Yulia

My name is Yulia and I was born in a small Russian town. I have a full-fledged family: mom, dad and two sisters. Because there are few jobs in our city, my father primarily works away from home which limits how often we see him and creates instability in his income due to the temporary nature of his construction jobs. He says he does it for the sake of the family, so that my sisters and I do not need anything.

I have known about God since childhood, but I never delved into the details until age thirteen. I met the pastor of a local church and began to attend, but my love for the world was stronger. After a while, I stopped going to church; the world had completely taken over me and I was an aggressive teenager. I often loved to feel superior and stronger than others. I thought I was the best but after a long period, I realized that I was tired of such a life. I tried to be better, but nothing worked out for me until I remembered God and decided to try to pray. I asked God to change my life and give me new friends. With this prayer, my whole new story began. After a special encounter at church, I knew for sure that it was the hand of God on my life. Over time, I became a completely different person.

Now a Developing Global Leader, I am attending university and pursuing a degree in film and television and I will be the first in my family to graduate from university.. After becoming involved with Young Life, I started doing media ministry and realized the countless opportunities to connect my life-long dream with my new vision for ministry with teens.