Vitalina

My name is Vitalina, and I live in the capital city of Ukraine, Kyiv. I was born in a small town but then we moved to Kyiv, and I had to change schools several times. It was a stressful period, because I always found it difficult to adapt to a new environment, and I often faced rejection. My parents often quarreled and I did not feel connected to them which also impacted me. Finally, I moved to a friendly school, where I was accepted and felt like I left those problems behind, but the war started, and we had to leave once more. Those days felt like utter darkness, every day was terrible and painful. Due to rocket attacks, we spent some time without water and electricity. Every day I was afraid to wake up, I did not know what could await the day, however, we learned to live with it.

During that first summer of the war, I went to Young Life camp. That week became the best week of my life, not because of games or contests, but because of the God I learned about. Now I have joined the team in Kyiv, where my family later returned after fleeing. I serve teenagers in my city, and I am overwhelmed by how God works not only in their lives, but also in mine.

Since childhood, I have dreamed of working in the field of cinema and television. Therefore, I am eager to professionally pursue the field of audiovisual arts and production. I believe the film industry can be a vehicle for the message of Jesus. I want to devote my life to service and further developing Young Life in Ukraine and for every teenager to hear about Jesus Christ.