"I Learned to Be a Mother."
The women who come to our rehabilitation centers have very broken pasts, and their stories are often horrific. We get to help liberate them from drugs and teach them to love and raise their children. Despite a difficult youth, which included drug use and a prison sentence, Tanya’s story has taken a very positive turn.
In a street gang as a mere child
From the time she was very young, Tanya was adventurous and “tough.” She never played with dolls. Instead she was involved in street gangs composed of all boys. She would steal with them and get into fights with other gangs. As she grew up, she continued finding trouble.
At the age of seventeen she had a child. Two years later she “tried drugs once with friends and it felt good,” and she was quickly addicted.
No one was surprised when Tanya was imprisoned at the age of twenty-two. Her son was taken to an orphanage and she was deprived of parental rights.
An upstanding citizen and a drug-using former prisoner unite
After being released from prison, Tanya met Alexey.
“He was like the prince of my dreams!”
Alexey was much older than Tanya and, in all respects, her complete opposite. He had two university degrees and was a law-abiding citizen with no bad vices. Despite being so different, Tanya and Alexey got married. They had two daughters.
“Our life as a family, however, didn’t go well.”
Tanya continued using drugs and keeping with her old lifestyle and habits. She often didn’t come home at night. Alexey took up drinking and was soon doing so excessively. He then became violent towards Tanya.
The family came under the supervision of child care officials.
“I was close to losing my parental rights to the girls as well.”
PHOTO: Tanya and the girls spent a year and a half at the rehabilitation center in Asbest.
Coming to faith at the rehabilitation center
At an impasse with their situation, Tanya and the children received a place at Mission Possible’s rehabilitation center in Asbest. They stayed there for a year and a half.
During that time Tanya came to faith in Jesus Christ and became free from drugs.
“The hardest part for me was
awakening the maternal love in me for my children.
When I was asked to play
with the kids or spend time with them,
I would immediately say,
‘No, I don’t know how to do that!’
But I gradually learned to show them affection and love.”
When Tanya was ready to leave the rehabilitation center, she got a job that included housing as a benefit.
The pandemic and unemployment cause more hardship
For two years, everything went well, but then the covid pandemic hit. Tanya lost her job and the apartment that came with it.
“We were suddenly homeless and without provision!”
Tanya contacted us and a place was prepared for her and her girls in our Chelyabinsk shelter home.
It was encouraging to see that the lives of Tanya and her daughters had continued positively after they left our rehabilitation center. The girls were happy and well-behaved, and Tanya was an energetic mother. She hadn’t let their most recent troubles discourage her, but trusted everything would turn out for the better.
As soon as Tanya came to stay at our shelter home, she jumped right in to assist with the daily work. She was not idle but helped wherever needed. Her older daughter started school, and the younger one started daycare.
We support their family however they need, and we pray God will continue to lead their lives.
