Nadzieja is serving a five-year prison sentence. “You might think that’s a long time,” she says. “But, if I wasn’t in prison, I would surely be dead by now.”
Born into a happy family, Nadzieja loved and trusted her parents. That is, until they began partying with their new neighbours.
“When my parents were drunk, our neighbours’ older sons cornered me and molested me. My parents and I returned home that night — they were smiling and drunk, I was crying. They just brushed it off — they didn’t believe me!”
“Heartbroken, I began hanging out with friends who led me into using drugs, glue, marijuana, and alcohol.”
Her life deteriorated further. “I couldn’t remember things,” she says. “I lied to everyone around me. I have tattoos I don’t remember getting. I was stealing and brawling.”
Then she was arrested. “I was in a detention ward, and I heard that Christians were coming to tell us about Jesus,” she says. “I went to the meeting, just for a laugh.”
But God had other plans. Arda was one of the leaders, trained and equipped to lead Bible studies. Attending that meeting changed everything for Nadzieja.
“Arda began telling me about a life I had never known. It seemed like she was speaking directly to me — I felt like a thief caught red-handed. She gave me a Bible. Reading in my cell that night, my thoughts were occupied by one word: Jesus.”
She could hardly wait to see Arda again. They began to study God’s Word together. At one meeting, Arda smiled at her and said, “I can see that you want to tell me something.” Tearfully, Nadzieja confessed and repented of her sins. She accepted that Jesus was her Lord and Saviour!
“For the first time in my life, I have true hope that I can start over,” Nadzieja says. “Jesus changed my heart. Now, I can see a future: I want to finish school and get a job. I want to be part of a community of believers.”
Praise God! Because of your faithful support, the Word of God is transforming lives!