Visiting relatives in these occupied territories becomes more difficult every time they try. When Marina and the children traveled over the Ukrainian-Russian border into Crimea in the summer of 2018, they encountered problems and verbal abuse. The border guards gave them a hard time, questioning the boys about not living in Crimea, not having Russian passports. The children were intimidated and frightened. Marina had drilled them to say, “Please ask our mother; she will have answers for you.” Marina kept saying, “Keep calm, boys.” She kept praying that her children would not say anything offensive, leading to their arrest. Her boys did great, Marina said, and they helped her a lot with baby Emma (born 2018), who was going to meet her grandparents for the first time.
Marina’s parents don’t want to leave Crimea. Her father said, “I was born here, I will die here. I have a house here, I live here, I cannot leave, and I will not leave.” Her parents are encountering a lot of problems right now, Marina said. Russian law is in effect. For people who hold a Ukrainian passport in contrast to the favored Russian passport, life becomes harder as they encounter prejudices and trials. Marina said that she prays for her family a lot and witnesses to them about how greatly God has worked in her life and provided for them. Marina’s brother and his wife live with Marina’s parents. Her brother has no desire to leave Crimea. Dima wanted to travel to Donbas to see his family, but was not able to. Dima’s mom was able to visit them in L’viv three years ago.
Marina said that life in L’viv is stable now; Dima has work, the children are enrolled in a Christian school. The boys had a lot of problems at a previous school; being from a Baptist family, they did not want to learn the Catholic catechism and prayers. Marina herself is not working outside the home right now while she cares for baby Emma. She works a great deal inside the home, managing four kids, laundry, meals, and the boys’ extracurricular activities. Marina said for her it is most important that her children know God, because then they will walk through any difficulties that might arise with God. She and Dima are waiting to see when God will open the boys’ hearts to receive him as Lord and Savior.
In talking about their new life, Marina also mentioned that they have found a wonderful new church plant called Disciples Church. Initially, when they visited churches in L’viv, they experienced rejection and misunderstanding. People simply could not relate to them, their experiences, their current situation as refugees. Marina said that Dima was invited to give guitar lessons at the seminary, UBTS, and it just so happened that Elisey was working there. Dima found out that at the seminary a group of refugees were meeting for worship and Bible study. This information caught his interest instantly. Dima met with Elisey and asked him many questions about the church. When they visited Disciples Church for the first time, they sensed right away that this was an unusual church. They joined the small group that Elisey Pronin led, and as the church plant began to form, God sent more and more refugees to the church. Marina said it was simply amazing to see how much understanding there was between the members, because many of them had just been through the same horrific experiences Marina’s family had endured in leaving Crimea.
The family began attending Disciples Church in the spring of 2016. Soon, Dima became part of the worship team for the small church plant. It was a true blessing from God in Marina’s opinion, because Dima had finished musical college in Crimea and had been the worship leader in their small church. To have this ministry again in their new life in L’viv was a huge privilege and blessing. Another blessing for her was a small group meeting every week in a home for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.
Marina said she does not know what else is coming her way, but she is thankful for the blessings and the stability that the family can enjoy right now. She is not thinking about another move, but she also has learned to be flexible, in case God should sometime move them to another place.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Epilog
I hope you enjoyed reading Lives Left Behind. The testimonies of these women surely touched my heart. I am amazed at their resilience and perseverance and I admire their godly lives and their biblical worldview.
Yet there is some greater truth hidden in their stories. There is another aspect to Lives Left Behind. All these women know God as their Lord and Savior and are prepared to leave their lives behind — again.
You see, we will all fall into this category of a ‘life left behind’ one day. I don’t mean just moving to another job in another city or state. One day your life on earth will be over, and you will have to leave it behind. Currently, the departure rate is 100 out of 100 people. But are you ready to leave this life behind?
When you leave your life on earth behind, you can enter a new place called heaven. But there is only one way to heaven, and Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me. (John 14:6). God loves you and me. Our sins separate us from God. But God offers us salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Jesus then died on the cross for my sins and for your sins – as our substitute. By believing in Jesus, you can be saved and receive new life.
Here is a simple outline for a prayer that you might want to pray:
ABC of salvation to accept Jesus as your personal Savior:
• A—Admit that you are a sinner (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23).
• B—Believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that He died for you, and that His death can save your soul (John 3:16, Romans 5:8-10).
• C—Confess that He is your Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-13).
My hope is that you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Life on earth will never be the same with God loving and leading you and eternal life in heaven will be your sure future destination when you leave your life behind one day. I made this decision almost 30 years ago. To God be the glory!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Resources
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Endorsements
Lives Left Behind will cause you to experience the widest possible range of emotions. You will laugh and cry. You will feel despair but land in hope. And, you will see the mysterious, providential hand of God working behind the scenes for the good of His children. I am so grateful Ingrid Woodbridge has written this book. It needed to be written. I take great delight it commending it to you.