk about a woman after God’s heart- Natalka is a power to be reckoned with. Natalka was our contact for the month and her passion was for the people on the street. She longed to see the Gospel spread throughout the forgotten areas and to see lives be transformed through the blood of Jesus Christ. Natalka has an incredible testimony that the Lord is using to further HIS kingdom. Natalka is only 23, but hears God’s voice in crazy-radical ways. Ummm…she hosted a team of seven young adults for crying-out-loud; seriously, she is a go-getter, but continually seeks God for advise. It was a true blessing to minister alongside this woman and it is a gift to call her friend. Continue to bring Kingdom, girl!
