Teenage Footprints of Faith: Around the Globe

By Julia Love

Sveta in Ukraine overnight discovers she is a homeless refugee.

Samuel in Burkina Faso suddenly has to face a terrorist attack all alone.

Ana in Bolivia is badly bullied and rejected by her classmates.

Nathan in the Philippines leaves home after an unusual run-in with his angry stepdad.

Rebka struggles with bulimia and bo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Jan 10, 2024
• ISBN: 9798890413741

Julia Love

Come and see how God enables these desperate but valiant teenagers to overcome the massive challenges they are facing in life.

Book preview

DEDICATION

To my wonderful friends, Renee Physick, Helen Lindquist, Cathy Moore, Sarah Ardu, and Felicity Tasker, who helped me so much with their suggestions, encouragement, and editing of the text. Furthermore, I also extend my gratitude, especially to Renee, for her helpful, clever sketches and to my talented Bolivian daughter, Angelica Rodriguez, for her magnificent final illustrations. Last but not least, I must thank our Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, without Whom this book would simply not exist. Lord, may You become more famous across the globe in the lives of many teenagers because of this book.

ENDORSEMENT

As a mom of two teenage boys, I am always on the lookout for good faith books to inspire or encourage them in their walk with the Lord. These days, it is estimated that in many western countries, in particular, churches are often losing to the world up to seventy percent of children born and raised in the church. Sadly, far too many youth throw in their faith in their teenage years, as I did.

Today, many Christian kids only know how to pray over their food. They don’t really know what they believe, how to hear the voice of the Lord, pray, or share their faith. I love this book and can see it being widely used across Christian schools and families. In reading it, teenagers can start to understand how their biblical faith is outworked in a practical sense in the midst of the problems they face in the world today.

My boys would also love this book because, as well as all the practical faith principles, each story is jammed full of nail-biting adventures and fascinating cultural differences in foreign, unknown lands. Throughout it all, our wonderful, powerful God has the center stage and shows He is easily up for any challenge that life or the enemy may throw at us.

—Renee Physick

INTRODUCTION

Sadly, for some Christians, their faith just involves learning a long list of dry biblical facts. It was never meant to be that way. Our faith should be a thrilling living and breathing ride as we walk with Jesus every day. No matter what life throws at us—school bullying, depression, terrorist attacks, bulimia, or extreme anxiety, Jesus is always with us to make for us a way forward in life’s challenges. He provides the answer for our difficulty and may lead us over it, through it, or to fully conquer it.

Life with Jesus should never be boring, simply because He is God, alive and powerful. He also wants to lead each one of us into the perfect plan for our lives, which the Father has established before we even were born.

The stories you are about to read are truly action-packed, exhilarating adventures of different teenagers in far-off lands that you may not have heard of before. Most of these nations where the stories are set are sometimes considered underprivileged compared to Western nations. You will delve into some of the fascinating cultures and history of countries like Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Bolivia, the Philippines, Israel, Mozambique, and North Korea.

Scattered throughout these stories, you will also discover numerous nuggets of faith, which will show you how a personal relationship with Jesus works practically. These will help you to follow in the footsteps of the life lessons and wisdom that our main characters learned in their stories.

It’s good to understand that the stories and characters are pure fiction. However, they are all based on an amalgamation of many incredible, true incidents and adventures that I and my national or missionary friends experienced during over thirty years of living and serving Jesus overseas. Our footprints leave a mark on the earth before we all step into eternity. So, make sure your footprints are in the right direction and will also lead others to do great things for our wonderful Lord Jesus. So, enjoy, learn, and be inspired!

—Julia Love

Fleeing the Russians!

Suddenly Becoming a Teenage

Refugee in Ukraine

Sveta was jolted awake by an enormous bang and crash in her room. The bed shook, and the walls of her small bedroom seemed to be still vibrating.

What’s happening? What’s going on? she screamed as a baby’s urgent crying not so far away pierced the chilly air.

Dawn was just breaking, so she could now see that some of the glass in her window was broken, and the rest lay in jagged pieces on the floor near her bed. Ginger, her cat, had leaped off her bed in terror. He still looked rather scared, and they both nervously looked around in the semi-darkness of the room.

Suddenly, Dad, Mom, and her little brother Sergey burst through the door to make sure she was alive and well after the blast.

Are you alright, Sveta? Mom asked with a worried look.

Sergey asked innocently, What did you do, Sveta?

She nodded silently to her mom’s question but didn’t bother answering Sergey.

Gazing out the half-broken window, Dad explained, A Russian bomb or missile must have hit the next-door block of flats just across from your window. Look over there at all the damage!

There was an enormous black hole in the side of that building, and the cold, early morning air was now filled with further wailing and muffled screams.

Sergey began to sob loudly. Then, all the family, in their shock and feelings of helplessness, had a long group hug. They all tried to comfort five-year-old Sergey, who hadn’t stopped crying, and Patch, their terrier dog, who continued his urgent barking.

Sadly, they knew that this type of disaster was becoming more and more common in their once peaceful town in the north-eastern part of Ukraine. In the last few weeks, the sound of explosions and gunshots in the distance was becoming louder and louder, closer and closer.

At first, everybody tried to ignore it and keep up their normal daily activities. At thirteen, Sveta had always enjoyed a happy life. Her parents both had good jobs, and their flat was always warm and snug. She loved school and had some great friends with whom she often enjoyed playing around in the snow each winter.

However, Sveta and Sergey already had some idea that their quiet, peaceful life was over. They were now keenly aware that their parents, with worried looks, would often try to secretly listen to the news on their TV or radio during the day. Then they would talk about it away from the children’s ears, always in hushed voices. Their faces now often looked concerned and anxious, especially when they listened to the President’s daily TV address to the nation.

Mom, Lena, kept working from home as a dressmaker but was taking on lots of extra orders to try and save some extra money—just in case…

Dad, Ivan, still left daily for his work as an engineer at the local steel plant. However, he knew that his days there were probably numbered. Soon, it was most likely he would be called upon to join up with the local Ukrainian army volunteers. Their job was to be on guard and defend their town from Russian attacks and any further advances of the Russian army.

The children were still both attending school on the day Sveta’s windows were broken. The teachers deliberately tried not to mention the war with Russia so the kids would not become too worried.

However, now it seemed that the war had arrived in Sveta’s family’s backyard. Like other schools in the war zones, their local school would probably start daily bomb or air raid drills for the children, just in case…

Then, everyone would know what to do immediately if a missile ever directly hit the school…

After the bombing of the neighbors’ building, the response was similar to what had happened already in many parts of Ukraine. School attendance suddenly dropped in their area. Some parents no longer permitted their children to walk to school. Many were just kept at home to study alone.

Some men quickly dispatched their wives and children to the railway station so they could leave on the next train to travel to some foreign border and a peaceful, safer nation…

For how long, nobody knew. The government had forbidden the younger men to leave the country, so they all had to stay on and fight where necessary. But thousands of women and children were streaming out.

Up to that dreadful morning, Sveta’s parents had not made any definite evacuation plans. They were just hoping that the conflict would soon blow over and that the advancing Russian troops would withdraw. This happened with the first major army advance to surround and conquer Kyiv, the nation’s capital. It had been a fizzer, and finally, the Russian troops all pulled out. But now that appeared less likely in their home region, as the Russians had steadily moved forward and already taken over many towns just like theirs. Sudden changes were around the corner, and Sveta wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen next.

Fortunately, as the light of the day increased, the sound of explosions ceased. To distract a little from the seriousness of the situation, Lena said, Sveta, please take Patch outside to the toilet. Poor Patch, their dog, was cowering under the bed.

In cities or towns in Ukraine, everybody lives in a flat in a large, gray cement apartment block. Ukrainians love pets. Their dogs have to learn very early that they only get taken outside to do their business once in the morning and once at night. This usually involves a trip down many floors in the elevator, where often many dog owners and their animals are suddenly face to face in a very small, confined space.

This can get challenging! Cats get a better deal, as they usually have an indoor litter box.

So, Sveta took the still trembling Patch downstairs in the lift that morning. Fortunately, nobody else was around then, and Patch soon settled down to his usual routine. After he had done his business, he enjoyed some free time off the leash, exploring and sniffing around their yard and beyond, as it was not winter. In winter, snow is everywhere. In that season, he usually wanted to just get back inside as quickly as possible and didn’t explore much.

However, this day, he disappeared from Sveta’s sight for over five minutes. She wasn’t too worried as this was quite normal for him. He always returned, as breakfast usually followed his short toilet break outside. She called out repeatedly, Patch, Patch, where are you? Come back to me!

Soon, Patch emerged from behind a bush, somewhere near where the neighbors’ block of flats had been bombed. His tail was wagging madly. He seemed to be carrying something colored in his mouth. He dropped it excitedly at Sveta’s feet. To her absolute horror, she realized it was a small torn child’s T-shirt soaked in blood.

Screaming loudly, No! No! No! she scooped up Patch in her arms and ran back into the safety of the building. By the time they got out of the lift and entered the front door of their flat, she was still screaming loudly because what she had seen was so horrible…

It was soooo gross and disgusting! she yelled. Patch had a kid’s T-shirt dripping with red blood in his mouth!

Her parents’ faces were suddenly filled with a strange mixture of sadness and horror, too. Nobody even wanted to consider who the T-shirt might have belonged to…

Ivan, Sveta’s father, then began to really freak out. His anger against the Russian troops erupted, quickly overwhelming his mind and thoughts. He exploded with rage. Those Russians responsible for this should be imprisoned immediately!

But inside, he was also suddenly feeling a kind of urgent protectiveness toward his wife and children. Unexpectedly, he then declared, The time has come for you to flee all this danger and violence here.

Tomorrow, you must all go on a train to somewhere in the West, where fighting is less intense.

Sveta suddenly realized this incident with Patch had opened a door she didn’t want to go through. She certainly didn’t want to leave the only home she’d ever known. She loved her school, her teachers, and her sweet friends.

No, she would not be sent away that easily. She tried unsuccessfully to quickly sow some doubt into her story. Half crying, she insisted, Dad, perhaps I didn’t see it properly. Perhaps the little kid just had a really big nosebleed… Perhaps someone had just used the kid’s old T-shirt as a rag for red paint.

However, she knew in her heart this was most unlikely, as there had been clearly so much fresh blood on it that attracted Patch.

Wailing, she quickly tried another approach, Dad, we can’t leave you here all alone. We all want to stay together as a family and help defend our village and land!

But it was to no avail. Ivan had decided, and none of his daughter’s wails or his son’s sobs could change his mind that day.

Lena, Sveta’s mom, decided to distract the family from their sudden conflict and rising fears. She tried to declare cheerfully, I still have a big pot of borsch on the stove, leftover from last night. Let’s all go to the kitchen and have some now for breakfast! Nobody seemed that keen, but they followed her into the kitchen.

Borsch is the name of a typical Ukrainian meal enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It’s a red, thick, yummy beetroot and cabbage soup, with usually lots of other vegetables and sometimes meat. It gets cooked for quite some time to develop its deep flavor. Then, it is usually served with a big dollop of smetana (sour cream) on top.

So, all the family sat down to a hearty bowl of borsch with some crusty bread. Nobody said much. The borsch was still good, but not able to completely soothe and melt away all the confusion and uncertainty they now felt in their hearts. Sveta was hoping her school friends might give her some advice on how to turn around her dad’s decision.

That day at school, Sveta remained in a very bad mood. Her friends seemed to be in the same boat of uncertainty, with their dads also starting to talk about the possibility of them leaving. That night, she tried and tried to convince her father that it would be better for them all to stay together in their village.

Come on, Dad. Please give us another week or so, at least. My teacher says those Russians are going to withdraw soon! This was a bit of an exaggeration or almost a white lie, but Sveta felt it might help her side of the argument. But Ivan was unmoved and stuck to his original decision.

You definitely have to leave the next day for safety reasons alone, he explained. Sveta, we can no longer trust the Russians in anything they say. They promised not to target civil sites, but their words clearly were meaningless lies!

Sveta hung her head and whimpered.

Go to your room, Sveta, now and start packing your most important things in your backpack, together with lots of clean underwear and warm clothing.

But Dad, when can we come back? Please tell me! she implored him with tears in her eyes.

She couldn’t believe the stony silence she kept receiving back when she asked repeatedly where exactly they would be going and for how long. The truth was, nobody really knew the answers to these questions…

When her mother eventually checked her backpack, Lena couldn’t believe it. Sveta, you must be more practical and pack only useful and necessary things! she said gently.

Mom removed the four bottles of Sveta’s favorite colored nail polishes, her slime-making kit, and all her toy pony collection, which admittedly was quite bulky. They were replaced with lots of her school books and more clothes. As tensions were already running high, Sveta just bit her lip and sobbed silently.

She begged her mother to at least include her favorite rag doll, Yulia, whom she had always kept close to since childhood. Lena was also super busy that day, packing her own backpack, a little backpack for Sergey, and a medium-sized suitcase that they would all share. She made sure she included a big bag of bread for snacks.

In Ukraine, bread is very important. It is their symbol of life and hope. No important event ever happens without bread. People are often first welcomed officially with salt and bread when they arrive at a new place. Ukrainians say they never feel full after eating a meal unless it includes a good lot of bread. So, Lena took lots of bread for their trip, just in case…

Sveta knew from experience that trains from their town left early each morning for the capital, Kyiv. It was a journey of a couple of hours. Basically, you had to go to Kyiv first before catching any long-distance trains to get anywhere else. So, the next morning, the little family found themselves at the local railway station platform at 8 o’clock sharp.

Fortunately, it was still summer, so it was not very cold yet, although the sky was gray and miserable. Papa Ivan looked very sad and grim. Sveta also noticed her mother repeatedly wiping tears from the corner of her eyes but also trying to smile and look happy, as though they were going on some sort of holiday. Sveta knew it was not the time to ask more questions, so she just kept quiet.

Sergey didn’t understand everything, but he knew that it wasn’t the moment to cry anymore or have a tantrum. He clutched Patch tightly, who was going with them. Sadly, Ginger was staying back in the flat with Ivan. Finally, Sergey kept asking pitifully, But when can we come home? However, nobody was answering him…

They all managed to find their seats inside the carriage and sat down in silence. It was obvious that the train was far more packed than normal, and everyone seemed rather stressed. Ivan, on the platform, quickly found the window where they were sitting. Before the train pulled away from the platform, he reached out and put his big palm on the window pane next to them. Lena responded immediately by placing her palm on his, although now the thick glass window was between them.

No more words could be exchanged, but there was really nothing more to say. Sveta thought she also saw tears running down her father’s cheeks before the train