Киевская Христианская Церковь

The story of God’s saving work in him.

Vladimir (Vova) tells his story.

I am from the prosperous family. Parents brought me up in a right way and invested themselves in me.

In the third grade, I decided that I will become the gangster, because I desired to be like the guys from senior school. That was my “wise and weighted” decision.

At 14 police was after me and I was arrested for different reasons. Court initiated criminal case against me. Our gang was a bunch of robbers and thieves who did much harm.

I was convicted to the term in prison. At 16, I was in prison twice. There I started to use drugs. I did not get the catch of it so I did not use them that time.

Being released from the prison, I visited my friends. They were drug dealers and I got the direct access to the drugs. These were good quality drugs and I was hooked.

I continued in robbery and now I became the drug addict. We traveled big cities and we even were controlling some drug dealers there.

We were so self-confident that we thought that drugs would never end.

I was imprisoned again, served prison term and was released.

One day, when I was at the friend’s apartment, police broke in. I wanted to escape through the balcony, but big police officer just pushed me over the safety rail and I fell on the ground from the third floor. He did it intentionally, because he could pull me inside the flat. I became unconscious.

Police officers looked at me and decided I was dead. That is why they called the emergency only one hour later. At the hospital doctors did the x-ray and saw that my spine is broken.

I hated police before, but that attitude doubled after this event.

I was in terrible pain, that is why when I was released from the hospital, I just saturated myself with drugs. I was infusing them nonstop.

I needed good manual therapist and parent found one for me. He was the pastor of the Jehovah Witnesses elder. Every time he visited me to treat my spine, two other women were coming with him, reading the “Watchtower” magazine and telling me about God.

But.. as soon as I could walk, I went to the dealers house. I was in the corset and with walking stick.

I had drugs at home, but I went because such was my nature. Addict will always go to such place.

I began to take drugs even more. My health was deteriorating drastically. I got the blood infection, lethal lungs infection, thrombophlebitis, pneumonia. As the result, I had eight lethal health issues at once.

I began to lose sight and I thought I am finished. My body was not accepting any medications. I mutilated my body by my lifestyle so much, that it refused any medical treatment.

I began to contact my friends to say good buy.

That was the time when God gave me His mercy. When I was released from the hospital, I did not humble myself before him, but continued on evil ways.

That time one of my old friends became a believer in Christ. He took the course of rehabilitation. For several years he offered me to do the same, but I constantly turned down his offers, because I considered myself a believer.

My grandmother who lived in Belarus was a Christian and her influence on my life was significant. She always was joyful and kind.

Even when I treated neighbors’ animals badly and my parents had to pay for it, she covered it with her love.

Because of her influence, I knew I have to pray to God. I did it when I used drugs. I did it in the prison. I did it always. That was god of my imagination. I created him in my image and my likeness. I knew very little about Him and I invented Him.

There was the New Testament in our prison cell and I began reading it. You know, Gospel of Matthew starts with the genealogy. I decided that this book is the most boring in the whole world and I quit right there.

The day have come when I made the decision to go to the rehabilitation. I took many things with me, I had the TV set, several blocks of cigarettes and the pills J

When I arrived there, God clearly told me that I have three months to live. I took this very seriously. Maybe that revelation kept me in the rehab house all the time. I could escape and got drunk or have another dose of drug, but I stayed inside.

God did the rest. There I began to seek God and read His Word. He changed my thoughts. I began to think in His categories. God freed me from the foul language. God showed me that the whole world is deceived.

He gave me new birth and new life.

Later I was baptized, than I was selected to be the deacon and then the pastor of the church. Jesus turned my life completely.

One more story about His miraculous work in me.

Officials invited me to go and preach in the prison. The prison where former police personnel serve their sentence. I prayed to God – “Why me? You know my attitude to that kind of people!”

I humbled myself and went there. God did the miracle in my heart. I began to visit that prison regularly. God started the church in that prison and I baptized several inmates.

My mother, father and sister accepted Christ as well.

I praise you Jesus that you took my place and died for my sins!