I was born in a small town in Ukraine to a Jewish father and Gentile mother. When I was seven years old, my mother came to faith in Jesus and began taking my older brother and me to church. I grew up knowing about God but not really understanding much about who Jesus was.
Through my grandmother I learned about my Jewish heritage and culture and became interested in Israel. As a teenager I was focused mainly on myself . . . yet I began to feel that God was going to change my life in a way I could not predict.
I made aliyah (moved to Israel) when I was 15, without my parents. Once there, I went to a religious school for three years. At first, living in my new country was fun, an adventure?but after a while I grew lonely and depressed. I missed my parents and began to remember what my mother had tried to teach me about Jesus. I asked my teachers and friends why we were not supposed to believe in Him. Their answers did not satisfy me, so I began to search the Old Testament, looking for the promises about the Messiah. My search sometimes kept me awake at night but I would not stop until I found the answer.
When I did find the answer I was so happy to know the truth of the Messiah. Even though my mother had believed and told me about Him, I felt I had discovered something brand new. Right away I began to share the good news with my teachers and friends, who thought I had lost my mind. The rabbi at the school told me that if I persisted in this, he would not allow me to pass my final (oral) exam after three years of studying.
It felt like I was the only Jewish believer in Jesus in all of Israel, but I prayed that God would help me find others. One day I saw a lady on the street passing out some kind of literature. It turned out to be invitations to her church and when I attended the following week I was amazed to find many more Jewish believers in Jesus.
Back at school I had to take my final exam. I responded well to all the rabbi’s questions and was about to pass when finally he asked me about Jesus. “I believe He is the Messiah,” I replied. The rabbi told me with regret that he could not pass me?but I know that I passed the exam of faith.
I joined the national service and worked as a doctor’s secretary, and the Lord opened doors for me to share my faith and meet other believers. I started to evangelize on the streets with other believers whenever I had the chance? and that is how I met my husband-to-be.
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