about us

I was born on October 13, 1975 in the city of Kremenchug, Ukraine. My father Peter M. Krivulia was working at the time, at a big agriculture organization in Kremenchuk. My mother, Olga A. Krivulia was working at a shoe factory. Since my parents worked five days a week, they decided to hire a nanny to take care of me while they were at work. I was a very little baby, and I can’t remember my nanny. My mom told me that my nanny was a very nice old lady who loved to take care of me. At the time I was born, my father and mother were renting a cozy little house. When I was five years old, my mother and father bought a nice apartment. I remember when we were moving into our own home that my mother was pregnant. Daddy of course moved all the stuff with help from his friends. Dad always talked to me, and told me that it was a good thing to have a baby brother, but I always wanted a baby sister.

On March 7, 1980, my brother arrived in this world. I have to admit that he was a very cute baby. Later in his life his hair started to get very curly. He was such a cute baby that many times people would talk about how adorable he was. In 1982 I went to elementary school. I was making all A’s and I was very active in choir and Ukrainian culture dances. Our dance group was called Sweetanak. We received a lot of trophies, which were 1st and 2nd place. In 5th grade I was elected class president. I continued to hold the position until I was in the 8th grade. Through middle school and high school I had been selected to represent the school in track. I was a fast runner and won 1st and  2nd place in my school district. When I was sixteen I was selected as the school beauty queen. In 1991 I went to Kremenchuk Professional School of Pedagogy. When I was 18 years old, a very big tragedy came to our family. My father died. I realized after my dad died, more than ever how important my family was to me. We missed him so much. I remember a time when my mom was grieving all the time. She struggled to pay bills. She finally sold daddy’s car and that helped some.

I finished Pedagogy school in 1995 making A’s and B’s. After I finished Pedagogy school, I started to work teaching in elementary school when I was only 20 years old. I worked as a 1st grade teacher. Two months later, I received an offer from the government to continue my education in college for free. I gladly accepted and in 1995, I started to attend Poltava State Pedagogical Institute. I married when I was 21 but the marriage did not last long. Ana was born one year later, which meant that I had to work and go to college while taking care of my baby. This was a very difficult time in my life but God helped me through it. I did not have any financial support from my ex-husband. My mother and I together paid for everything and our income was very small! After my divorce, I thought I would probably never re-marry.

My uncle Andrey and his wife Valentina always encouraged me and gave me hope. They were born again, Spirit filled Christians, and they were always telling me how good God was and witnessing to me about Jesus Christ. They gave me many books and materials by Kenneth Hagin, which I read in the Russian version. I was raised in an Eastern Orthodox Ukrainian Church. I had never had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. One day, I decided to give my heart to Jesus Christ. Only now do I understand that while I was reading Kenneth Hagin books and studying the Bible, my future husband, Rusty, was attending Kenneth Hagin’s Bible College in Oklahoma and personally listening to Kenneth Hagin teaching him daily. I started to attend a Spirit filled church in the Ukraine.

One day I had a dream. I dreamed I was in a boat, on a lake, and the boat was slowly sinking. I started crying out loudly for help. This dream was so real I can remember it vividly today! Suddenly I saw another boat coming toward me. There was a single man in the boat, I could not see his face and I did not know his name, but I knew he came to rescue me. He gave me his hand and put me in his boat. When I received Jesus Christ in my life He assured me I will never be alone any more and anytime I need help He will be there with me!

In January of 2001, I began to communicate with Rusty through the Internet. In July of 2001, Rusty and his parents came to visit me in the Ukraine. While  Rusty and his parents were in the Ukraine, God gave me another dream. In my dream, Rusty came into my bedroom and took all the old sheets from my  bed and put new clean sheets on my bed! I believe God was showing me that Rusty was going to marry me and we would start a new life together.

On October 10th, 2001, Rusty and I were married in Kiev, Ukraine. On May 15th, 2002, Ana and I arrived in Texas. On November 13th, 2003, God blessed us with a second beautiful daughter, Kellie Ethelene Fletcher. Today I am very proud of my family and I thank God for finding me, saving me, and putting our family together! I believe that God’s greatest gift in this life is a family. I can’t imagine life without my family. My husband and my daughters inspire me. I love listening to my children laugh and seeing them when they are playing. I love spending time with them. I am proud of their accomplishments at school. I realize how important it is to enjoy each day with my  family. Each day I hold Kellie, knowing that she’s growing very fast. I cherish each moment with Ana, Kellie, and Rusty because I know I can never relive that day.

Together we learn how to go through good times and hard times, how to be thankful, and how to rejoice in the Lord. We teach our children that family and church is the most important part of their lives. Their school friends may be part of their lives for a season, but family will always remain the same.