Artur

My name is Artur, and I live with my mother, grandmother, and sister in Chernivtsi while my father is on the front lines of the war. Since early childhood, our family has experienced financial and relational difficulties. My parents were alcohol and drug addicts, whose behavioral patterns I adopted in my teenage years, giving in to these addictions. I often felt lonely, experiencing bullying at school and going through depression.

One day, a friend invited me to the Young Life club, which I surprisingly enjoyed. I went to camp and then decided to follow Christ. I always knew that God was real, but it was at Young Life camp that I first heard that I could have a personal relationship with Him. I was captivated by it and God changed my life. I joined the ministry and now want every teenager in my country to hear about the love of Christ. The biggest challenge in my life was a full-scale war in my country. Many people left and I had to take on a lot of responsibility, our church took in many refugees, we held clubs in bomb shelters, my family lost a father, it was all a blow, but the Lord gave me the strength to persevere and continue!

Now, I see an urgent need for educated people with the right values in our country, who will rebuild it and influence society. For me, having a higher education is a great value that cannot be realized due to financial difficulties. Since childhood, I was interested in sports and wanted to become a coach, so as a Developing Global Leader, I chose to study physical education at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University to influence the younger generation of my country!