You mean nothing to me now

Olga Miroshnicheko, 26, suffered a bitter rejection at the hands of her mother before meeting Exodus workers. She has been at Exodus’ Severskaya centre for nine months.

“I started drugs at the age of 12.

“Two years ago I gave birth to a daughter – my mother had hoped that I would stop taking drugs when my daughter was born.” But when Olga didn’t kick the habit her mother would have nothing more to do with her.

“It was a turning point when my own mother rejected me. She looked me in the eyes and told me coldly, with absolutely no hint of love, ‘Olga, you do not mean anything to me now. I now have someone I can live for – your daughter. If you’ve chosen to die then you will. I can’t help you any more.’”

That really got to Olga. She was living in Moscow at the time and met someone who was already at an Exodus centre there. After speaking to Exodus workers in Moscow a seed was sown.

“I realised it was the only choice that I had if I wanted to live.”

Exodus send people to centres far away from their own town so that they don’t have the temptations of their old life. Of course, Olga had no money to pay for a train ticket or the rehab programme – that had gone on drugs. She asked her mother, who at first told her to go and steal the money if she wanted rehab so badly. Eventually she relented and gave her enough for one month at the centre.

Nine months later Olga has completely changed – and so has her mother, who has become a Christian too.

It wasn’t all plain sailing. “I was tempted to leave but I realised there was nothing to go back to – only death. I also stayed for the sake of my daughter because I didn’t want her to be the daughter of a drug addict.”

But now she says, “I experienced that there is indeed freedom that can only be given by God.

“My life has been transformed, I know that even my father who hasn’t yet received Jesus – he will change. And I know that I want to stay with God. I’ve never had anything like this before – this love.”