Bessarabova, Zoia

Опис

Tell about your childhood, school, family, etc.

I spent 60 years of my life in Bakhmut. I attended a kindergarten and secondary school there.  I also went to a children’s music school in Bakhmut. My parents were very busy all the time (my dad was a teacher and my mom was a vet), so I had to look after my younger brother. I loved riding a bicycle and swimming in the river Bakhmutka. Our family had a cozy home with an orchard and a vegetable plot.

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

I graduated from a pedagogical school in Bakhmut and the Institute of Food Industry in Kyiv. I worked in a kindergarten, at school, and at the Bakhmut City Council (in the department for youth affairs). Wherever I worked, there were challenges for me. It is always difficult to work for someone who fulfills her duties conscientiously and honestly. Unfortunately, before I retired, I worked as a laboratory assistant and received the minimum wage (although I performed the functions of a food inspector). So my pension is only 2,882 hryvnias. (approx. $72 per month).

Tell about your present life.

My present life is very hard. In 2022, I left Bakhmut with my father, who was 85 years old. The move caused my father a lot of stress. In Kyiv, he suffered two heart attacks and two strokes. He was in a serious condition. He was virtually bedridden. The rent was very expensive, and the social housing that the authorities promised was not provided. Last year, my father died. His last will was to be buried in Bakhmut near my mother. I had him cremated (I am still paying off my debts). The urn with his ashes is in the apartment I rent. I do not understand where to bury him and when. We built our houses with our own hands, it took us a long time to build them. We invested our strength and health. And now, at an advanced age, we, the pensioners, have become homeless.

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

I think I have always lived according to God’s commandments. I did not kill, rob, or engage in corruption. I lived honestly and helped other people. I have never even slaughtered a chicken in my yard. And whenever a bee flew into the house, I would carefully catch it in a gauze and set it free. I have been in Christ for 10 years.

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

I lost the people who were so dear to me – my mother, father, younger brother, and my son. My mother, brother and son died before the war. My dad was a little kid during World War II and he died during another war. The houses of my parents and my daughter, as well as my apartment, were completely destroyed. The property was burned by phosphorus bombs. We worked all our lives, so we had everything we needed to live. And now through no fault of ours we, sick, elderly people, have become homeless. During the two years of war, we have encountered different people. Some share with us the last thing they have – clothes, underwear, dishes. Others ask why we came here, or rent out their apartments at exorbitant prices.

I am very grateful to the sponsors for their generous and much-needed help. God lives in your big hearts. I hope that those who unleashed this hell will be severely punished. May God and just people judge them!

I wish our sponsors health, long life and success in all their endeavors. When victory and peace come, I would like to meet them in person, hug them and thank them for their support. I would invite them to visit and spend their vacation in the Ukrainian Crimea.