Kostenko Marta

Description

Tell about your childhood, school, family, etc.

I grew up in a family of 5 kids: three boys and two girls. The older kids were helping the younger ones. We were poor but our parents did their best to motivate us to study. So I finished 11 years of school. After finishing school I entered College majoring in sales.

Where did you work? Was your work good? Were you happy with your job?

When I graduated from college my older brother was serving in army in Kyiv so he moved me to Kyiv. Here I started working in my field. I did not like my job. Both my parents could saw so I learnt sawing from them and later became a seamstress at a big factory in Kyiv –  I loved that job.

Tell about your present life.

I live alone. I have a daughter Natalia and two grandsons of 14 and 22. I had another daughter but in 1989 at the age of 18 she was hit by a car as she was crossing the street. It is very hard for me to live with this loss. Every day I pray for her soul so let the Lord accept it. I believe that God sees our sufferings.

Have you accepted Christ? How long have you been following the Lord?

My parents were believers. They would always take us, kids, to church. I used to sing in church choir as a kid. I really enjoyed it. My parents could not read so I was the one who read then the Bible. It was then when I developed that love for the Word of God.  I have been carrying my love for Jesus since my childhood – now I do to church, pray, read my Bible and watch Christian TV programs.

Tell about one thing your sponsor needs to know about you.

Envy, unforgiveness and bitterness are very destructive. I remember one story that happened to my father. Our dog was chained and once he got loose  and  injures a pig of our neighbor. For that our neighbor hit him with a rock. My father was operated on his head. The wound was so bad that the doctors promised my father not to live longer than 6 months. But my father forgave our neighbor and lived for 10 more years. I ask God for His wisdom to do right things in life. Now the war is going in Ukraine and all our people are very thankful to the US and EU for their help. Our soldiers courageously defend our land. Let God protect our Ukraine and the light overcome the darkness and there be peace in Ukraine and the whole world!