Like all little girls, she thought that life was meant to be happy. But life has shown her otherwise and Tatiana has known her share of problems.

Her mother is in constant depression. Her grandmother is always unhappy with everyone. Her father disappeared somewhere. They always lacked finances.  Life always seemed to be one battle after the next.

Her friends Lena and Vika had totally different lives. Perhaps they were a little strange in their talking about God and attending the church, but … if you do not pay attention to it, it was so delightful to be at their homes. She wanted to stay for night in their home again and again. They had dinner with the whole family laughing, no one getting angry … How do they do it?

Tatiana did not know at that time that she too would go to the church with her friends one day and give her heart to Jesus.

Tanya left Gorlovka and moved to Donetsk. She got a job and rented a room. She met a nice guy in the church, a minister. They got married. She finally seemed to be living! One by one, two sons were born. It was not easy, of course, but the new problems were nothing compared with the love in their hearts. She believed that it would always be so.

I do not know what happened, but because of some conflict her husband left the ministry. He tried not to show his real feelings, continued attending the church, but all of the illusion crumbled soon after that. Her husband went into a deep depression. He escaped from his family through his work. He wanted to see and hear no one. Tatiana prayed and cried continually… What had she to do? Divorce? Run away? Tatiana realized they had to live further through despair, through the cold family bed, and through the love crumbling bit by bit …

Time began to heal. Warmness returned to their family. They bought a small house in Gorlovka with a garden. Two more sons were born.

Then her husband had a sudden stroke. It paralyzed the right side of his body. They had no money for medical treatment and he was not able to survive. Tatiana and her children stood at his grave, and could not believe that she was now a young widow with four children in her arms.

When the war broke out in Eastern Ukraine, it seemed like what hope remained was taken. Their house was shattered with shells. Tatiana and her children escaped from Gorlovka taking nothing with them. She was no longer just a widow or a mother of a large family, but she was also homeless. She had no thoughts about happiness anymore. She dreamed to survive and keep the children. The youngest David was just a year and a half.

Christians in another city accepted the refugees, but they soon said: “We won’t be able to feed you all. You need to move further…” Tatiana tried to stay with the kids in Pershotravensk where there was a big church. But they were not kept there for long and then were offered to move to Berdyansk to a special place holding refugees. They were fed there as refugees in the framework of the governmental program for several months and then were told to move out as the money had run out. Where could they go in December? Nobody wanted to listen to the complaints of the refugees. Their things were taken out in the streets and the sanatorium was closed.

Tatiana rented an old house in Berdyansk. It had the rotten floor, pieces of plaster crumbling from the ceiling. The governmental allowance for the children was spent on renting the shelter. Tatiana earned money for food by washing the floors in an Orthodox church.

When Olga Buznitska from “Emmanuil” Association called Tatyana Makukhina, she heard her response:   “We want nothing.  We’ve had so many hardships and troubles during this refugee year that we only want a house of our own. Not temporary habitation but our own home. We want any house in any village. We will take anything…”

I visited the house in Khmelnitskiy region which CBN-Emmanuil purchased for the Makhuhin family.  It has four rooms, a kitchen, and a water heating system.  There is a summer kitchen and a nice barn in the yard. We drilled a well for them and installed the water system into the house. The toilet and a bath-room were tiled. The local church planted vegetables all in time for Tatiana’s arrival.

Tatiana will see her new home for the first time in several days. This will be her new beginning. May God bring to life Tatiana’s dreams in this new home.

Gennady Novikov, press-center of “Emmanuil” Association

Photos: Tatiana Makukhina and her sons; the house near Kamenets-Podolskiy.

We just remind that “CBN-Emmanuil” continues to help the people from the South-East of Ukraine.

To transfer financial support, enter here

Or inform us about your desire to become a partner by calling us at 0800-50-77-50.