Ruslana grew up without the warmth of a family.

She was raised in a state orphanage for children with disabilities, born with the effects of alcohol exposure and a learning disability. From the beginning, life was not gentle with her. The world she knew as a child was strict, cold, and institutional, a place where needs were managed, but hearts were not always nurtured.

She learned how to survive.

But survival is not the same as being loved.

As Ruslana grew older, the brokenness of her childhood followed her into adulthood. Without a healthy model of family, love, or protection, she entered a relationship that became unsafe. For six long years, she endured domestic abuse.

But she was not alone in that pain.

Her daughter, Alina, was watching. Growing. Learning what life felt like inside a home shaped by fear.

Then, when Alina turned six, something changed in Ruslana.

A spark of hope began to rise.

Maybe life could be different.

Maybe her daughter could grow up in safety.

Maybe the story that had shaped Ruslana’s childhood did not have to become the story that shaped Alina’s.

With courage, and with the support of a long-time mentor who had not given up on her, Ruslana fled. She came to Father’s House with her daughter and with very little else.

But she carried one powerful thing with her.

The desire for safety and love.

When I met Ruslana and Alina at Father’s House, I was reminded again of why these stories matter so deeply. To sit with someone who has carried that much pain, and then to photograph her with the daughter she fought to protect, is holy ground. There was tenderness in their story, but also strength. A quiet kind of courage. The kind you can see in a mother’s eyes when she is still healing, but already choosing a different future for her child.

At Father’s House, Ruslana began to experience something she had longed for but had rarely known, care, acceptance, patience, and opportunity. She found people who saw not only her pain, but her potential. People who believed her life could be rebuilt. People who were willing to walk with her slowly, gently, and faithfully.

And little by little, a new life began to take shape.

This year, Alina began school, a beautiful step into stability, growth, and childhood. For a little girl who had known uncertainty, school represents more than education. It is rhythm. Routine. Friendship. A future.

Ruslana is preparing to enter the workforce. She is learning practical skills through financial literacy classes. She is gaining confidence. She is beginning to imagine herself not only as someone who has survived, but as someone who can provide, create, and lead her family forward.

And along the way, she discovered something beautiful inside herself.

A gift for embroidery.

With her hands, Ruslana creates personalized designs on clothing, small works of patience, beauty, and detail. What began as a skill may become both a source of joy and a path toward income. In every stitch, there is something tender and symbolic: a woman whose own life was once torn by pain is learning to create beauty again.

Ruslana’s journey is still unfolding.

There are still steps ahead. Still healing to come. Still courage required.

But today, she is beginning to see a future that once felt impossible, a future where she can become a strong, successful, independent mother. A future where Alina can grow in safety. A future shaped not by fear, but by hope.

At Father’s House, Ruslana found more than shelter.

She found a place to begin again.

And sometimes, that is where grace does its deepest work.

About Father’s House — Kyiv, Ukraine
Father’s House is a Christian ministry in Kyiv that has been serving vulnerable children and families since the 1990s. Founded by Roman Korniyko, the ministry began as a refuge for children rescued from the streets and abusive environments, providing rehabilitation, counseling, and a path into loving families.

Today, under the leadership of the next generation, Father’s House continues its mission through programs like Restored Life, serving families displaced and devastated by the war in Ukraine. By offering a holistic approach, spiritual, emotional, and physical care, they walk alongside families as they heal, rebuild, and move toward independent life.

At its core, Father’s House exists to live out a simple calling: to love God and love people, restoring lives one family at a time.

To learn more about Father’s House and their work, visit: http://www.o-dim.com/en/

About Capturing Grace
Discover the story behind Capturing Grace and how my daughter Christina’s life continues to inspire this work at capturinggrace.org/about-us.