UKRAINE
Hungry
Bible
for a
T
atiana* was desp e r a te . W i t h h e r husband gone, she wasn’t sure how she and her three-year-old son, Vladimir, would survive. The little money she earned at a local café was barely enough to feed them. After a while, life became too heavy for Tatiana, and seeing no way out, she made plans to send Vladimir to an orphanage and commit suicide. The appointed day arrived, but as Tatiana looked at her precious son, she couldn’t bear to part with him. Throwing her arms around the boy, she
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sobbed for several minutes, distraught and yet relieved. For several years mother and son continued to hold on to life, but by the time Vladimir was 12, Tatiana’s depression had returned, and along with it more thoughts of suicide. It was during this time that a friend invited Tatiana to attend a musical concert celebrating the birth of Christ. The concert was held at a Seventh-day Adventist church, and although she didn’t know anything about Jesus, Tatiana decided to go. That evening, Tatiana heard the story of Jesus for the first time. Through the beautiful songs and narration, her heart was touched as she discovered a Savior who truly cared about her and had a wonderful plan for her life. Returning home, Tatiana’s face lit up as she explained to Vladimir what she had learned that night. “There is a God who loves us,” she told him. “A God who wants us to live and be happy.” Soon, Vladimir noticed a change in his mother’s appearance and outlook. There was a look of hope in her eyes. They both longed to learn more about this wonderful God and had heard that it would be good for them to read the Bible—but neither knew where to find this special book. Then one day, Tatiana returned home with the news that she had found where to purchase a Bible. Sitting down with Vladimir, she
