Where He Is Today: Kolya's Story
The young man’s fingers moved on the piano’s keys gently, quickly, and confidently. Soft chords mixed with strong ones and filled the whole place. The audience sat quietly, admiring the pianist’s skillful playing.
The young man in a white shirt playing the grand piano was 17-year-old Kolya. When he finished playing he stood, bowed slightly, and left the stage, followed by the audience’s applause.
The young man’s talent was impressive,
but for those who knew him,
this concert was especially remarkable and touching.
They were happy for Kolya
because they knew his whole story.
A loving and safe home is the best growing ground for a child and his talents. For Kolya, however, his childhood home was a place of fear and horror. He was abandoned by his drug-addicted parents at an early age and taken in by his impoverished grandmother and a frightening uncle with mental illness. Kolya has had to experience things that no one should ever experience.
The turning point in Kolya’s life was when, at the age of six, he was brought to our shelter home in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, where he has lived ever since. Luba, the home’s leader, became his mother figure and one he could trust.
The days carried on with new friends and activities.
But at night, the residents of the shelter home
woke up to Kolya crying
as the haunting memories of his past
came into his dreams.
As the situation prolonged, sedatives were even given, but there was no improvement.
Kolya was prayed for, and finally, after months of nightmares, those prayers were answered.
“Terrible things happened,” Kolya told Luba, and he was finally able to share about his past experiences. After this Luba and the team were able to offer better help, and the nightmares became less frequent.
Over the years in our shelter home Kolya has been recovering from his past thanks to the love, support, and care he has received. Now a young man, he has hope for his future and has realized his gift for playing the piano.
His love for music has him hoping to study sound engineering in the days to come.
Shelter home mother Luba with Kolya in 2009, when he came to our home.
And below, ten years later after a great concert performance.
