November 18, 2024 • 31 mins
Have you ever felt like your past was too broken to redeem?
Tetyana Zabroda's story is proof that God can turn even the darkest beginnings into something beautiful. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Tetyana from the very young age became aware that she was a product of rape and her biologocal father was a terrible man. Her mother chose not to have an abortion and tried to give her a good life while carrying the burden of the traumatic past. Tetyana's grandmother was the only one who welcomed her birth.
But her story doesn’t end with struggle—it’s about transformation. During the stillness of the 2020 lockdowns, Tatiana experienced a spiritual awakening that completely changed the course of her life - she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. A mission trip to Greece became a defining moment where she saw God’s plans unfold in ways she never imagined. Watching the redemption of Galina, a Ukrainian refugee, whose story mirrored her own, ignited a boldness in Tetyana to share her faith and bring hope to others.
This episode isn’t just about one woman’s journey—it’s about all of us who have wondered if our past defines our future. If you’ve ever doubted God’s ability to heal and redeem, Tetyana’s story will remind you that nothing is beyond His reach.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Limitless Spirit, a weekly podcast with
host Helen Todd, where sheinterviews guests about pursuing
spiritual growth, discoveringlife's purpose through serving
others and developing a deeperfaith in Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to Limitless Spirit, where we explore the
incredible ways God transformsour lives and connects us to His
greater purpose.
I'm your host, helen Todd.
Today's episode tells a storyof redemption so powerful it
could only be written by GodHimself.
Imagine starting your life as aproduct of someone else's sin,
(00:41):
born into a world that mightcall your existence a mistake.
Yet through this darkness,god's light shines even brighter
.
Our guest today is living proofthat no pain is too deep, no
evil too great for God to redeem.
She is a woman whose mothermade a courageous choice not to
(01:03):
abort her after she wasconceived in rape.
It's a story of heartbreak andhealing, of finding Christ and
discovering the joy of sharinghim with others.
Get ready to be inspired by atestimony that shows how God can
take what was meant for harmand use it for good, and use it
for good.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
How are you today?
I'm doing well.
Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So our paths crossed in Greece, but we actually share
our background, coming fromSlavic countries.
It was really a pleasure to getto know you during our mission
in Greece, and I was so touchedby your story, so we're going to
(01:53):
dive straight into this.
Let's talk about your story.
Where were you born, tatiana?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I was born in Kiev, ukraine, and I came to Canada in
2000.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
How old were you when you came to Canada?
15.
15 years old, so in Kiev.
What kind of family were yougrowing up in?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I was raised in a family with just my mother and
my grandmother.
My mother was a single parentand I don't have any other
siblings, so it was just me.
As I mentioned before in Greece, it was a bit of a non-typical
kind of situation with my family, because my father he was very
(02:36):
much alive but I was a productof rape, so it was kind of
something that shaped my familya little bit different.
But otherwise my childhood wasjust like everybody else's there
.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, and that's a very touching part of your
testimony.
On so many levels, tanya, it's.
You know, we don't choose theway that we come into life and
we don't choose circumstances,especially like this one.
Were you aware?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
even in your childhood that this is what
happened to your mom.
I don't remember how old I wasexactly the first time I was
told about it.
I feel like I was still veryyoung, maybe six or seven but I
frequently remember, you know,my grandmother and my mother
still talking about my father innot such nice terms and
understandably why.
And one day my mother and Iwere walking on a street not far
(03:36):
from our house and we actuallysaw him walking alone.
At that point he was lookinglike 80-year-old man.
I don't know exactly whathappened to him.
I've heard that he got beatenup by the people that he hurt
before and my mother just kindof casually pointed at him and
(03:57):
said hey, that's your father.
And at that point I didn'tactually feel any emotions
towards him because I've alreadyheard so much about the kind of
person that he was that it wasjust like, ok, sure, I mean, it
doesn't matter, but it wasdefinitely a strange experience
to see him that way?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Well, not a lot of times, but people often cite
rape as something that canjustify an abortion, and your
mom chose not to abort you.
So was she a woman of faith?
What was behind her decision todo that?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Actually, unfortunately it was not based
on faith.
I mean, she was actually verystressed and she has considered
abortion.
But in my particular case myfather was actually a chief of
district police and when hefound out that she was pregnant
(05:04):
he pressured her to have anabortion and when later on she
said no, he actually tried tohave somebody follow her and
then kill her and he definitelyhad connections to make that
happen.
But in Kiev a lot of it mayseem like a big city but in a
lot of ways it's like a smalltown mentality, because
(05:27):
everybody knows everybody andvery few things go unnoticed, at
least in the days when I wasgrowing up.
So the people that lived in ourapartment block noticed that
somebody was following my motherand they said to my father,
passed along the message thatbasically, hey, if something
happens to her, we know who didit.
(05:49):
So he had to call it off.
But my mother actually didconsider an abortion, but I
don't know who exactly told herthat if she has an abortion
she's not going to have kidsanymore.
Maybe the person was trying toscare her, but deep down they
were a Christian.
I don't know exactly how thatconversation went, but my mother
(06:13):
was very stressed out when mygrandmother did find out that
she was pregnant because, forwhatever reason, I was so small
that it took a long time for herto even show that she was
pregnant.
So my grandmother didn't knowfor a long time and when she did
(06:33):
find out she was actually theone who was happy to have a
granddaughter.
She didn't care how I came tobe, she just wanted a grandchild
and she was looking forward tome and maybe for that reason we
actually look more alike than mymother.
A lot of people confuse thatand things that my grandmother
(06:55):
is.
My mother was many times on.
You know I would take her to anappointment, say, oh, that's
your mother's like, and Icorrect them and they, oh, but
you look so alike.
But no, my mother came to faithlater on.
I know she had Christianbeliefs, but it wasn't based on
(07:16):
understanding of scriptures thatshe decided not to go through
with it.
Well, thank.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
God for whoever persuaded your mom not to have
an abortion, because here youare, just a beautiful, beautiful
child of God.
And so how did that impact yourand your mom's relationship?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Well, she was very protective of me and my
grandmother.
She loved both of us, but Ithink her love was a little bit
different because she showedlove by way of providing us with
all of the necessities, butthere was definitely an
emotional distance in some ways.
(08:03):
I can't imagine what was goingthrough her head.
Looking at me every time and,you know, recognizing that maybe
some of my features look likethe person who violated her and
I mean I don't think there weresuch things, as you know, a
psychological counseling inearly 1980s for her to, you know
(08:25):
, get help or anything like that.
So I mean, many times when I wasgrowing up, I think some of my
temper was actually more like myfather.
So you know, if I misbehaved orlike, oh, you're just like your
father and you know it does getto you after a while because
it's like you understand, fromone part, that you know it's
(08:46):
like I didn't choose to be theway that I am but on the other
hand, like you know, it is who Iam.
And, yeah, it did create forsome tense moments but for the
most part she cared for me andshe gave me a good life and I
don't feel like I was at adisadvantage in any way as an
(09:07):
you know other families who hada father.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Have you had any thoughts about your father.
How were you processing thisknowledge as a child?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I can say that I thought much about him per se.
I do know that he had anotherwife before he met my mother and
they had a son together.
So somewhere in this world Iapparently have a half brother.
I don't know his name or moredetails about him.
(09:39):
I just know that my biologicalfather was not very kind to his
first wife and in a way I'm gladthat he was not a part of my
life because I didn't want, youknow, that kind of treatment for
my own mother.
She was a good person and Ithink you know our family
dynamics worked well without hispresence.
(10:01):
It did influence some of myearly thinking.
You know about my relationshipwith you know trying to find a
partner in life, or even youknow about my relationship with
you know trying to find apartner in life, or even you
know just trust towards peoplein general, because you know
when you hear so much about whatmy mother went through, what a
horrible person my father was,it does kind of build your walls
(10:27):
up and makes it difficult foryou to trust people.
And it took a long time for meto realize that there is evil in
the world.
But just because somebodycommitted it, it doesn't mean
that everybody is evil and Ishouldn't be brushing everybody
with the same paintbrush, so tospeak.
(10:49):
It was a process and in a way Ithink some of it is still with
me and maybe it is a gooddefense mechanism to have, you
know, to view the world fromthat maybe a little bit more
extreme lens of what is possible.
But yeah, otherwise I can't saythat I thought about him much
(11:13):
back then, but now that I, youknow, I read the Bible, I do
wonder if he ever came to repent, if he's even alive, if he's
been saved where you know whathappened to him.
But yeah, it's a little bitdifferent now.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So how did your journey to God begin?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Well, it was not in Ukraine, it was only when I came
to Canada.
But in Ukraine I did grow up inEastern Orthodox Christian
environment.
I've been exposed to some ofthe biblical teachings.
When I was in school I rememberwe had the New Testament
(11:56):
brought into our classroom andwe had some teachings on the
Bible.
But Eastern Orthodoxy is alittle bit different and more
closer biblical Christianitythat I'm exposed to in Canada
right now Because for us myselfpersonally, I never went to
(12:17):
church, but my mother would onlygo to church on big holidays
like Easter and Christmas, whichwe celebrated in the first week
of January.
So it was more like followingreligious traditions Religious
traditions, but I've never readthe Bible prior to that.
(12:37):
I had a very vagueunderstanding of God.
I didn't really know hispersonalities.
So when my mother died fromcancer in 1999, my father sorry,
my uncle, my mother's brotherbrought me and my grandmother to
(12:58):
Canada, just had Jehovah'sWitnesses show up at our
doorstep and they happened to befrom the same city that my
grandmother and I were from andthat created an instant
(13:19):
connection for my grandmotherand I didn't really mind it.
I didn't really understand whatJehovah's Witnesses were.
They just seemed like nicepeople and I just wanted my
grandmother to have, you know,somebody to talk to, but it was
through them that I first got acopy of a full Bible.
But it was only my grandmotherwho was actually seriously
(13:41):
studying and unfortunately shewas not the most graceful
teacher.
She only focused on the wrathof God and, you know,
criticizing my involvement inyoga and trying to scare me was,
you know, more like a hellfirepreacher kind of approach.
So I was very dismissive ofanything that she was trying to
(14:05):
teach to me.
But I still drove her to thoseJehovah's Witnesses meetings and
, of course, just by sittingthere I did learn some things.
But in my mindset of that timeI was still more focused on
picking apart the doctrine thanactually trying to understand it
(14:28):
.
Like if I found a loophole Iwould go after it.
It's like, oh see, right there,this is where you're on.
And that kind of mentality waswhat I brought in when I first
decided I want to read the Bible, just so I can prove my
grandmother wrong.
And the Bible sat on my coffeetable for about a year and it
(14:51):
was only during the lockdowns Ithink it was early 2020, that
all of my hobbies were takenaway my yoga teaching.
I got laid off from the gymalong with all of the other
instructors.
My martial arts hobby got puton hold indefinitely and it just
(15:12):
felt like everything thatdefined me before was taken away
and I was wondering who am Iwas without all of those things
and, uh, oddly enough, wheneverything was happening, with
the lockdowns, with the pandemic, I came across some of the
YouTube videos comparing theevents with, you know, book of
(15:33):
Revelations.
So I just randomly picked upBook of Revelations probably not
the easiest book to start yourChristian journey with, but
that's what I started with.
It intrigued me, but I stillhaven't read the whole thing.
Haven't read the whole thing.
(15:54):
And one day I was listening toJoe Rogan podcast and it was
actually talking about a bookthat Steve Jobs was particularly
interested in.
It was called Autobiography ofa Yogi and it's about an Indian
boy who was desperately seekingto find God Hindu God, of course
, but he was looking for a guruand the journey took him on you
(16:17):
know, different adventures andin the process he did find a
guru, but I was inspired by, youknow, how deeply he wanted to
know God and I felt thisconviction thinking well, look
at this, you know Indian yogiman.
He's so passionate about Godand here I am calling myself a
(16:37):
Christian, but I've never readthe Bible.
Do I really even know who Godis?
So I said, okay, well, let meseriously read the Bible.
So I started with the NewTestament, because Genesis was,
you know, very difficult tounderstand.
I didn't feel like I understoodanything at all, but as I was
reading the New Testament, itfelt like a veil was being
(17:01):
lifted from my mind and when Igot to the point where Jesus was
praying to God the Father inGethsemane, I literally felt
that breaking of the Holy Spiritin the heart.
It did feel like a way oflifting off my mind.
It was like, oh, this is whoGod is.
(17:23):
What a beautiful being and hewants to save me and to have,
you know, this closerelationship with me.
And it was just astonishing andI couldn't believe that.
You know, I went all of theseyears.
I think at that point I was 36years old and only at that point
(17:44):
I was finding out who God is.
So, yeah, it was, in a way.
I'm grateful for the lockdowns,because it stripped me away of
all the noise and faced me with,you know, the good things that
I was missing all this, all thisyears.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
That's an incredible story, and I always love hearing
the testimony, when youdiscover God just by reading the
word of God, because the Bibleis not another book.
It is inspired by the spiritand so it's alive and it's
life-giving, and so I just lovethis part of your testimony.
(18:28):
Well, my next favorite thing isthat you were literally
volunteered by someone to go ona mission trip.
You had no intentions of goingon a mission trip and your
friend just talked you into anadventure.
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Yeah, I mean, I thought about missions, but I
never saw myself as somebody whowould be going on one of those
trips, because you always talkyourself out of it.
It's like, oh, I'm still tooearly in the phase, do I really
know enough to be of any use inthat field?
(19:06):
And it was this friend fromchurch I will mention her name,
krisha, and I don't remember howlong we knew each other before
that point, but she came fromCalgary to our church and I
don't think we've known eachother for that long.
Before I agreed to accompanyher on that trip.
(19:30):
She said you know, here's alink to the trip that I'm
thinking of joining.
Would you like to go?
And she said you know, it'sGreece and we get to visit the
sites that Paul was preaching at.
And for me it was like, oh, Iwant to go to see where Paul was
preaching.
It was, you know, a little bitof selfishness initially, but
(19:50):
then, as the date got closer andcloser, it's like, ok, this is
not about me.
There is, you know, biggerpicture here, but of course, uh,
for me to walk in places wherepaul and I mean he wrote
majority of the new testament.
So it was a surreal experience.
But uh, yeah, I was uh talkedinto it.
(20:12):
Fortunately, it was very easyto talk into joining the strip.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
it was well I found out, you like to travel and
here's an opportunity to visitthe places where Apostle Paul
preached.
You know, it sounds like a goodidea, a good opportunity, right
?
Little did you know?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
what's going to happen?
Yeah, and I was questioning herbecause you know she's a nurse
and I'm a tax accountant whatuse can I possibly be on a
mission field?
But I, you know, I'm glad thatshe convinced me that there is,
you know, need for differentskills and it was definitely an
(20:55):
eye-opening experience.
I'm glad I was a part of it.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
So I have to ask for me personally.
It was so beautiful to watchyou and you shared with me at
the very beginning of the tripyour reason for being there that
you were just invited by afriend.
And you're here to figure outwhat's up, what's going on, and
then watch you through thecourse of the trip, really
(21:20):
discover that joy andspecialness of being used by God
.
That was really one of myhighlights of the trip.
So I have to ask you what wasyour most favorite moment, or
maybe most life-changing momentof that trip?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
life-changing moment of that trip.
I mean the whole experience wasgreat.
But I think when we had thatfamily day at the camp and we
prayed for one of theRussian-speaking ladies, galina,
and to see how she was when shefirst came in, you know there
(22:02):
was timididness, like you couldfeel, there was some heaviness
on her heart and then hertransformation, even just from
those few hours that we spenttogether and you know to have,
uh, people pray for her and itlike it was just so beautiful to
see what impact prayer and you,you know, word of God can have
(22:25):
on somebody.
And I followed up with her afew days later to see how she's
doing and it was like talking toa different person and I know
that the change that God hasdone in me, I remember how I was
before and how I am now andmaybe people who see me from the
outside may, you know, noticedifferent things, but to see the
(22:47):
transformation happen insomebody else, that makes it
more real in a way.
And yeah, it was justincredible to see that you know
how God can change somebody.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Well, and to fill our listeners in a little bit.
You know, little did we knowgoing to Greece that we will
have the opportunity to ministerto people who speak the same
language that we do, which isRussian?
That, honestly, when God calledus to Greece on a mission, that
never crossed my mind that wewill be ministering to people
(23:24):
from all different parts of theworld, including Ukraine and
Russia, and so.
But God knew so.
When your friend lightheartedlyinvited you to join this
mission, god already had all ofthis in mind.
He already had in mind yourexperience of being transformed
(23:46):
by the Word of God and how that,uniquely, is going to speak to
Galena.
It just blows my mind to thinkhow beautiful God's plan is and
how incredibly intricate is thedesign of how our lives fit into
someone else's story.
(24:06):
To be able to draw them to Godand so to work with the refugees
who fled to Greece from theircountries seeking peace and
safety, and then for God to senda group of missionaries from
Canada and the United States andconnect them at the right place
(24:26):
at the right time.
That was absolutely incredible.
Well, you have discovered thejoy of sharing Christ with
others while on this missiontrip.
So what's next for you in thatrespect?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Well, I'm always keeping an open eyes and mind as
to what God has in store for me.
Next, it was first when I cameback from the trip.
I just felt like I couldn'tstop, you know, looking for
opportunities to, you know,speak about the Bible to people,
and I felt this, you know,level of boldness that I didn't
(25:07):
have before.
But since then, you know, lifekind of came back to the more
usual and, you know, weather isgetting colder so I don't have
any travel plans coming up.
So I think my mission fieldwill be, you know, the local
city area.
But yeah, I'm just keeping anopen mind.
(25:28):
I am involved in the outreachgroup with my church so we plan
different events throughout theyear to engage with the
community.
There was two barbecue eventsthat I helped out with and we
actually, even, before Greece,we did a little bit of street
(25:49):
preaching.
So I think the timing of it waswell-placed again and if the
opportunity arises, I wouldn'tmind going out with people from
my church and do that again.
But yeah, I'm keeping an openmind.
See what else God has for me.
(26:10):
So, in conclusion, as our timeis getting towards the end of
our interview and you don't knowif your dad is still alive, and
(26:35):
you don't know if your dad isstill alive, but if God would
cross your paths one day and youwould meet with him face to
face, what would be the mostimportant thing that you think
you would want to tell him?
At this point I no longer haveany kind of resentment or hate.
I mean, the Holy Spirit doestransform the heart, so I don't
feel the hate towards himanymore and I realize that he's
just another mortal man thatmade a terrible choice and I do
(26:58):
hope that he had an opportunityto repent of what he did and I
forgive him.
But I'm more interested to seeif he sought forgiveness from
God, because at the end of theday, it's not about my feelings,
it's the bigger picture.
Is he right in the eyes of god?
(27:21):
And I do wish that him andanybody else who has done things
they regret in the past, theywould know that uh, uh, there is
forgiveness and, uh, it isimportant to see god and have
that burden lifted of the heart,because, uh, it's not the end,
and I just hope that he had thesame transformative experience
(27:45):
in knowing Jesus that I did.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Well, and I want to ask one more question what about
your grandmother?
Is she still a Jehovah Witness?
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Well she's.
Actually I don't think she wasfully committed to being
Jehovah's Witnesses because shenoticed a lot of inconsistencies
in their teachings.
But her first exposure to theBible it was just through them,
so she never really fully got onboard with some of their
(28:18):
beliefs about who Jesus is.
I think she fully understandsthat Jesus is God and salvation
is only through him, butunfortunately she is now in a
nursing home and she hasdementia so I don't really have
the opportunity to speak to heron a deeper theological issue.
(28:39):
But I know that she believes insalvation only through Jesus,
so I am not worried about hersoul.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Well, thank you so much, Tanya, for sharing your
story.
I'm blessed every time I hearit, and I believe that your
journey in being used by God hasjust begun and there is so much
more ahead of you, so manylives that you can touch just
with your heart, you know, andyour love for Jesus, and so I
(29:14):
look forward to maybe moreadventures with you on the
mission field.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
You never know, we may cross paths on another
mission.
For sure, thank you for havingme.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
What an amazing reminder that God's power to
redeem isn't just theoretical.
It's deeply personal andlife-changing.
Tatiana's story is a testamenthow God can turn even the
greatest evil into a platformfor his glory.
Tatiana's journey fromrejection to redemption and from
(29:50):
pain to purpose is a reminderto all of us that God can use
our deepest wounds as a way todisplay his incredible love and
grace, and her passion formissions shows how that
redemption doesn't stop with us.
It's meant to be shared,lighting up the lives of others
(30:11):
who desperately need to know thehope we have found in Christ.
Thank you for joining us onLimitless Spirit.
If this story touched yourheart, share it with someone who
needs to be reminded of God'sredeeming love.
If you have a story, it canchange someone's life.
At World Missions Alliance, wesay change lives, change lives.
(30:33):
Perhaps God is calling you toshare his love and redemption in
the nations.
Check out our website, rfwmaorg.
We're here to help you fulfillthis call to the Great
Commission.
Again, the website is rfwmaorg.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Until next time, remember God's grace knows no
limits and His love is alwaysreaching out to meet us right
(31:16):
where we are.
You are equipped to help othersexperience this transformation.
Christ called his followers tomake disciples across the world.
World Missions Alliance givesyou an opportunity to do this
through short-term missions inover 32 countries across the
globe.
If you want to help those whoare hurting and hopeless and
(31:37):
discover your greater purpose inserving, check out our website
rfwmaorg and find out how to getinvolved.
Welcome to Limitless Spirit, a weekly podcast with
host Helen Todd, where sheinterviews guests about pursuing
spiritual growth, discoveringlife's purpose through serving
others and developing a deeperfaith in Christ.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Welcome to Limitless Spirit, where we explore the
incredible ways God transformsour lives and connects us to His
greater purpose.
I'm your host, helen Todd.
Today's episode tells a storyof redemption so powerful it
could only be written by GodHimself.
Imagine starting your life as aproduct of someone else's sin,
(00:41):
born into a world that mightcall your existence a mistake.
Yet through this darkness,god's light shines even brighter
.
Our guest today is living proofthat no pain is too deep, no
evil too great for God to redeem.
She is a woman whose mothermade a courageous choice not to
(01:03):
abort her after she wasconceived in rape.
It's a story of heartbreak andhealing, of finding Christ and
discovering the joy of sharinghim with others.
Get ready to be inspired by atestimony that shows how God can
take what was meant for harmand use it for good, and use it
for good.
Speaker 3 (01:25):
How are you today?
I'm doing well.
Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So our paths crossed in Greece, but we actually share
our background, coming fromSlavic countries.
It was really a pleasure to getto know you during our mission
in Greece, and I was so touchedby your story, so we're going to
(01:53):
dive straight into this.
Let's talk about your story.
Where were you born, tatiana?
Speaker 3 (01:59):
I was born in Kiev, ukraine, and I came to Canada in
2000.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
How old were you when you came to Canada?
15.
15 years old, so in Kiev.
What kind of family were yougrowing up in?
Speaker 3 (02:15):
I was raised in a family with just my mother and
my grandmother.
My mother was a single parentand I don't have any other
siblings, so it was just me.
As I mentioned before in Greece, it was a bit of a non-typical
kind of situation with my family, because my father he was very
(02:36):
much alive but I was a productof rape, so it was kind of
something that shaped my familya little bit different.
But otherwise my childhood wasjust like everybody else's there
.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, and that's a very touching part of your
testimony.
On so many levels, tanya, it's.
You know, we don't choose theway that we come into life and
we don't choose circumstances,especially like this one.
Were you aware?
Speaker 3 (03:11):
even in your childhood that this is what
happened to your mom.
I don't remember how old I wasexactly the first time I was
told about it.
I feel like I was still veryyoung, maybe six or seven but I
frequently remember, you know,my grandmother and my mother
still talking about my father innot such nice terms and
understandably why.
And one day my mother and Iwere walking on a street not far
(03:36):
from our house and we actuallysaw him walking alone.
At that point he was lookinglike 80-year-old man.
I don't know exactly whathappened to him.
I've heard that he got beatenup by the people that he hurt
before and my mother just kindof casually pointed at him and
(03:57):
said hey, that's your father.
And at that point I didn'tactually feel any emotions
towards him because I've alreadyheard so much about the kind of
person that he was that it wasjust like, ok, sure, I mean, it
doesn't matter, but it wasdefinitely a strange experience
to see him that way?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Well, not a lot of times, but people often cite
rape as something that canjustify an abortion, and your
mom chose not to abort you.
So was she a woman of faith?
What was behind her decision todo that?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
Actually, unfortunately it was not based
on faith.
I mean, she was actually verystressed and she has considered
abortion.
But in my particular case myfather was actually a chief of
district police and when hefound out that she was pregnant
(05:04):
he pressured her to have anabortion and when later on she
said no, he actually tried tohave somebody follow her and
then kill her and he definitelyhad connections to make that
happen.
But in Kiev a lot of it mayseem like a big city but in a
lot of ways it's like a smalltown mentality, because
(05:27):
everybody knows everybody andvery few things go unnoticed, at
least in the days when I wasgrowing up.
So the people that lived in ourapartment block noticed that
somebody was following my motherand they said to my father,
passed along the message thatbasically, hey, if something
happens to her, we know who didit.
(05:49):
So he had to call it off.
But my mother actually didconsider an abortion, but I
don't know who exactly told herthat if she has an abortion
she's not going to have kidsanymore.
Maybe the person was trying toscare her, but deep down they
were a Christian.
I don't know exactly how thatconversation went, but my mother
(06:13):
was very stressed out when mygrandmother did find out that
she was pregnant because, forwhatever reason, I was so small
that it took a long time for herto even show that she was
pregnant.
So my grandmother didn't knowfor a long time and when she did
(06:33):
find out she was actually theone who was happy to have a
granddaughter.
She didn't care how I came tobe, she just wanted a grandchild
and she was looking forward tome and maybe for that reason we
actually look more alike than mymother.
A lot of people confuse thatand things that my grandmother
(06:55):
is.
My mother was many times on.
You know I would take her to anappointment, say, oh, that's
your mother's like, and Icorrect them and they, oh, but
you look so alike.
But no, my mother came to faithlater on.
I know she had Christianbeliefs, but it wasn't based on
(07:16):
understanding of scriptures thatshe decided not to go through
with it.
Well, thank.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
God for whoever persuaded your mom not to have
an abortion, because here youare, just a beautiful, beautiful
child of God.
And so how did that impact yourand your mom's relationship?
Speaker 3 (07:43):
Well, she was very protective of me and my
grandmother.
She loved both of us, but Ithink her love was a little bit
different because she showedlove by way of providing us with
all of the necessities, butthere was definitely an
emotional distance in some ways.
(08:03):
I can't imagine what was goingthrough her head.
Looking at me every time and,you know, recognizing that maybe
some of my features look likethe person who violated her and
I mean I don't think there weresuch things, as you know, a
psychological counseling inearly 1980s for her to, you know
(08:25):
, get help or anything like that.
So I mean, many times when I wasgrowing up, I think some of my
temper was actually more like myfather.
So you know, if I misbehaved orlike, oh, you're just like your
father and you know it does getto you after a while because
it's like you understand, fromone part, that you know it's
(08:46):
like I didn't choose to be theway that I am but on the other
hand, like you know, it is who Iam.
And, yeah, it did create forsome tense moments but for the
most part she cared for me andshe gave me a good life and I
don't feel like I was at adisadvantage in any way as an
(09:07):
you know other families who hada father.
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Have you had any thoughts about your father.
How were you processing thisknowledge as a child?
Speaker 3 (09:18):
I can say that I thought much about him per se.
I do know that he had anotherwife before he met my mother and
they had a son together.
So somewhere in this world Iapparently have a half brother.
I don't know his name or moredetails about him.
(09:39):
I just know that my biologicalfather was not very kind to his
first wife and in a way I'm gladthat he was not a part of my
life because I didn't want, youknow, that kind of treatment for
my own mother.
She was a good person and Ithink you know our family
dynamics worked well without hispresence.
(10:01):
It did influence some of myearly thinking.
You know about my relationshipwith you know trying to find a
partner in life, or even youknow about my relationship with
you know trying to find apartner in life, or even you
know just trust towards peoplein general, because you know
when you hear so much about whatmy mother went through, what a
horrible person my father was,it does kind of build your walls
(10:27):
up and makes it difficult foryou to trust people.
And it took a long time for meto realize that there is evil in
the world.
But just because somebodycommitted it, it doesn't mean
that everybody is evil and Ishouldn't be brushing everybody
with the same paintbrush, so tospeak.
(10:49):
It was a process and in a way Ithink some of it is still with
me and maybe it is a gooddefense mechanism to have, you
know, to view the world fromthat maybe a little bit more
extreme lens of what is possible.
But yeah, otherwise I can't saythat I thought about him much
(11:13):
back then, but now that I, youknow, I read the Bible, I do
wonder if he ever came to repent, if he's even alive, if he's
been saved where you know whathappened to him.
But yeah, it's a little bitdifferent now.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
So how did your journey to God begin?
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Well, it was not in Ukraine, it was only when I came
to Canada.
But in Ukraine I did grow up inEastern Orthodox Christian
environment.
I've been exposed to some ofthe biblical teachings.
When I was in school I rememberwe had the New Testament
(11:56):
brought into our classroom andwe had some teachings on the
Bible.
But Eastern Orthodoxy is alittle bit different and more
closer biblical Christianitythat I'm exposed to in Canada
right now Because for us myselfpersonally, I never went to
(12:17):
church, but my mother would onlygo to church on big holidays
like Easter and Christmas, whichwe celebrated in the first week
of January.
So it was more like followingreligious traditions Religious
traditions, but I've never readthe Bible prior to that.
(12:37):
I had a very vagueunderstanding of God.
I didn't really know hispersonalities.
So when my mother died fromcancer in 1999, my father sorry,
my uncle, my mother's brotherbrought me and my grandmother to
(12:58):
Canada, just had Jehovah'sWitnesses show up at our
doorstep and they happened to befrom the same city that my
grandmother and I were from andthat created an instant
(13:19):
connection for my grandmotherand I didn't really mind it.
I didn't really understand whatJehovah's Witnesses were.
They just seemed like nicepeople and I just wanted my
grandmother to have, you know,somebody to talk to, but it was
through them that I first got acopy of a full Bible.
But it was only my grandmotherwho was actually seriously
(13:41):
studying and unfortunately shewas not the most graceful
teacher.
She only focused on the wrathof God and, you know,
criticizing my involvement inyoga and trying to scare me was,
you know, more like a hellfirepreacher kind of approach.
So I was very dismissive ofanything that she was trying to
(14:05):
teach to me.
But I still drove her to thoseJehovah's Witnesses meetings and
, of course, just by sittingthere I did learn some things.
But in my mindset of that timeI was still more focused on
picking apart the doctrine thanactually trying to understand it
(14:28):
.
Like if I found a loophole Iwould go after it.
It's like, oh see, right there,this is where you're on.
And that kind of mentality waswhat I brought in when I first
decided I want to read the Bible, just so I can prove my
grandmother wrong.
And the Bible sat on my coffeetable for about a year and it
(14:51):
was only during the lockdowns Ithink it was early 2020, that
all of my hobbies were takenaway my yoga teaching.
I got laid off from the gymalong with all of the other
instructors.
My martial arts hobby got puton hold indefinitely and it just
(15:12):
felt like everything thatdefined me before was taken away
and I was wondering who am Iwas without all of those things
and, uh, oddly enough, wheneverything was happening, with
the lockdowns, with the pandemic, I came across some of the
YouTube videos comparing theevents with, you know, book of
(15:33):
Revelations.
So I just randomly picked upBook of Revelations probably not
the easiest book to start yourChristian journey with, but
that's what I started with.
It intrigued me, but I stillhaven't read the whole thing.
Haven't read the whole thing.
(15:54):
And one day I was listening toJoe Rogan podcast and it was
actually talking about a bookthat Steve Jobs was particularly
interested in.
It was called Autobiography ofa Yogi and it's about an Indian
boy who was desperately seekingto find God Hindu God, of course
, but he was looking for a guruand the journey took him on you
(16:17):
know, different adventures andin the process he did find a
guru, but I was inspired by, youknow, how deeply he wanted to
know God and I felt thisconviction thinking well, look
at this, you know Indian yogiman.
He's so passionate about Godand here I am calling myself a
(16:37):
Christian, but I've never readthe Bible.
Do I really even know who Godis?
So I said, okay, well, let meseriously read the Bible.
So I started with the NewTestament, because Genesis was,
you know, very difficult tounderstand.
I didn't feel like I understoodanything at all, but as I was
reading the New Testament, itfelt like a veil was being
(17:01):
lifted from my mind and when Igot to the point where Jesus was
praying to God the Father inGethsemane, I literally felt
that breaking of the Holy Spiritin the heart.
It did feel like a way oflifting off my mind.
It was like, oh, this is whoGod is.
(17:23):
What a beautiful being and hewants to save me and to have,
you know, this closerelationship with me.
And it was just astonishing andI couldn't believe that.
You know, I went all of theseyears.
I think at that point I was 36years old and only at that point
(17:44):
I was finding out who God is.
So, yeah, it was, in a way.
I'm grateful for the lockdowns,because it stripped me away of
all the noise and faced me with,you know, the good things that
I was missing all this, all thisyears.
Speaker 2 (18:02):
That's an incredible story, and I always love hearing
the testimony, when youdiscover God just by reading the
word of God, because the Bibleis not another book.
It is inspired by the spiritand so it's alive and it's
life-giving, and so I just lovethis part of your testimony.
(18:28):
Well, my next favorite thing isthat you were literally
volunteered by someone to go ona mission trip.
You had no intentions of goingon a mission trip and your
friend just talked you into anadventure.
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (18:45):
Yeah, I mean, I thought about missions, but I
never saw myself as somebody whowould be going on one of those
trips, because you always talkyourself out of it.
It's like, oh, I'm still tooearly in the phase, do I really
know enough to be of any use inthat field?
(19:06):
And it was this friend fromchurch I will mention her name,
krisha, and I don't remember howlong we knew each other before
that point, but she came fromCalgary to our church and I
don't think we've known eachother for that long.
Before I agreed to accompanyher on that trip.
(19:30):
She said you know, here's alink to the trip that I'm
thinking of joining.
Would you like to go?
And she said you know, it'sGreece and we get to visit the
sites that Paul was preaching at.
And for me it was like, oh, Iwant to go to see where Paul was
preaching.
It was, you know, a little bitof selfishness initially, but
(19:50):
then, as the date got closer andcloser, it's like, ok, this is
not about me.
There is, you know, biggerpicture here, but of course, uh,
for me to walk in places wherepaul and I mean he wrote
majority of the new testament.
So it was a surreal experience.
But uh, yeah, I was uh talkedinto it.
(20:12):
Fortunately, it was very easyto talk into joining the strip.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
it was well I found out, you like to travel and
here's an opportunity to visitthe places where Apostle Paul
preached.
You know, it sounds like a goodidea, a good opportunity, right
?
Little did you know?
Speaker 3 (20:33):
what's going to happen?
Yeah, and I was questioning herbecause you know she's a nurse
and I'm a tax accountant whatuse can I possibly be on a
mission field?
But I, you know, I'm glad thatshe convinced me that there is,
you know, need for differentskills and it was definitely an
(20:55):
eye-opening experience.
I'm glad I was a part of it.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
So I have to ask for me personally.
It was so beautiful to watchyou and you shared with me at
the very beginning of the tripyour reason for being there that
you were just invited by afriend.
And you're here to figure outwhat's up, what's going on, and
then watch you through thecourse of the trip, really
(21:20):
discover that joy andspecialness of being used by God
.
That was really one of myhighlights of the trip.
So I have to ask you what wasyour most favorite moment, or
maybe most life-changing momentof that trip?
Speaker 3 (21:40):
life-changing moment of that trip.
I mean the whole experience wasgreat.
But I think when we had thatfamily day at the camp and we
prayed for one of theRussian-speaking ladies, galina,
and to see how she was when shefirst came in, you know there
(22:02):
was timididness, like you couldfeel, there was some heaviness
on her heart and then hertransformation, even just from
those few hours that we spenttogether and you know to have,
uh, people pray for her and itlike it was just so beautiful to
see what impact prayer and you,you know, word of God can have
(22:25):
on somebody.
And I followed up with her afew days later to see how she's
doing and it was like talking toa different person and I know
that the change that God hasdone in me, I remember how I was
before and how I am now andmaybe people who see me from the
outside may, you know, noticedifferent things, but to see the
(22:47):
transformation happen insomebody else, that makes it
more real in a way.
And yeah, it was justincredible to see that you know
how God can change somebody.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
Well, and to fill our listeners in a little bit.
You know, little did we knowgoing to Greece that we will
have the opportunity to ministerto people who speak the same
language that we do, which isRussian?
That, honestly, when God calledus to Greece on a mission, that
never crossed my mind that wewill be ministering to people
(23:24):
from all different parts of theworld, including Ukraine and
Russia, and so.
But God knew so.
When your friend lightheartedlyinvited you to join this
mission, god already had all ofthis in mind.
He already had in mind yourexperience of being transformed
(23:46):
by the Word of God and how that,uniquely, is going to speak to
Galena.
It just blows my mind to thinkhow beautiful God's plan is and
how incredibly intricate is thedesign of how our lives fit into
someone else's story.
(24:06):
To be able to draw them to Godand so to work with the refugees
who fled to Greece from theircountries seeking peace and
safety, and then for God to senda group of missionaries from
Canada and the United States andconnect them at the right place
(24:26):
at the right time.
That was absolutely incredible.
Well, you have discovered thejoy of sharing Christ with
others while on this missiontrip.
So what's next for you in thatrespect?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Well, I'm always keeping an open eyes and mind as
to what God has in store for me.
Next, it was first when I cameback from the trip.
I just felt like I couldn'tstop, you know, looking for
opportunities to, you know,speak about the Bible to people,
and I felt this, you know,level of boldness that I didn't
(25:07):
have before.
But since then, you know, lifekind of came back to the more
usual and, you know, weather isgetting colder so I don't have
any travel plans coming up.
So I think my mission fieldwill be, you know, the local
city area.
But yeah, I'm just keeping anopen mind.
(25:28):
I am involved in the outreachgroup with my church so we plan
different events throughout theyear to engage with the
community.
There was two barbecue eventsthat I helped out with and we
actually, even, before Greece,we did a little bit of street
(25:49):
preaching.
So I think the timing of it waswell-placed again and if the
opportunity arises, I wouldn'tmind going out with people from
my church and do that again.
But yeah, I'm keeping an openmind.
See what else God has for me.
(26:10):
So, in conclusion, as our timeis getting towards the end of
our interview and you don't knowif your dad is still alive, and
(26:35):
you don't know if your dad isstill alive, but if God would
cross your paths one day and youwould meet with him face to
face, what would be the mostimportant thing that you think
you would want to tell him?
At this point I no longer haveany kind of resentment or hate.
I mean, the Holy Spirit doestransform the heart, so I don't
feel the hate towards himanymore and I realize that he's
just another mortal man thatmade a terrible choice and I do
(26:58):
hope that he had an opportunityto repent of what he did and I
forgive him.
But I'm more interested to seeif he sought forgiveness from
God, because at the end of theday, it's not about my feelings,
it's the bigger picture.
Is he right in the eyes of god?
(27:21):
And I do wish that him andanybody else who has done things
they regret in the past, theywould know that uh, uh, there is
forgiveness and, uh, it isimportant to see god and have
that burden lifted of the heart,because, uh, it's not the end,
and I just hope that he had thesame transformative experience
(27:45):
in knowing Jesus that I did.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Well, and I want to ask one more question what about
your grandmother?
Is she still a Jehovah Witness?
Speaker 3 (27:55):
Well she's.
Actually I don't think she wasfully committed to being
Jehovah's Witnesses because shenoticed a lot of inconsistencies
in their teachings.
But her first exposure to theBible it was just through them,
so she never really fully got onboard with some of their
(28:18):
beliefs about who Jesus is.
I think she fully understandsthat Jesus is God and salvation
is only through him, butunfortunately she is now in a
nursing home and she hasdementia so I don't really have
the opportunity to speak to heron a deeper theological issue.
(28:39):
But I know that she believes insalvation only through Jesus,
so I am not worried about hersoul.
Speaker 2 (28:51):
Well, thank you so much, Tanya, for sharing your
story.
I'm blessed every time I hearit, and I believe that your
journey in being used by God hasjust begun and there is so much
more ahead of you, so manylives that you can touch just
with your heart, you know, andyour love for Jesus, and so I
(29:14):
look forward to maybe moreadventures with you on the
mission field.
Speaker 3 (29:19):
You never know, we may cross paths on another
mission.
For sure, thank you for havingme.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
What an amazing reminder that God's power to
redeem isn't just theoretical.
It's deeply personal andlife-changing.
Tatiana's story is a testamenthow God can turn even the
greatest evil into a platformfor his glory.
Tatiana's journey fromrejection to redemption and from
(29:50):
pain to purpose is a reminderto all of us that God can use
our deepest wounds as a way todisplay his incredible love and
grace, and her passion formissions shows how that
redemption doesn't stop with us.
It's meant to be shared,lighting up the lives of others
(30:11):
who desperately need to know thehope we have found in Christ.
Thank you for joining us onLimitless Spirit.
If this story touched yourheart, share it with someone who
needs to be reminded of God'sredeeming love.
If you have a story, it canchange someone's life.
At World Missions Alliance, wesay change lives, change lives.
(30:33):
Perhaps God is calling you toshare his love and redemption in
the nations.
Check out our website, rfwmaorg.
We're here to help you fulfillthis call to the Great
Commission.
Again, the website is rfwmaorg.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Until next time, remember God's grace knows no
limits and His love is alwaysreaching out to meet us right
(31:16):
where we are.
You are equipped to help othersexperience this transformation.
Christ called his followers tomake disciples across the world.
World Missions Alliance givesyou an opportunity to do this
through short-term missions inover 32 countries across the
globe.
If you want to help those whoare hurting and hopeless and
(31:37):
discover your greater purpose inserving, check out our website
rfwmaorg and find out how to getinvolved.
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