Nastya-the heart of it.  It has been almost four years since my heart was broken by a sweet young girl in a video.  She was all smiles as she gave a team of short-term missionaries a tour of her home--in the sewers of Kherson.  Her home was dark, cave-like, with trash piled on the cement floor.  When I first saw Nastya I was convinced we could get this blond-haired, blue-eyed girl into a nice home. 

I was wrong.  It was not that simple. We have met Nastya and spent time getting to know her.  A couple of years ago she was hit and run, broken pelvis, and left unconcious on the street.  Here is her picture when we arrived in the hospital and gave her a stuffed tiger for her birthday.  She named it "Michael".

Now, several years have passed and I have gotten to know Nastya, as many of you have through our writings.  I email her ever so often and she emails me back.  Of course this is done through the street kid center she visits.  Alla, the director, is Nastya's Auntie Alla.  Her was Alla's report to me this morning.

"Nastya comes to our ministry as well as to services on Sundays; however,
she still does some bad things, you know. Last Sunday she came to repent
again. You know, there is a huge wrestling inside her soul and praise
the Lord she is becoming better. She still lives in the hatch or
somewhere else in streets. Please, always write letters to her. If you
say good things about her, she becomes glad and flourishing; if you
point on her mistakes, she becomes sad but thinks about your wise
teachings."

In less than two weeks I hope to see Anastasia again.  Our hope is to interview her on video for an hour or so to use in a promo DVD and our book.  But, most of all my hope is to spend some time with this sweet young girl that we always pray for and that we love a lot.