SP - A BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY

Today's post comes to you from the heart of Sasha Pevniv (aka SP). We were recently able to take a trip back to the juvenile detention center in Sambir (where he spent 3 years) for him to continue his healing process. Read and be encouraged. Our God writes beautiful stories. 

Hello.

It has almost been 3 years since I got out of prison. It hasn't been easy to talk about it and I wasn't very comfortable when people asked me questions. When I was in prison, I didn't know God very well. I always thought about, you could even say, I always dreamed that after I got out, I would go back to the the guy who always had me beat; who had been out to get me all those years in prison. He did things to make me stay longer even  though I always did my work, even beyond what I was asked. 

When I got out, I started to know God more and more everyday. I understood that what I wanted to do wasn't what God would want me to do. And so I thought "if I never go back there, everything will be ok." At first, this didn't seem too bad. But, I still always want to ask him "why?" But anytime I thought of that question, I just wanted to beat him.

God helped me deal with all of those thoughts and told me that I should just go there. I went with the Open Arms Team (the same team who came to visit me every month in prison) - it was such a long trip! I realized how much God loves me; I went to Sambir one time and I was tired from just the trip there. The girls came to visit me every month for 3 years and 3 months. Honestly, I don't even I can't even put into words how I feel. Thank you, God, for my new family. 

So, we arrived in Sambir and walked up to the prison. I absolutely did not want to see Roman Bogdanovich, he’s the one that used to beat me. I saw Grigory Mikolaevich [the librarian] and walked up to talk to him. And while I was talking to him, Roman Bogdanovich walked up. We were all talking together, laughing, and I didn’t even ask him "why" he did what he did. And I don’t know why I didn’t ask him, but I think that’s what God wanted. Now, it doesn't feel so bad. After that, girls took me on a tour of the city and I liked it.

From then...

Till now...