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
age. That is one of the many miracles that happened in Klaudia's life during the war. One day while Klaudia was walking in the snow amongst the forest, she heard a car behind her although it was still quite far away. Being a young girl she decided to fall down on the snow as if she was frozen and dead. The car with the German soldiers went past and didn't bother to stop. She lay there for some time and started dreaming about her grandmother. In the dream she heard her grandmother telling her to get up as otherwise she would freeze to death. She woke up and quickly stood up and started walking towards the school. God preserved and sustained Klaudia and her mother while in the care of this wonderful Christian woman who had sacrificed and endangered her life and that of her children by letting them live with them. When the war finished, Klaudia and her mother had a very close relationship with that woman and her family. To this day Klaudia manages to help the woman's children financially. Klaudia has been a believer in Yeshua for the last 15 years and she has been attending Dom Missi'ee Messianic Congregation.

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.