My name is Elena Menshov and this is the story of my family. I was raised in a happy family of seven where my parents loved us and each other.
From an early age, I worried about orphans and how they could live without a family. When I was 13 years old, I joined an organization that fed the children of the street. I began to visit orphanages and brought children home to feed them, but they always had to go back. I began to dream that when I was older I would have a huge house with plenty of room to take in orphans.
I studied at the university and received my diploma in social work. At the same time, I met Willy, my future husband who also dreamt of adopting children and so fully supported my desire to adopt. We got married and began to live in Kiev.
We adopted our first son, Samuel, when he was 15 months old. We did not choose a child but opened our hearts to whoever they would give us as we believed that they were meant to be ours.
And so when we were offered a boy, we immediately said yes. He was born at 28 weeks old and survived but with serious health issues. But we didn’t waver in our resolve, we knew that he was ours. We gave him the name Samuel and began the path of rehabilitation with him.
At 15 months, he couldn’t sit, crawl, or stand. Everything that comes easily and naturally to most growing children was a struggle and took great effort with him.
But with God’s help, after two years, Samuel stood and began to walk. At three years old, he was officially diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
His condition requires a lot of work on our part, as we want to make sure he does not lag behind his peers. At four and a half years old, he was able to ride a two-wheeled bicycle – a huge achievement!
As Samuel grew stronger, my husband and I began to think about opening our home to more children. At the same time, God brought us together with Yuri and we learned about HopeHouse International. HopeHouse was the answer to our prayers and God once again affirmed our desire by providing a home so we could adopt our sons. All Glory to God!
-Mom Elena
