Nechiporenko, Valentina

Description

Tell about your childhood, school, family, etc.

I was born in a family of six kids: two boys and four girls. My older sister died. She used to work as a cook in the boarding school not far from Kyiv. My other sisters live in Kyiv. One of them cannot see. My brothers died when they were young. In my childhood I wanted to become either a doctor or a teacher. So I became a teacher.

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

I have always had a big heart for teaching. I used to work as a teacher of elementary school. I could play some music instruments and loved to sing. In school I was also in charge of recreation activities. I love poetry. I have written lots of poetry myself. Later I was in charge of the local department of education. Then I was sent to work in Chernobyl area. After Chernobyl accident I moved to Kyiv where I worked in daycare as a care-taker and an educator. I was also in charge of feeding our kids. Then I moved to Bucha – town next to Kyiv – where I worked in the boarding school. I enjoyed my job.

Tell about your present life.

I worked till I was 60. Then I retired. I receive the 2^nd degree of disability. When Chernobyl accident happened I worked in Chernobyl evacuating kids from that area. As a result I received a big amount of radiation. When I retired I started writing more and more poetry and songs. I was attending different churches. I was also a part of some choirs. One of them had its rehearsals in the building of the white house where St. Paul Church met then. So in 2010 I was invited to St. Paul Church.

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

I believe that God was, is and will always be in hearts of people, for Jesus died for people and rose from the dead. He is holy and He saves people from their sins.

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

My sponsor needs to know everything about me: my faith in Christ, our God and Savior, what I am, where I am from, my problems, my gifts, everything. Just like God, my sponsor should know everything about me. And I would like to know more about my sponsor. My life is hard now. My older son was killed during occupation of Bucha. In March 8, 2022 he turned 47. In March 17 he was shot on the road where he was standing with his younger child, Yuri, a boy of 14. My grandson rose his hand and was wounded in his hand. His father, that is my son, then turned to him and was shot right into his heart. Then he fell. This is what Yuri told me. I am living in great grief over my son – he was a great lawyer, a professional cook. He was a very kind man, who loved kids, all people and me, his mother. See, my husband died in 1986 during Chernobyl accident – he was in military there. So I raised our boys myself. When we moved to Bucha, Ruslan was 11 and Andriy was 3. After Ruslan’s death, Andriy became very quiet and cries when we speak about Ruslan. I cry too. I come to church whenever there are church meetings and pray for Andriy day and night so God would give him more years to live. Ruslan was like a father to him. They were very close. Andriy would share more with Ruslan than he did with me. So there is great pain in our family now. Andriy is a father of two kids and Ruslan’s boys are 14, 18 and 20. Now they are with their mother.

Sincerely with great love,

Valentina