Sofya

My name is Sofya. My friends call me Sonya. I live in Krakow, Poland, with my younger sister. I was born and grew up in Astana, Kazakhstan, with my mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, older brother and younger sister. I had a difficult childhood, and from a very young age, my grandfather told me that he did not love me. My brother also struggled with drug use and my mother had epileptic seizures. I faced physical abuse and bullying in school. I did not love myself and was afraid of everything. For this reason, I did not open up to anyone for a long time. 

My parents are believers, and we always went to church. I believed that there was a God, but did not have a relationship with Him. When I was 16, I was bullied and had terrible self-esteem. I did not know how to stand up for myself. I thought I was awful and deserved all the bullying. It was during this time that I realized my need for Jesus and accepted Him into my life. He taught me how to love myself. After that, I started serving in church with children and media ministry. When I moved to Krakow, I started helping with Young Life, and am now a team leader for high school and university ministries.  

As a recipient of the Developing Global Leaders scholarship, I am studying languages and Spanish philosophy at Jagiellonian University in Krakow. With my degree, I want to open my own school and serve through it. I also want to continue leading in Young Life because I see the power of God in it.