... a little girl grew up and lived in very bad circumstances.  By the time Natalya* was 14 years old she already had several boyfriends.  Due to her harsh nature she found that she had a hard time relating to other girls.  She drank every day, smoked everything and stole whatever she could get her hands on…even her grandmother wasn’t able to trust her.

Natalya’s family wasn’t very different from her at all.  Her mother drank every day and the boyfriend several times attacked her mom, trying to stab her to death.  The mother didn’t care for her children and there was never a father at home.  Natalya began to enjoy hurting people in physical and mental ways.  One day the evil influence living in her took hold of her and along with some of her boyfriends, she committed a very, very bad crime.

Some weeks later she found herself in prison.  She didn’t think too much about it, since her life wasn’t worth a penny anyhow, she thought.  The razor slices that formed scars on her forearms showed that she didn’t even want to live.  But every time that Natalya tried to get out of the darkness pressing in on her in this prison world, something held her back and didn’t allow her to take her own life.  It was a warm, soft voice.  “What was this life for?” she asked.  She had tried everything but nothing provided satisfaction for very long.

In prison she got to know Jesus Christ, the One who says:  "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever." (John 4:13-14)

Often some friendly nice people would come and hold meetings at the prison and tell her about this Man who made this great promise of bringing contentment and happiness to her life.  As Natalya got to know the Truth, the Truth set her free. In Jesus she found everything that she wanted.  So she then decided to begin living to please God.  But in the back of her mind she already knew that it would be impossible to live such a life back at home, where nobody was grateful or merciful or even knew what it meant to be so.

When the day arrived that Natalya was to be released from prison these nice people came again and invited her to live in their home, with hot water and a soft bed.  She thought for a while and remembered that even her own mother had forsaken her.  She hadn’t written or called even once during the years Natalya was imprisoned.  So, she agreed to live with these godly people who cared for her.

She even began hoping that her life might really change for the better and that she would find a way to live for Jesus everyday.  Already she knew a lot about Him and she had twice completed all of the 40 Bible courses that the believers had given her while she was in prison.

So Natalya moved in at the age of 19 to this home that was like a fairytale to her.  There she found other girls with a similar background who now would become her friends and like sisters.  It was so nice and clean and everyday they had fresh bread and jam for breakfast and she really felt loved.  But somehow she felt the pull to return to her former life.  Some inner voice haunted her and gave her thoughts of how she could return to that life.  She began to feel a hunger to see some of her old boyfriends again.

After a while, she couldn’t stand it anymore and secretly called two of them.  She phoned and arranged to meet them at a convenient moment when she was going to the dentist accompanied by another believer.  No one knew about her hidden plan.

On this particular day the two guys waited for Natalya at the appointed place and as she approached closer to the meeting spot, she suddenly surprised the godly girl who was with her by telling her that she would now leave for her old world.

But the wise words of the believer girl and an inner voice didn’t allow her to go forward with her plan.  Natalya knew that she would never have such a good life again with Jesus and never would she know anything as good and kind as the new home she had been welcomed into.  So, after an inner struggle, she knew she had to say goodbye to her old boyfriends.  She fought her first weak impulse and having found a new inner strength, she made a final break.  Then Natalya went back to the wonderful house with the green flower garden and the friendly red-haired dog.

But the evil influence didn’t want her to live there.  It hunted her in a bad way.  One night she had such an awful dream that she couldn’t move anymore.  One of the believers living alongside her then came and comforted her, praying to Jesus for hours.  The thought of the bad dream disappeared—the presence of the Holy Spirit had given victory.

Again her heart was overwhelmed with joy and she promised to never leave this God who defeats evil.  From then on she began telling everyone who at least half-way would listen about her Savior and the miraculous way He had rescued her.  Since Natalya is naturally outgoing, she had lots of opportunities to talk to them.  She openly told them about her wounded heart and fervently prayed to Jesus that they would come to know Him as she had.  

One day she had the opportunity to visit her old hometown again.  To get there took a very long three thousand kilometer journey over highways on the barren Kazakh steppe.  On the way through bumpy roads and rushing semi desert winds, the wish to see her mother and sister again very quickly grew strong.  But how hard was the actual arrival as she saw them face to face.  It was so hard that the first words that she spoke to her twin sister were, “How ugly you are!”

She didn’t mean it like it came out, but she felt that her sister had changed so much and wasn’t the same person who she had known several years earlier.  The dirt of her old home and the sight of her drunken mother struck her down powerfully and Natalya said she was indescribably relieved when they finally left to return to her new home.  She knew that her new family that God had given her was eagerly waiting for her return and Natalya looked forward to being with them where she could now live close to her heavenly Father.

When after many hours on the road she and her three traveling companions returned to this new home, she went from one warm embrace to another and thought, "Who am I, O Lord GOD...that you have brought me thus far? Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you. (II Samuel 7:18 & 22)

Today, Natalya continues to live here in this godly house and is a light for everybody.  Her previously bad nature is under the control of the Spirit and she is not able to hurt anybody anymore.  Not only does she have hope for the future in this world, but also a beautiful life in heaven.  Yes, it sounds like a fairytale, but it isn't, for God made His promise come true:  "Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?" (James 2:5)

The End

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* Name changed to preserve anonymity

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Epilogue

Months ago I saw this girl "Natalya" coming out of prison with a mindset that was still hardened and tough after years of confinement. But now I have seen how her person and character have been changed by the light of the Lord into a wonderful young lady.  I can honestly say that this has served to strengthen my faith and that her story of transformation from a brutal background to what she is today in Christ will never leave me.  While serving here during the past ten months, this story has been the one that touched me the most.  May God encourage you for reading it and please do pray for "Natalya".

Yours in Christ,

Susi