Valentina is a Russian mother of two teenage daughters, living in the historic Russian city of Novgorod, between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Although successful and happy on the surface: nice family, great job, considerable wealth, in reality, Valentina was miserable.
Her husband was drinking and she had no respect for him. Her daughters were unruly, involved in drinking and drugs. “What caused me the most pain was that I didn’t know how to love them,” she said. “I grew up without a mother and now I was one, but not a very good one.”
Then her younger daughter changed: she stopped drinking and developed new friends. Valentina was afraid she had joined a cult, because she talked about God non-stop. What was next? Would she sell all her family possessions and leave them? So Valentina began spying on her younger daughter. Checking the computer, Valentina found that her daughter had been listening to FEBC website programs that explained the Bible.
Valentina decided to look further into this program. After secretly listening to it for three months, she announced to her daughter that she couldn’t live without Jesus. Valentina accepted Christ and she now serves God alongside her daughter. They are both part of a local church.
“I continue to listen to FEBC’s programs, mostly about the Bible,” said Valentina, “and I see how God is changing everything in my life. The love and respect I have for my husband is nothing less than a miracle for me. He still has a drinking problem, but the change that occurred in my heart has transformed our relationship.”
She smiles as she shares how God impacted her relationship with both of her daughters. “I am not a perfect mum, of course, but I am not afraid to love my girls. It’s like I became alive. Thank you friends at FEBC.”
Praise God for Christ’s transformation of the heart and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring people together. Pray for families like this one to learn what is really important in their lives.
