Kholod Family

Vadim and Mariya met at the Ukrainian Gospel Church in Chattanooga. Vadim said, “I pursued her for a long time,” pointing out that they knew each other for years before they connected. Before leaving on his last mission trip, Vadim told Maria that he would like to start a relationship when he returned. Vadim and Mariya have now been married for four years and have two daughters, Eliana and Avie.

Vadim and Mariya have strong religious values and prioritize raising their daughters through faith. The Kholod family made the decision for Mariya to be a stay-at-home mom with Eliana being two years old and Avie being only one year old. Eliana and Avie are true best friends that do everything together and love singing the “Happy Birthday, Jesus” song. Mariya said, “We want to put into our kids our belief system and discipline instead of being raised by society. That’s why having an extra income just wasn’t a choice. We knew that we would have to downgrade instead of chasing after the financial comfort.”

Vadim and Mariya currently rent a small two-bedroom house that Mariya said is “getting tight.” The family is struggling with high rent and overcrowding. “We are trying to readjust the way that we are living and it’s a little rough, but we are definitely grateful for it,” said Maria. The Kholod family applied for the program in 2022 after speaking with their neighbor who is a Habitat homeowner. Vadim and Mariya are excited to be homeowners and to be able to customize their home.

The Kholod family will be moving into Habitat of Cleveland’s Morelock Meadow Subdivision. Vadim and Mariya are ready to start their sweat equity hours and to begin the Habitat Homeownership program. Vadim and Mariya said that the Habitat program has been such a blessing. “We have prayed about it and given it into Gods hands. We know that we are here, where he intends for us to be,” said Mariya. Vadim and Mariya are most excited to see the reactions of Eliana and Avie when they finally get to pull into their new home and tell them that it is theirs.