Testimony

My Journey of Faith

I was born and grew up in Ukraine. As a troubled teenager, I found myself in bad company, which influenced my lifestyle and led me to start drinking vodka at 13 years old. I began to enjoy that lifestyle, but deep down, I was not satisfied. I felt broken, especially when I realized I was hurting those around me because I was hurting inside. School was painful—I came from a poor family and didn’t have the same things as others, which led to verbal abuse from my classmates. This left a deep wound in me. I was just a broken teenager trying to find my place in the world, but nothing seemed to work.

Encountering God’s Love

At 16, I was invited to a Christian camp where I experienced the love of God for the first time. During a morning service, as the preacher spoke about Jesus, I was overwhelmed by His presence. In that moment, something in me changed forever. I felt an indescribable love being poured into me.

Beginning My Journey as a New Believer

After that encounter, I had a deep hunger for God’s presence and a desire to know Jesus more and more. My Bible was always open on my table, ready to be read every day. Even at school, I carried it with me and eagerly shared with others about the reality of Jesus. His love ignited a passion in me that I couldn’t keep to myself.

My Second Encounter with Jesus

But over time, I began to backslide and fell into sin, which took me far from God. I started taking drugs and spending money on prostitutes. I was so depressed that my mood would shift multiple times a day. I was completely lost.

Then one night, I had a dream where a voice told me to stop smoking. I woke up with a strong conviction and knew it was God speaking to me. That day, after work, I came home, fell to my knees, and encountered God’s presence in a powerful way. The room was filled with His love, just like the story of the prodigal son returning to the Father.

In that moment of prayer, I told God that I wanted to give others the same love He had given me. Not long after, I found myself in Bible college—a place I never expected to be. It was there that I recognized my calling: to spread God’s love and make disciples for Jesus.