Tania is a young and happy mother of two lively children. “Happy” is a word that wasn’t in her vocabulary in the past. She wanted to tell her story to encourage others who may think that their own situation is hopeless. 

“I made my Aliyah to Israel at the age of 18, with a heart full of dreams about the Jewish State and about a good future and profession for myself. However, things turned out very differently to what I had envisioned. 

I stayed a long period, two whole years at the center for new immigrants. During that time, I fell into real depression. My parents back in my homeland wanted me to come home, but I decided to stay in Israel. I left the center and found myself penniless and homeless. Some girls invited me to share a flat with them in the Tel Aviv area. There were four girls living there. All of them often invited men to stay overnight. I had to share a room with one of these girls. Finally, I found a job and thought that my life would improve little by little. My boss was a foreigner. I had a relationship with him, which lasted two years. When I found out I was pregnant, he insisted that I should have an abortion. He was violent, he drank alcohol and threatened me. I had to flee from him. A friend helped me, by taking me to her little apartment. I gave birth to Liat, and shortly thereafter found myself taking care of both my own daughter and my friend’s child. I received medication for my depression. Our situation was constantly difficult, so both my girlfriend and myself decided to return to our homeland. It wasn’t easier there. My daughter needed medical treatment, which I couldn’t get in the country. My relatives received us, but I felt they expected me to be their cleaning woman.I found some kind of support from a man, who was an old friend. But because of the health situation of my little daughter, I decided that I had to return to Israel to have her properly cared for. Just after I arrived, I found out that I was nine weeks pregnant, expecting the baby of a friend who remained in the old land. We had had a short romance before I left. Once again I was in a desperate situation. I found a temporary place to stay with an old couple. I knew I had no other choice but to opt for abortion. In a newspaper, I found the number of what I thought was an abortion clinic. I phoned and explained my desperate situation to the counsellor who immediately invited me to come and talk with her. She told me about the help that their organization can give me, Liat, and the coming baby. I told her that I didn’t have a place to go. She called me every day and she told me that she had found me a place in another town. I didn’t want to be far from Tel Aviv. In the meantime, a nurse promised to help me financially so that I could go through with an abortion. 

I decided to do it and went to the hospital for tests before the abortion. Anat, on the other hand, shared with me about the living God, and the consequences of abortion in my body and in my soul. She said I could also give the baby up for adoption if I felt I couldn’t keep him. 

Despite Anat’s intervention, I went to the hospital for the abortion. Even their God sent a cleaning woman to talk to me. I started weeping. At the same moment, the doctor came in and told me they could not do the abortion now, because of my weak blood at the time. I left the hospital, called my mother abroad, and told her I was considering suicide. She packed her suitcase and flew to Israel immediately. When I was already in my 25th week of pregnancy, the doctors found out my baby had a heart defect. At that time, I already wanted to keep my baby, but the doctors wanted to carry out an abortion because they were sure the baby would not live. At the hospital, I met a girl whose baby died. I decided that I would keep my child at any cost. Anat brought me everything that the baby would need; a bed, new clothes, everything. I gave my life to God. I myself started now to pray for my baby. One day the doctor told me that the baby was now out of danger, but that I had a cesarean birth. Finally, the day came, and I gave birth to a baby boy. He couldn’t breathe on his own. They didn’t let me see him. Three days later he started breathing without difficulties. I still had to stay in bed for a whole month. The Brenners came to see me. They arranged everything that I needed. Together with other people. they helped me to finally move into a good apartment, and it was even furnished! I was so grateful to God for the salvation He gave us, that I started to recover from my long-lasting depression. I thank Him still this day for sending good people into my life at a moment of real crisis and need! 

Because of the health situation of my little Danni, we could arrange the Brit Mila (circumcision) only when he was 2 years old. It was a wonderful celebration, at the home of the Brenner family. The children started growing, and I needed a profession and a job. God opened the door to study a course to become a medical secretary.

I was afraid I would never pass the language examination, but for God all things are possible! got my diploma and got a job as a secretary. Now it is my turn to help others in need!”