Max lived with his family until he was ten years old. His mother left the family because of a serious alcohol addiction. One year later his father committed suicide. With his mother not around, Max was forced to enter the orphanage system.

At the age of 16, Max was placed with a foster family, but he found no love there. The family only took him in to get the government benefits given to foster families. When he turned 18 and the benefits stopped, the foster family kicked him out of the house. Being too old for the orphanage system, Max ended up living on the streets. He would occasionally sleep on a friend’s couch. One friend offered him a place to live in exchange for sexual favors, and Max took him up on the offer for a while because it was extremely cold on the streets. But Max grew tired of this lifestyle and left the apartment to live on the streets when the weather got warmer.

Max finally reached the decision to commit suicide. But God intervened! Max ran into Nastia, a graduate of The Harbor. She shared with him about her experiences and how she was able to learn to survive on her own. That day, after meeting with the director for The Harbor, Max decided to enter the program. After being a resident for over a year and a half, Max was finally ready to hear about God and began attending church.

This was a huge step, since he came to The Harbor proclaiming to be a Satan worshiper. Max got saved and eventually married one of the young ladies from the church he attends. He has held a steady job for over four years. He and his wife became the proud parents of a baby girl in August of 2019. He continues to grow in the Lord.

Anya ended up in the orphanage after her father died and her mother lost her parental rights due to excessive drinking. She, her sister, and brother grew up in the same orphanage. Because she has a heart defect, Anya was forced to go to the school for mentally challenged kids instead of regular school.

In March, 2016, Anya came to The Harbor. She began attending night school to get her high school degree and worked during the day. Because of her hard work in receiving her high school diploma, Anya was accepted to college where she studied to be a chef. The college where she studied is one of the most elite professional cooking colleges in Russia. Anya worked very hard at all her classes and held down a part time job the whole time. She did so well in college that she was hand-picked by a very famous Russian chef, Konstantine Ivleva, to join his internship.

She left The Harbor with even greater news. She married an awesome young man she met in college. He is very sweet and loving. Since Anya was accepted into the internship program, she didn’t have time to hold down a part-time job. She began selling cosmetics in her spare time. Because of her time in The Harbor, Anya learned that hard work and determination can overcome any difficulty. She had a hard childhood, but now she is living the life she always dreamed of. She even went on her first vacation last summer and finally saw the ocean. She often comes and visits The Harbor apartment and shares what’s going on in her life. We have become her family. Praise God for another life redeemed!