Sasha Suffers as a Child
As a six-year-old child, Sasha’s father was killed in an auto accident. Her life at home went from bad to worse. The beatings she received from her alcoholic mother intensified. Abused and constantly hungry, she and her older brother Vitya barely survived on rotten food her grandmother salvaged from the garbage.
By the age of 12 she was placed into social care. Her mother’s parental rights were removed. She and her siblings were moved to an orphanage/shelter.
“The next 9 months I spent in a closed social shelter. It was like a prison: we had no rights to go outside, only to walk in the yard. But the yard was tiny with high walls, like a prison cell without ceiling,” Sasha recalls.
A Dream Becomes Reality
Somewhere outside the horror of those high walls lived a Christian couple named Olexsiy and Yulia Satenko. They felt that God was calling them to become a foster family.
They went to the local social services office and were immediately offered four kids from one family. (Sasha and her three siblings) They agreed on the spot. Without getting to know the kids or even looking at their photos, the Satenkos brought them into their family. And that’s how Sasha found a new family a week before her 13th birthday.
It hasn’t always been easy for her or for her new parents. The Satenkos, however, took a huge step of faith and believed God for a miracle in the lives of Sasha and her siblings. Today, it appears that miracle is happening. Sasha has grown to love her family and she knows that she wants to live a different life.
“Sasha was never very talkative. She kept everything inside,” remembers her foster father Olexsiy. Olexsiy continues, “I respected her thoughtful nature but I’m also glad that she came out of her shell. We love her as our own daughter. She is very loyal and responsible and we can always count on her. I enjoy watching her plan her future, studying and growing into a beautiful and confident God’s daughter.”
When the Satenko family received sponsorship support, Sasha was invited to attend her first Mercy Projects camp.
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SOURCE: Mercy Projects
