"I come from a third generation Baptist family. My Great Grandmother lived during the reign of the Tsar. She had a given birth to 3 babies who all died in infancy. She was an Orthodox believer, and in her despair turned to God and made a promise to Him. She said that if He would give her a child who would live, she would give that child back to Him .

"God answered her prayers and gave her a son. She named him Jacob and he was strong and healthy. When he was 8 years old, the Communist rule had already begun. She began thinking about her promise to God that she would give him back to God. But she was confused about how to do that. She wondered if she should give him to the Russian Orthodox church to become a priest.

"One day Jacob, my grandfather, came home and told his mother that he had "accepted Christ " as his Savior. He was 18 years old. A missionary had come to their area. That year 300 people accepted Christ, including both my great grandparents.

"Communism was persecuting Christians more and more. My grandfather married and they had a baby girl, who was my mother. After some time both my great grandparents and my grandfather Jacob and his wife were all sent to Siberia. My mother was only 3 or 4 years old. My Grandmother hid her under a coat when they came to get them, so she wouldn't have to go with them. She later went to live with relatives.

"Later, somehow, my grandmother escaped from the train., and later returned to where her daughter was.

"Both of my great grandparents died in Siberia like most people, but somehow my father escaped before he died. He went to Kazakhstan. He wrote a secret letter that got to my grandmother. She realized that it was from my grandfather and that he was living in Kazakhstan. So she took my mother and traveled there.

"While living there, they organized a church in their house again. After awhile the Communists found out about it, and they came and took him to prison. My grandmother was pregnant again. They took her house away. She was able to live in a basement somewhere. She was able to see her husband in prison some times.

"While he was in prison, he organized a little church in the prison. The boss of the prison liked my grandfather and liked to hear him teach about Jesus. So he allowed him to have the church in prison. But after awhile the bosses changed. The new prison boss found them having communion one day, so he punished my grandfather by sending him to a "death prison" and he died there.

"My grandmother and mother continued to live in Kazakhstan and were active in the Baptist church. It was there in that church that my mother met my father. His parents had also spent 10 years in a prison for their faith.

"They married and had 5 children. We were all born in Kazakhstan. I am the youngest of the 5 and I was born in 1967. In 1969 my mother wanted to move back to Russia. So later they came to Russia and began looking for a place to live on a farm. Interestingly, a lady on this farm had a son who had gotten some seminary training, and then was sent to the "gulag" for 10 years. When he got out, he came to Kazakhstan and functioned as a deacon in the church. He gathered 6 or 7 young men together and secretly taught them all he had learned in seminary. One of those men was my father. Almost all of those men became pastors.

"So my parents settled down there. My mother was a doctor and my father was a radiologist., but he had also been ordained as a deacon in Kazakhstan. So he started a church in that area. He started it by going to all the grandmothers ,who were taking care of the children, and asked them if he could teach the children. And so a church was started and grew and grew.! My father later became the overseer of several churches, over 600 members.

"So ,I grew up in a pastor's family. I was 8 years old when I accepted Christ. I knew I had a sin problem. I helped my father in his ministry where I could. Then I had to go into the military. I was sent to the North Pole area. ( Christians, the mentally ill and those with criminal records got the worst assignments. I was the only Christian with this group of men.) But while I was there I started thinking," what should I do with my life?"

"The next 8 years of my life were very hard. I had been raised in legalism, and thought I had to really work for my Salvation. I tried and tried for a holy life one that was void of sin. I failed and failed and failed. There was even a period of my life that I read the Bible 5-6 hours a day, because I was told if I read the Bible more, I would be more holy. But it didn't work.

"I studied agriculture and business and even went to America. Finally I decided to leave the business. I believed I was going to hell. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I would serve Satan or God. Then I decided to help others live a holy life . I knew some people would go to heaven, but I just couldn't do it.

"It was after this decision that I found out about New Life Bible College. I went there for 2 years. It was the best 2 years of my life. I heard about Grace! It was good news to my heart and soul!

"I realize now that one of the greatest needs of the church in Russia is educated pastors. Ninety percent of the pastors here do not have a Bible education. I have been working for 3 years in Moscow Bible Church, but I realize the great need for more education. Russians are looking for answers to deep questions. They are seeking answers regarding the Russian Orthodox Church and Cults. I am looking forward to attending the Trinity Seminary in September 1998."