Киевская Христианская Церковь

Gregory Kovnatskiy

At school, I studied poorly and in the middle school, I made a decision that I will make my living following dishonest ways. At the fifth and sixth grades, my friends and I became the nightmare for the schoolkids, taking away their money. However, the violence did not appeal to me and I started learning to trick my schoolmates cheating them into giving me money.

At the age of 16 I became the convicted swindler. At 20 I understood that such life does not attract me, I understood that I have to change something and began to ask myself questions – why do I live? What will be when my life will end? What is the meaning of life?

I could not find answers to these questions.

That time I tried the heroin and one year later, I became the drug addict.

I always had money, my circle of friends was from the higher levels of society, I always had the doze – many were jealous about my lifestyle.

Like many other people, I was sure that my main problem is in external circumstances and at the age of 22, I tried to run away from drugs through Army service. I did it because my friends were dying of heroin; others became poor and started to use cheap drugs.

It is impossible to run away from yourself. My Army service duty was as technician at the storehouse of the gasoline, diesel fuel and other car liquids. We were just the squad of three at that location. My old lifestyle returned – easy money and drugs.

After serving two years in the Army, I became the convicted addict.

Later I began to drink a lot of alcohol. My brother took me to another city; there I had a painful withdrawal and returned to normal life after that. I became the workaholic, but stressful situations triggered me into heroin again.

All I “touched” became dead – my friends turned away from me, my girlfriend who loved me, broke up with me. I concluded that life has no reason – I still did not find answers to the questions I asked myself as school.

I returned to my hometown and to my old life. I used drugs for so long now that I knew I would not live long.

Later I met my old acquaintances whose life became completely different after they met God.

This gave me hope. When I went to the rehab center, I was shocked – answers I was looking for all my life were taught there at the Bible lessons. Sometimes I had goosebumps because I understood how true the things teacher was saying are. I was looking around the room and saw my roommates sleeping or disinterested and I was astonished, because it seemed that God was speaking to me and I heard Him.

Now, being a Christian, I understand that it was beyond human ability to revive me from my dead state. Usually I lived inspired by this or that idea, but by the age of 42 nothing was attracting me anymore. Emptiness lived inside of me. Money, drugs, women, relatives – none of this could give me joy.

After I understood whom God is, His character and what He did for me on the cross, only after that life returned to me!

I underwent the rehab course, now I work and serve God according to my abilities. I do not know the future, but this future has meaning!

Praise be to our God forever!