Finding God Through Hardships. Helping Others – An Addiction Everyone Should Have

Pastor, philanthropist, loving father, and husband. Joseph Yesenov’s journey to these titles has been long, a journey spanning his entire life.

Joseph was born into a family with a Muslim father and a Ukrainian Christian mother. However, it was hard to call the family devout.

Joseph began his professional career in the police force, serving as a criminal investigator for eight years. His work and experiences with various people often aid him in his volunteer activities.

In a difficult moment, when it seemed he had lost everything, he found the most important thing – faith in God.

After leaving the police, Joseph turned to God more frequently. He felt that all his prayers were heard. He began to attend church more regularly and eventually became a pastor himself.

Only after losing his job and nearly losing his family did Joseph truly begin to value people and learn to see their pain.

Joseph increasingly encountered troubled homeless children. He tried to help each one with his own efforts, buying them food, treats, and talking to them. He spent a lot of time communicating, trying to show each child the omnipresent love of God.

With the help of the church, he was able to place many children and their parents in rehabilitation centers.

“Children at risk,” as Joseph calls those who have suffered at the hands of their own parents and whose families couldn’t be saved, were raised by the pastor himself.

In addition to his three biological children, the couple raised five adopted children. Each of them had complex pasts and, as a result, difficult personalities. But they all grew up in love and care.

The charitable foundation was registered to provide a legal basis for his activities.

A turning point in Joseph’s life came when he took in his sixth foster child. Five-year-old Angelina was delighted at the prospect of having a real loving family. However, she soon began to complain of stomach pain. After a medical examination, the doctors gave her adoptive parents a terrifying diagnosis – cancer, with a tumor measuring 10 centimeters. Two months of treatment followed, with the best doctors, but a miracle did not happen. The little girl passed away. Through his prolonged suffering, Joseph understood once more that they had needed each other at that moment. Angelina was able to experience true love and care, which she had never had before.

To be where needed – this is Joseph’s life motto.

With the onset of the full-scale invasion, Joseph felt needed by civilians in frontline and de-occupied territories. Food, hygiene products, and even drinking water are crucial for people who witness the horrors of war daily.

Most importantly, they need to understand that they are needed. Needed by people, by Ukraine, and by God.

God loves everyone!