my Story

Here is a brief account of how I came to God and how He used and continues to use me to accomplish His purposes

It is said that to accept Christ, you need to hear the Gospel 9 times on average. I heard it still more, and probably all who prayed for my repentance had grown weary of fruitless prayers long ago.

Since childhood, I have been tormented by questions about the existence of God, His omnipotence, justice. I did not deny that He is there, but I didn’t understand - "why does God allow so much pain in my life?" We have a big family, I am the youngest, the fifth child, and my father has been addicted to alcohol all his life, my childhood was not easy and I have always had a lot of questions in my head.

My sister met Campus missionaries in the dormitory, heard about Christ, and was reconciled to Him. She tried to influence me, shared the Gospel with me, prayed with me, took me to Christian camps, rafting, but each time I returned to my friends and continued to go downstream. I was concerned with what others thought about me, so I kept putting God in the background. At times, when life was very difficult, I read the Bible and prayed, and then it got easier and I went back to my friends. It had lasted until the second year of university, and all that time my sister was praying for me, showed love, showed patience to me.

God was working in my heart. Every time I went to bed, I saw the Bible on the bookshelf and could not sleep peacefully. There were a lot of questions in my head, tears in my eyes and awareness of my sinfulness. There was a high wall between me and God. I so wanted to wake up and see how everything had changed… But every morning was the same routine that consumed me more and more. The wall continued to grow, as did the emptiness in my heart. I knew that no one could fill it except God, I knew that only in union with the Creator I could have the fullness of joy. But it was so scary to take just one step…

It was a long time of rethinking my values, seeking the meaning of life, searching for joy, and, finally, sincere repentance. One of the regular church camps became special for me. People there talked about a prodigal son, and I had so many pictures popping up in my head. I had also wandered for years, knowing that Heavenly Father was waiting for me at home. Every evening I was meditating and repenting from my sins, and the last evening became the final chord - I came to Christ with all my sins and He broke down the high wall that separated me from the Father.

In the morning I woke up and my life was radically changed. There was the fullness of love in my heart, the joy of realizing who I am. I was growing step by step in my knowledge of God and in trusting Him. I was afraid of losing friends, but God gave me a wonderful family of Christians who have become my support. I have found new friends, and we were growing together in the knowledge of His love.

During these 9 years of living with Christ, I have seen His incredible love and grace. I have experienced how the Good News changes the lives of my neighbors in the dormitory, how together with other students at Campus we grow and influence our universities, how God is glorified through us.

This has encouraged me to devote my youth to serving students, those who are just on the threshold of life and are forming as individuals. I want to influence students, to show them how God changes lives and gives meaning through my story. I believe that God, who has been working in my heart for so long, can change the lives of others, and even the 9 Gospels that people have heard are not the end of their story with God.