
God sustains survivors through extreme hardship |
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BASIA was born in Bobruisk, Belarus in a family of three children and a mother and a father. On 26 June 1941, only four days after the war started, her family were running for their lives as bombs were falling behind them. They managed to jump on a train headed for Chelyabinsk near the Ural Mountains. The family continued to live there for four years. The father joined the Russian army. They experienced hunger, very hard conditions with temperatures of minus 40 degrees. Basia remembers as a young girl the terribly harsh climate of Russia, with whirlpools of cold winds, snow and blizzard, and clothes that weren't suitable for those conditions. She often thought that she would freeze alive as she walked. Her mother died in tragic circumstances; it seems that she was pushed by someone while travelling on the tram. She fell under the wheels of the tram and died instantly. In 1945, Basia and her two siblings returned home where they were joined by their father. In hindsight, Basia understood that it was almighty God that sustained them and took care of them. Basia is now aged 91 and her husband is 92. They regularly attend the services at Dom Missi'ee Messianic Congregation in Melbourne and have both accepted Yeshua as their Lord and Saviour. KLAUDIA and her mum, Dora, lived in Odessa, Ukraine. When the war erupted they went running into the neighbouring village in order to hide away from Nazis. One Christian lady who had two children of her own who lived in a school took them in, and was able to hide them. The woman managed to cut an archway over which a rug was hung for them to hide behind. Klaudia and her mum lived behind that rug and as there was no room they would be forced to stand there from 6 o'clock in the morning until 9 o'clock in the evening as that building belonged to the school. In the evening they were able to go to the toilet and also to have something to eat. They hid this way for more than two years. Klaudia remembers one day when she found the woman on her knees praying. She asked which God the woman was praying to. The woman answered her "I pray to my God which is Jesus", and you and your mother must pray to your God. At the time Klaudia was nine years of Celebrate Messiah's Russian ministry team leader Rita will head up a mission team to Far East Russia in March to continue to develop the ministry there. Please consider a donation to Celebrate Messiah so we can continue this and other vital, local work. Please contact us if you feel called to help. |