She lived on the street — today she has a new life: Anna’s story of faith and restoration

Anna’s story is a powerful testimony of how a person can lose everything, find themselves at the very bottom of society, yet—through God’s love—find a path to complete restoration. Today, at 45, she is a free woman, a happy wife, and a devoted servant who seeks to glorify the Lord through her life story.

Anna was born and raised in Odessa in a large family. Her parents’ divorce was a heavy blow to her. While still in school, she fell in with a group of peers where she began smoking and using drugs. This lifestyle quickly consumed her.

By the age of 25, Anna already had three criminal convictions. Upon her release from prison, she faced a new problem—the loss of her home. She tried to rebuild her life on her own, finding work, but the difficulties persisted. Alcohol and drug abuse led to the complete breakdown of her relationships with her family, loneliness, and, ultimately, life on the streets.

Life on the streets nearly took her life forever: Anna survived a brutal beating that resulted in a ruptured spleen, major surgery, and a three-day coma. Doctors said her survival was a miracle. God literally saved her from death.

The turning point and the step toward change came on a freezing winter evening in 2020. Anna heard from people that there was a tent set up by the “New Life” Christian Mission on Kulikovo Field, where she could go to warm up and drink some hot tea. When she arrived there, she heard a call to leave the streets and go to a rehabilitation center. As Anna herself recalls: “I didn’t know Jesus yet, but I knew for sure that these people could be trusted.” This decision marked the beginning of her salvation.

Rehabilitation at the center was a path of trials and temptations, but every small victory brought Anna great joy. One of her most important achievements was restoring her relationship with her parents. Today, her mother also serves—she works as a cook at a nursing home.

With the outbreak of full-scale war, Anna faced new challenges and tasks that helped her grow even stronger in the Lord and mature spiritually. She was completely freed from her addictions and dedicated herself to ministry.

Through the mission, God also restored her personal life: she met her future husband, Yevgen. He is currently in the military and works in the rehabilitation of servicemen, continuing to serve in the mission. Together they are building a strong family—they have a rented home and believe that their future is in God’s trustworthy hands.

Today, Anna serves in administrative and diaconal roles in her home group and local church. She also helps women who are on a similar journey and want to change their lives by sharing her own experience with them.

Looking back, Anna realizes what a tremendous work God has done in her life. She is infinitely grateful to the Almighty for her salvation, as well as to her mentor, Maryana Ivanivna, Pastor Fedir, and the entire “New Life” mission team for being there for her during the hardest times.