Hello, My name is Yana Osipenko. My early childhood was spent growing up in Eastern Europe. I was born in Lviv, Ukraine. Grew up in Chernihiv, Ukraine. When I was 8 years old my family moved to the United States and at that time I never thought I would one day return to Europe. At the age of sixteen I trusted Christ for the forgiveness of my sins. From that point on all I wanted to do was tell everyone around me about Jesus and the hope of what is to come. As a child of God I developed a compassion for people and a passion for ministry. After graduating from high school, I served as a youth group leader and spent my free time investing my life into the lives of other young girls and teenagers. Having the desire to study Gods Word and to get a better understanding of the mission field, I moved to Europe to attend a Bible Institute. I grew so much while I was there and during my last year of studies I decided to stay overseas and work for a para-church organization in Hungary. After nine years of para-church ministry my heart began to shift towards working in the local church, for the diaspora, and for the country of Poland. I relocated back to the States to pursue a higher education, and to take time to consider what opportunities may be open for me in Poland. Eventually this led me to say "yes" to join Converge and return to Poland  to help with their Slavic Gospel Initiative among the unreached.