Support Katya's Soul Care Training Journey

***VENMO OR ZELLE are helpful to avoid extra fees***

Venmo: @EkaterinaMakarova

Zelle: my phone number

Hello there! If we are not acquainted yet, my name is Katya and I am an international student from Moscow, Russia. I am raising funds to help me cover the expenses for an upcoming (and final) school year. I have recently returned from a 3 week silence and solitude retreat (July 13 - August 2) that was a part of my Spiritual Formation and Soul Care training. I am trying to complete enrollment and avoid violating my visa status. Without the visa I will be in illegal presence and will be forced to leave the US. I have to rely on support from others due to many restrictions put on me on a student visa, like very limited employment and financial aid options. Please consider my need of financial support for my education and basic needs. I put the expenses break down at the very end. For more details about my story and Soul Care training journey, continue reading below!

I came to the United States to pursue Biblically centered education and the Lord led me to a seminary. During my time here, I met a lot of incredible people and have gone through some very challenging seasons. As I was in the process of getting my MA Theology degree I was greatly impacted by the Spiritual Formation core requirement of 3 courses that all seminary students had to take. These courses introduced me to the processes of our formation and to the theories of how our spiritual lives develop in the presence of the Holy Spirit - in other words, how Christian faith actually ‘works’. This helped me tremendously with understanding myself and my own heart, my habits, my pain, my experiences in the church and in the world. This also helped me to begin to understand others and their experiences with spiritual growth, church hurt, seasons of dryness and ‘abandonment’. I have become passionate about hearing people’s stories and my heart hurts for all who have not been able to find the proper care for their souls even (and especially) within Christian community.

My decision to pursue a second Master’s degree (MA Spiritual Formation and Soul Care) comes with a desire to grow in my love for people and acquiring more specific tools to be able to help people grow in this love themselves, to heal and to see their worth in the God-given identity. I have completed my first year in the Institute for Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology, learning so much from its founders Dr. John Coe, Dr. Betsy Barber and Dr. Judy TenElshof. In this year, I have completed the first half of my training as a Spiritual Director. I had the privilege of meeting with 2 undergraduate students in my second semester for direction, and it has been such a humbling experience. There is still so much for me to learn in how to listen well and be attentive to the work of the Holy Spirit, yet being there in the room and receiving those young women and their stories has been so beautiful. In the upcoming semester, I will have 10 undergraduate students receiving spiritual direction from me in my training. As a part of the program, we have also been looking at our family histories and emotional and psychological development in order to understand how we relate to God and others, and open up the hidden places of ourselves for healing and transformation.

This program has been transformative and it helped me to find more confidence in who I am and how I can use the gifts I already have and train in the new skills that deeply align with my desire to love people well. I want to complete my training as a Spiritual Director and find ways to integrate this training with my Filmmaking degree. I am dreaming and looking into possibilities of becoming an entertainment industry chaplain or similar opportunities that will allow me to care for others with the love of the Holy Trinity.

As an international student, I have to comply with some major government restrictions in order to keep my student visa and continue my studies. These restrictions don’t allow me to work outside of my university and limit my hours to up to 20/week, as well as restrict my access to scholarships and loans. Higher education institutions have been experiencing under-enrollment in recent years that have been affecting budgets and resulted in many staff and student worker position cuts, and I have felt it firsthand as I was unable to get a summer job this season. This really threw me off track because summer job allows me to work full-time, and I count on it every year to make money for my tuition downpayment and to pay off housing bills. It has also been difficult to manage school-work balance in this new program that includes extracurricular activities like spiritual direction (receiving and giving), retreats and therapy, as well as a lot of emotionally demanding assignments.

I ask you to donate $25, $50, $100 or more to help me complete in my education.

*The amount listed in this fundraiser is the bare minimum I need to keep me in the program. Please consider giving above what is listed or use separate platforms like Venmo/Zelle/ mail checks directly to my university to help me cover groceries and housing expenses for the upcoming semester. See the complete breakdown and payment info below.*

Investing in my training and healing means investing in the care of others. Thank you!

Expenses breakdown

*Needed by 9/3/2024*:

Tuition Fall 2024: $7,940.65

Housing debt through 8/2024: $6,740.29 (Unfortunately I am unable to cover both housing and tuition on my own even if I work my allowed hours)

For your further consideration:

Housing in the dormitory: $820/month

$1950 - 15 (out of 25) therapy sessions, program requirement

Tuition Spring 2025: approx. $7,950

*If you are interested in making a tuition or housing donation directly to my school please mail checks made payable to Biola University with my name and ID in memo line (Ekaterina Makarova ID 1554167) to Biola Accounting 13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada, CA 90639

My Venmo: @EkaterinaMakarova (https://venmo.com/u/EkaterinaMakarova)

Zelle: please reach out (or use my phone number if you have it!)

You can read about my program here:

https://www.biola.edu/talbot/academics/isf