Pyatnichenko, Valya
Name, date and place of birth:
#270 Pyatnichenko, Valentina. June 18, 1946. Kyiv.
Tell about your childhood, school, family, etc.
I was born in a family of clerks. My mother was Russian and my dad was a Ukrainian. I had an older brother who died in 2020. I enjoyed studying in school, especially languages and literature. I love reading so much that it ruined my vision.
Where did you work? Was your work good? Were you happy with your job?
I graduated from the Academy of Agriculture majoring in economics. After two years of my work in two different ministries I realized I could not be promoted on my job because I did not have “connections”. So I found the work that became my favorite for life-time: I became training and grooming puddles.
Tell about your present life.
After my husband’s death in 2020 I felt very lonely. I find the only relief in attending our church – the Word of God encourages me a lot and gives hope for better time. Three months ago my favorite puddle died because he was very old -and it was very hard for me. But I have hope that within a year I will collect enough money to buy a puddle puppy, so we could participate in different contests and events for dogs.
Have you accepted Christ? How long have you been following the Lord?
I was born in a family of atheists and was raised with belief that religion is “opium for people”. To my surprise, I was first introduced to the Word of God by reading anti-religious literature. There were some Bible verses that I would carefully write into my note-pad and think while rereading them. So this is how I was approaching God. Later when I managed to get the Bible I realized all foolishness of atheism.
Tell about one thing your sponsor needs to know about you.
I believe that the Lord brings me through trials for my good and He will never gives me any testing that I will not be able to go through.
Description
Let me tell you about Valentina Pyatnichenko.
She came to St. Paul’s Church in 2016 and became a Stephen minister before she became a church member. I remember well my very first EE group where I noticed that Valentina in many ways would stand out in the group. Intelligent, yet modest, with good manners and sense of humor, she wanted to learn about faith as much as she could. I can hardly remember Valentina missing a Bible lesson – she is always there carefully listening.
Valentina was born in Kyiv in 1946 of a Polish father and a Russian mother. As I was visiting Valentina this past Tuesday, she would tell me endless stories about her parents, particularly about deep love and committment in their marriage. The appartment she lives in was received by their family in 1964 when that three-story house was built in the old part of the city. Before WW II the family settled in a huge commune apartment in the very downtown of Kyiv (not far from the White House). The two rooms of Valentina’s apartment now are modestly furnitured yet there is much taste. The appartment is on the first floor – back in the Soviet times Valentina build a narrow but a long balcony attached to the apartment. And it was over 10 years ago in this very balcony she hosted a street female dog who gave birth to puppies. Soon Valentina found homes to all of them, including the mother dog. Though the mother dog was soon returned to her. Valentina would not give up and found another human family for the dog. When the dog merely walked back to her apartment Valentina made a decision to keep her 🙂 – the old slow friend is still her only company.
Valentina’s parents were very educated people. So back in early 1960 the girl was encouraged to receive good education and she did. For 20 years Valentina had worked as an economist at the ministry. And then she said, “I did something extraordinary for a Soviet person. I learnt to do haircuts for poodles. And I was making good money:)” See, poodles were very rary and thus extremely popular back in 1970 and later in 1980 in the Soviet Union. And since Valentina new some Polish language she was subscribed to some Polish periodicals in which there were good lessons on doing haircuts for poodles 🙂
Valentina regrets she could not have children. Having had a boy friend in her 30s, she had spent 3 years with him and finally returned to her parents home.
Her successful hobby with poodles made her female neighbors envy her. Eventually she was accused in immoral lifestyle. One should understand: in the Soviet time it was very suspicious if your neighbor made much more money than you did without official imployment – and it was exactly Valentina’s situation back in 1980s. She said, “It was really bad, I have just buried both of my parents and accusations were so unfair that one night I simply knelt and started talking to God. At the end of my first prayer I physically sensed that a heavy burden was taken off my shoulders and unreal peace filled my heart. That’s how my Christian walk started.And it was only years later when I came to St. Paul’s I started studying the Bible and got saved.”
Five years ago Valentina married to a widower, a wonderful man who died last spring of a heart attack. With great warmth she speaks about her hasband whom she in fact brought to Christ shortly after they got married. According to her, “After his death I feel so lonely and it is the church with its lessons, services, and care for me helps me to keep going”