I was born in 1911 in Ukraine, in the Poltava region. My parents were peasant farmers of moderate means. Because there was not much free land in Ukraine, my parents decided to move to Russia where there was a lot of free land available for farming. In 1913 the family moved to Russia, to the Saratov region. There they were given land by the government and began to farm. My parents were Orthodox Christians. They visited the Orthodox Church and tried to live godly lives. My mother taught me several prayers of the Orthodox Church, and every morning when I awoke I had to bow my knees and pray. If I did not pray, I would be punished and would have no breakfast.

In October 1917, the Socialist revolution happened and communists came to power. After that changes began to take place. Orthodox Churches were closed and it was forbidden to even talk about God. If anyone would hear you talk about God, you would be reported and your tongue would be cut off. People began to live in much fear. Then repression came. People who had possessions were arrested and all their possessions were taken. Since my parents were good farmers, they had possessions that they had acquired by their hard work. The Communists came and took everything they had - all their animals, equipment, tools and everything they had in the house. My father was arrested and condemned as an enemy of the Soviet people. He was sentenced to six years of hard labor. He was sent to Arhangelsk region to the North. He never came back from there, and the family does not know what happened to him.

Later, I along with my older brother and mother, were sent to Altaysk region in Russia (near Kazakhstan). The family was there for two years. As a small boy, I was forced to cut trees in the forest with Communist soldiers guarding me. My mother was afraid for me and she told me to escape to her sister that lived in the Saratov region of Russia (same region where they lived before). I was able to run away and no one searched for me. Later, my mother died in the Altay region.

In the Saratov region, I began to live with my aunt and help her. Then I was forced to go to a government Collective farm and work there because I was the son of repressed parents. The government took me in the military and I served until 1938. When I was released from the military, I traveled straight to Ukraine and began to work in the coal mines in the Doneck region.

When World War II started, I was still working in the mines. During the war, miners were not taken for duty because their work was strategical. In 1942, Germans occupied the Doneck region. I remembered how one night I was coming back from work and German reconnaissance planes came. The town where I was working was one of the central railway railheads. At this time there were train cars full of wounded soldiers, waiting to bring them to the home front, to the hospital. After the German planes made several circles, the people began to panic because they knew what was about to happen. But I ignored the fear and went to my hostel. Because I was very tired, I fell asleep. But soon the roar and the light awakened me. I was wondering what had happened, and why it was so bright at night. When I looked out the window, I saw soaring lights as the German bombers were shining bright lights for the paratroopers. As the Germans began to bomb, I ran outside to try and escape. People everywhere were screaming, trying to escape, but there was so much light that it was hard to run away. The Germans used bombs and machine-guns on the people. I began to run and I heard a bomb coming down. I jumped into a shell-hole (usually shell holes were up to 16.5 feet deep) and there was a great explosion right near me. I came up from the hole and began running and another bomb exploded, but I was able to escape. The wounded soldiers were crying for help in the train cars, but everybody was running for his own life. After several minutes, the Germans bombed the train cars full of wounded soldiers and their cries were silenced. I got married after the war in 1948. My wife is Ukrainian. We do not have children.

Did I like Communists? No, because I was the son of repressed parents, I experienced persecution, too. It was forbidden for me to study anywhere (college, university) because of the past of my parents. In 1933, there was a famine in the Ukraine and Russia. When I lived with my aunt, I experienced famine, too. I ate sawdust and many other things trying to survive. People, dead from hunger, were lying on the streets; dogs and wolves were eating flesh. I experienced all this and now remember with fear. In my life there was nothing good.

Before Communists came to power, I visited the Orthodox Church several times, but I never had real fellowship and faith in God. I heard from my parents a little about Jesus and salvation, but I did not pay much attention to it. When it was very hard for me, I never remembered God. Even when I was working 820 feet down in the earth, all that the miners had was cursing.

The first Protestant Church I visited was the Zhitomir Church. There I heard about Jesus and Salvation and repented of my sins. After I accepted Jesus, my life fully changed. Now I have joy and peace. Before, it was normal for me to talk and have fellowship with worldly people, but now how annoying it is to listen, and even talk with them. Now I feel that God is with me and lives in my heart.