Hi, I am Maya. I am bi-lingual, a classically trained pianist, artist, and child of God. I love my family profoundly. When I came to Cookson Hills two years ago, I saw a Gratitude Report and I scoffed, saying, “I’ll fail whatever assignment that is.” But here I am, two years later, filled with gratitude and digging through photos, painting, and sharing my story all to say thank you. Thank you, for all you have done and given to this ministry. You have given so much, and to kids you don’t even know. You have blessed me and my family, and I am dearly grateful for you. So, I hope you enjoy this ‘scrapbook’ of my life, the one you’ve helped shape.
I was born in Spokane, Washington, in 2007 to Russian-speaking Ukrainian-born parents in their mid-twenties who had recently married on a whim. Soon after I was born, the three of us moved to southern California. But things were not good.
My mom and my godmother, Sarah, were the ones who took care of me. I spent a lot of time with Sarah. She babysat me while my mom worked and when things weren’t well at home. I was only three, but I heard the shouting, I remember hiding, and I felt scared around my dad. But I also knew my mom did her best for me, even in that turmoil.
After the divorce and a month in a shelter, mom and I found our true home back in Spokane. This is where I would grow up with my grandparents and our big Slavic extended family.
I lived with my mother, took piano lessons, went to church, and loved our little life. My mother and grandmother were really focused on giving me a Christian education, so I began school at a Classical Christian Academy. But those things come with a large price tag.
My mother’s health began to the decline to the point she could no longer work. She was overwhelmed and stressed, but there was more. When we left my dad, my mom had been hurt by him. And years later she continued to hurt on the inside. Though I didn’t realize it then, she had sacrificed more than I could ever have thought for me. She loved me so much that it began to affect her ability to take care of herself, and that was impacting her ability to take care of me.
When I was twelve, my grandmother found a boarding school that we could afford… in Kenya. I could write a different story about that one month in Kenya, but I’ll summarize for now and tell you that it was not the best experience. Thankfully, I was able to return home in February of 2020, right before COVID shut the world down.
I began wishing I had a “normal life” and arguing with my mom a lot. While this isn’t wildly uncommon behavior for a twelve year old, it was not something my mother deserved. It became clear that my mother and I needed some time apart so she could heal, and I could get my priorities straight.
That’s when my family found another school they could afford, 1,800 miles away in Oklahoma. This place was nothing like I envisioned. But my mother knew this was our last resort, and firmly believed this place would be good for me, telling me to give it a chance.
On November 18th, 2021, I came to Cookson Hills and I felt like I did not belong. Iin Russian, a “children’s home” means an orphanage. And I was not an orphan. My family loves me very much, I just needed a school! I built up so many walls around me that I pushed everyone away, including my houseparents and God.
Soon enough, life got worse. After only two weeks, I learned that Sarah, my godmother and confidant, had passed away. I felt like the pieces of my emotions that were already shattered had broken into smaller pieces.
I was angry at God. I felt like I was being punished for something I didn’t do. The only thing I looked forward to were weekly phone calls with my mom who has always been rooting for me. My grades were horrible, I got involved with the wrong people, and rebuked God. I think I was trying to get my mom’s attention and make her take me home.
But that’s not where my story ends.
After nine months at Cookson Hills, I felt God seeking out my heart, calling me to come back to Him. I was tired of acting out and getting in trouble and was finally starting to lean on Christ again and honestly pray to Him.
During my eleventh month, I moved into a new house with different houseparents and I instantly connected with them. Even though my first houseparents loved me, I had chosen to distance myself from emotional connections. But now, I was in a new place, both physically and emotionally, and I felt loved and welcomed by the Gerlach family. I had the chance to re-write my Cookson chapter.
With my softened heart, I saw the Gerlachs and how they were seeking out a relationship with me. They listened, they cared, and they were able to understand me. They discovered what I needed and met those needs to the best of their ability. I saw Jesus in them. And as I looked around Cookson, I realized this is what every adult had been doing all along, I was just too stubborn and broken to see it.
That is when I gave my life to Christ- this time, truly committing to Him. I forgave people in my life that wronged me, including my dad, and have since grown in my connection with him and gotten to meet my half-brother. I rebuilt a healthy relationship with my old houseparents. I apologized to my mom. I began to trust God, and that He has a great plan for me and being here is a part of it. I realized that Cookson Hills is a gift to me and my family, and a part of my story in which God continues to use to shape me.
I thought the school at Cookson Hills was the only part of this place that I needed. But I was wrong; I am blessed to have been part of a family with parents that love each other and love the Lord. I have gotten to experience what it’s like to live in a family the way God intended. I didn’t know this is what family could look like; it just feels right.
Cookson has helped me find myself, make good friends, and discover how to lean on God. This year is my senior year, and I am attending a local vocational school doing the visual communications program. I still have a wonderful relationship with my family, I only wish I was closer to home to see them more often. But I am happy that this is where I am.
After high school, I would like to attend college to major in business, and minor in studying the Bible. I want to listen to God and discover how He wants me to serve His Kingdom. Wherever He can put me as a Kingdom worker is where I want to go and what I want to do. I want to tell everyone about the love that Jesus showed me when I was in the shadows.
It’s difficult to imagine where I’d be had I not come to Cookson Hills. I believe that God put me in this place for me to find Him. He met me in my darkest hours. I believe this is what He wanted for me, to be here.
Because of you, Cookson Hills has become yet another branch of my family tree, one that I didn’t see coming when I was twelve and resentful. Thank you for establishing this branch for me. Thank you for your sacrifices, and for giving me everything I needed to write a better story.