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In
1976 I graduated from school. Since my mother did not care about my
upbringing and I lived as I wished, I married early. I always wanted to
have a large and friendly family. My husband is a very good person but
with time he became addicted to alcohol. I gave birth to four children
– three sons and one daughter. Due to my husband's drunkenness there
were often quarrels at home. The children grew up and I began to think
of divorce so that life would be calmer.
Thanks
be to God! In our city there was "Ural 1994" mission. My daughter,
Natalya went to the House of Culture, to the meetings; then she began
to attend "Hope" church. Believing people became her friends and
started coming to our home. They were unusual people; they were
interesting and easy to speak with. So I went to the church myself. In
this way Christ, our Lord and Saviour, came into our lives. God freed
me not only from constant worries about my children and husband, but He
freed my husband from drunkenness too.
Peace and harmony now reign in our family.
At that time another child Sergey was added to our family. He was six
years old and he called us "mother" and "father" from the beginning. We
obtained child custody for him. In spite of drunkenness my husband
always loved children. We walked with children, played with them, made
snow mountains in winter, hiked in the forest in summer – we always
spent a lot of time with children.
Our
children grew up and have their own families now. Edik is 32, Natalya
is 30, Ilya is 27, Maksim is 22 and Sergey is 19. But we pray for our
home to be a full cup filled with the voices and laughter of children.
My husband and I decided to accept a boy, Kolya. At the time he came to
our family he was five months old; all our family liked him, so we
became his foster family. I always wanted to have one more daughter,
and a year ago we accepted a girl, Tanechka. Now Kolya is 4 years, two
months old, and little Tanya is 3 years, 10 months old. Already they
both go to kindergarten.
Of
course bringing up children is a difficult job, but this task brings
joy to my husband and me. Our hearts are happy when we look at the
merry faces of our children. Praise God that He gives us strength and
health to care for them. I am already 49, and my husband becomes 50 in
December, but God gives us peace and provides everything for us.
One
and a half year ago twin boys, Ilya and Denis, came to our family; they
were three months old. Kolya's mother gave birth to them and left them
in the hospital again. My husband and I thought, prayed, and decided
not to separate the brothers but let them grow up together. We love
them very much and feel for them as we do for our own children. I thank
God that He gave me a mothering heart; I cannot walk past children who
have been abandoned by their parents. I thank my husband who also has a
love for children and whom the children love so much. I thank God for
our children who are adults, but support us. They visit us often, help
us and love our adopted children as well. I thank God for all His
wonderful work in my life. Thanks to Him all my dreams about a friendly
and large family have come true.
I
am also very grateful for the possibility to study at the local
training centre, taking the course programme of Women's ministry! I
graduated last summer. Glory to the Lord for everything!
Svetlana Konstantinovna Korepanova, lives in Verkhnaya Salda,
Sverdlovsk Region, Russia.
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