From the heart of Anika Bachle…
The lovely Dusya Sityuk is a 24 year old mom of 2 crazy, beautiful little kids named Vala and Andre. (Andre also happens to be my godson and may be the cutest little boy alive. It’s true. I’m not biased at all.) Dus and her family live in the village of Ivanivka where Dusya has no toilet, no bath or shower, no oven, no stove, no washing machine, and uses a bucket on a rope to pull her water from a well in her front yard. She works so hard to take care of her family and the poor girl never gets a break! We were so excited to get her to Sumy where we had 2 days of much needed girl time with her.
It was so good to see her just relax a bit! We took her out to coffee and just laughed and reminisced about her younger days at the orphanage when she would break dance. We talked about the days when we barely understood each other because we didn’t speak each others’ languages. At some point, the conversation turned to her life before the orphanage. She shared about her little brother Losha, a baby she took care of as a child herself until they were taken by the authorities and separated into different orphanages. She has looked for him for years and still hasn’t been able to find him. I pray that God leads them to each other again, be it sooner or later, and that He restores that sibling bond that was so strong when she was less than 9.
While the conversation was filled with tears, I am so thankful that Dus was able to have the time to rest, remember, laugh, cry, and just be who she is. I am incredibly blessed to know her and be considered part of her family. Her kids are amazing and she works relentlessly and sacrifices so much to give them the childhood she never had. Never having seen a good mom, I don’t know how she is so wonderful. I wish you all could meet her! I am so glad for the support we receive that allows me and my team to continue to know and serve this beautiful woman.