By Bobby Davis
We love to bring you powerful testimonies of changed lives as a testament to what God has done through your support of this ministry. And perhaps there is no better evidence of this than the stories that come to us from our Russian Evangelism Center.
In 1992, Pastor John Carter invited 3ABN to accompany him to the city of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, where huge crowds gathered each night to hear the gospel.
Thousands were baptized, and soon it was obvious that they needed a place to worship. So during the months that followed, our supporters built the massive 3ABN Russian Evangelism Center, and we dedicated it to the glory of God.
Some of our strongest support came from Gene and Patricia McClintock, an American couple who traveled many times to Russia to hold lay evangelistic meetings that brought hundreds more to a full knowledge of our Savior.
Irena Sapielkina was one of those who decided to follow Jesus as a direct result of their efforts, and she’s graciously consented to share her testimony with you.
Deceived
“I was born in the city of Kazan,” she begins, “but my father, my sisters, and I were all atheists. In fact, I often made fun of mother as she attended the Russian Orthodox Church on holidays.
“After graduating from a music conservatory, I played with a theater orchestra and taught music; but that all changed when I got married. My husband’s drinking cost him his job, and I had to seek different employment to take care of my 10-year-old daughter, Eugene.
“Like many people, I didn’t think much about the meaning of life, and thought I had no need for God, and soon I began practicing alternative medicine that was based heavily on mysticism. As a medium, I ‘healed’ all kinds of diseases, including cancer. My patients felt better for a while, but later they got worse or passed away, and I began to seriously doubt whether it was possible for a human being to completely restore someone’s health.”
Converted
“One day, my elder sister told me about the love of Jesus, and suddenly I realized that I had regarded myself as a god, claiming to do things only the Creator can do! So I stopped those ‘healings,’ and began to pray with the sick, asking Jesus for their healing. In response to my prayers the Lord has performed many miracles!
“I began reading the Bible, and soon I had many more questions—and that’s when an acquaintance invited me to an evangelistic series with the McClintocks!
“I was baptized following their evangelistic series in 2000, and it was an unforgettable experience. I finally saw that God had been guiding me to make a choice for Jesus!”
A Frightening Experience
“I began to look at my problems—and those of my 10-year-old daughter—in a different way after entrusting them to my almighty, loving, and caring God! At the time things were not always good between us, and we would often end up arguing. When she would speak rudely to me I would raise my voice and shout at her, but after my baptism the Lord began giving me wisdom, patience, and love.
“Amazingly, we both began to change, but Satan would not let me go so easily. I was often overwhelmed with fear when I went to bed, and many times found myself gasping for air, as if I were being strangled. One night I saw my deceased mother leaning over me, and at the sight of that horrific vision I cried out in fear, ‘Mommy, don’t take me away!’
“Immediately I began asking Jesus to remove that vision from my mind, and, little by little, I calmed down and fell asleep. That was the last time I saw those things, and today I read my Bible and pray every day. My heart is filled with joy as I think of the freedom and peace of mind God has given me!
“I was so thrilled when my daughter decided to be baptized at the age of seventeen! She’s a music teacher at a day-care center now, and she shows God’s love to those children. She also uses her God-given singing talents in church, where I’m privileged to conduct the choir.
“My daughter often shares her feelings with me, and I do the same. We discuss things we don’t like about ourselves, asking the Lord in prayer to change our characters so we may continue to grow spiritually. We also realize we have a role to play in our own character building, so we do our best to change.”
Praying for Others
“My daughter and I pray for other people’s needs, and especially for my former husband, Eugene’s father. He is an alcoholic, doesn’t have a job, and wants to hear nothing about God from us, since he thinks we’ve joined a sect.
“At his mother’s funeral, I took the occasion to share Jesus with him. Knowing how sad he was about his mothers’ death, I offered to pray for him, and he agreed to pray with me! We prayed for his life to be changed, and for his sobriety. He cried and nodded his head in agreement. After that he did not drink for a while and even got a job, but, unfortunately, he went back to where he’d been before, and for the past five years he’s continued to drink and live in the same way.
“My daughter and I continue to pray for him, hoping he will change his life again. After all, God is always in control!”
Faithfulness Through Trials
“After I was baptized, I kept the Sabbath with great difficulty because my bosses insisted on scheduling me on weekends. It was hard, but I believed there was nothing to fear, as long as I kept God’s Commandments. By God’s grace, I wasn’t even afraid of being fired—a threat that was made often. God provided for my needs, and I worked there for eight more years.
“My home became a welcome place for my church family and non-believing neighbors to come and learn about Jesus Christ, His love, and His salvation. We studied the Bible, prayed for each other’s needs, and had Christian fellowship.
“Then one day I was diagnosed with a dislocation of the vertebra and was taken to the hospital. After I was released, I realized I could no longer work at the plant, so I started praying, Lord, You see that I’m unable to work here anymore, and I don’t know how to earn my living. Please provide for this need of mine, and do as you see fit!
“After much prayer, I decided to leave my job—and one week later I was offered a position at 3ABN Russia Radio! This was a job I couldn’t dream of having—a sound engineer! At first it was difficult to learn those complicated computer programs. But God helped me learn it all!
“I’m so thankful for the chance to use my talents to serve Him and others. But most of all, I’m thankful for those who brought the precious truths of God’s Word to me all those years ago. Those truths have set me free—and changed my life!”
“Just then Teddy came by and asked what was so funny.
From an early age, I showed interest in all things electronic. In fact, my mother told me that at nine months of age I was watching the back of the TV set! Apparently I was more interested in the glowing tubes than what was showing on the screen!” He chuckles, and then adds, “I enjoyed adjusting TV sets, too!”
Pastor Titus Naftanaila is happy to have such an enthusiastic new member in his church and appreciates his contribution of time and effort in its television ministry. “Since his baptism, Fred has continued to be very actively involved in video production and broadcasting of our services on TV,” he says. “He spends a considerable amount of time and resources to accomplish his dream of spreading the good news in Madison.”
“My father was a drunk and would pass out on the couch all the time. However, my mother would take me to church with her on Sundays, and I learned about Jesus. I’ve always loved Him, and I’ve always said my prayers every night. But by the time I was 15, life had become unbearable, and I told my father I was going to run away.”
“I was the second child of five,” Wayne begins. “You know, the one who doesn’t get much attention,” he chuckles. “My dad was a farmer, till the oil fields came in during the late 30s. My parents were good people, but didn’t attend church much, so my religious background was almost nil. However, when I was 14, two of my friends and I decided to attend a local church revival. The preacher knew we hadn’t been baptized, so he told us, ‘If you boys don’t join the church tonight, when you die, you’ll go straight to hell and burn forever and ever!’ I wasn’t that versed in the Bible, but I’d always heard that God was a loving God. It didn’t make sense that He could be that cruel, so that night I left the church—and didn’t go back!”
Like Wayne, Mary Lou was raised in southern Illinois. Her dad farmed, but during World War II, he began working for the railroad, and then later, for the park service.