School Without Walls
Victor
Living in a war is terrifying, and going through it alone is incredibly challenging. Victor knows this firsthand, as he has to hear with daily explosions in his crumbling house. Ever since his wife died, his once cozy home has gradually transformed into a place that barely resembles the welcoming place he used to return to after a hard day. Despite that, Victor stays home, unable to part ways with a place that holds countless cherished memories. In the war-torn village, life progresses from one shelling to the next, leaving Victor in constant uncertainty about the danger he will face each day. A rocket’s devastating impact recently struck his garden, causing irreparable damage to his home. There are now cracks in the walls, and the chimney isn’t working. With no other alternative, Victor continued to heat his stove. All the smoke stayed inside, making the house look worse, and causing…
Olga
A bomb exploded 50 meters away from Olga. The blast wave threw her into the hay barn where she was going to tend her cow. One piece of shrapnel grazed her head without causing serious injury. Later, the woman found several other large pieces of shrapnel nearby. It was a miracle that Olga remained alive and almost unharmed. During the war, living in an active combat zone in the Zaporizhzhia region, Olga saw many terrible things: a neighbor whose leg was torn off, an explosion in a barn that killed three cows, at every turn she came across unexploded cluster bombs and many pieces of shrapnel. She can already tell the difference between explosions and knows how to know the next one is coming – but even that doesn’t always help her take cover in time. “I’m afraid to see my house destroyed,” the woman explains why she doesn’t want…
Anna and her Family
As a young girl, Anna studied at Kyiv University but always dreamed of living in her hometown of Kramatorsk. She shares, “I knew I would want to have my family in my hometown.” So, after I returned home, I started doing what I love the most – working as a manicurist. It was there that I met my future husband, Misha. We got married and started our family business – a salon where he worked as a masseur.”The couple had two children, Emilia and Yan, and were so happy! They had a special tradition on Saturdays. Anna would go with the kids to the pool, and then they would all go to their favorite pizza place where Misha would already be waiting for them with a huge smile and pizza on the table.However, their happy life changed in February 2023. Their hometown turned out to be close to the frontlines…
Yevgenia’s Story: I really had a spiritual ‘reboot’
You can see the joy on Yevgenia’s face as she stood in the water. She will never forget the five-day “Restart” Christian camp led by School Without Walls (SWW) leaders that stirred her to make the most important decision of her life – the decision to put her trust in Jesus Christ and be baptized that week. The 20-year-old refers to her decision to follow Christ as a “reboot” that has given her life new momentum. “During the year, I had to overcome a lot of difficulties that taught me to trust God,” she said, “and a lot of the decisions I made at camp had a greater impact on me. I started a new life with Christ and became softer, more courageous, and happier.” This “reboot” has given Yevgenia the strength to handle a difficult season of life where she has dealt with a series of health challenges, the death…
Artem’s dream: How faith, SWW gave teen new purpose
Artem, 18, recalled the dream that led him to turn from sin and give his life to Christ. “One night I had a dream about a man dressed in white, and a bright light emanated from him,” Artem said. “He told me that if I didn’t change my ways, then I would face great suffering. When I woke up, I was afraid and I knew that I needed to fix my life.” Artem, who grew up in a Christian home in Russia but had fallen away from his faith, decided to turn his life over to Christ. He soon became involved in Mission Eurasia’s School Without Walls (SWW) Christian leadership training program. “God spoke to me through young Christians, who helped me understand why it is important to obey the Lord,” he said. “Thanks to their kindness, I realized that I didn’t want to live without God anymore, and He became the most important thing in my life. “As soon as I put…
Her disability didn’t stop her from serving the Lord
Elnara was desperate for a new start – deaf, unable to speak, spiritually lost, and a single mom raising two children on her own in Kazakhstan. It’s a place where more than half the population is Muslim, Christians are persecuted for their faith, and churches have been closed. Mission Eurasia’s School Without Walls (SWW) program reached out to Elnara – and her life hasn’t been the same. She shared, “I am 27 years old, and Tatar by nationality. I am also deaf, so I can’t speak. About two and a half years ago, sin reigned in my life, and my family broke apart.” After Elnara and her husband divorced, she rembered feeling “very broken” inside. “I had always called myself a Christian, because my mom and I went to church on holidays, but I didn’t live a Christian life,” she said. “When I was older, I worked as a model, and my entire life…