Lidiya Vasilyevna spent her whole life in the town of Zalizne.

Both of her daughters were born here and her husband who had died in the mine is now buried in the local cemetery. When war came into her home town, Lidiya wouldn’t leave, even though her relatives invited her to come to the peaceful towns of Poltava and Kyiv. Even though her native town was filled with hatred to Ukraine, Lidiya stood firm on her ground believing that land has always belonged to Ukraine.

Shortly after Zalizne was freed from the occupation, the «Good News Church» was started in the town. Before the war, the woman was never interested in Christianity and never knew «Our Father» prayer. However, she felt that the people from church were sincere patriots of Ukraine, even though they never said that aloud, she loved spending time with them. «At first I came to the church because I knew you were for Ukraine. However, as time passed by and I learned more, heard more sermons and read more Bible, I really wanted to love God as much as you loved Him», – shares Lidiya.

In the last two years that Lidiya brought many of her friends to the church. All of them have much to talk about now – instead of discussing the news, they all discuss the Scripture. Lidiya also shares her love to God with her children and grandchildren. She gave each of them a New Testament with a personal signature.

«I wish I knew God earlier so that I could have shared my faith in Him with my children. On the other hand, if it hadn’t been for war, there is a chance that we wouldn’t still not know God. It felt good and calm before the war. We all had thought that we were good and righteous people. However, after we got to know God, we realized that it wasn’t true. The Bible says that God does everything for a person’s good. And it’s so true!» – Lidiya says.

Now that Lidiya’s family lives far away, the woman has to survive with her tiny pension. However, she never complains. She just trusts God and His Word because she knows that God will provide
for her, one day at a time. Often, as we bring her a food bag provided by «CBN-Emmanuel» she would say, «I was praying today asking God to send me some food because I gave out everything I had to my neighbors and children. I didn’t have anything left for myself and now God has sent me
you!»

Lidiya is now preparing for water baptism and she wants to devote her life to serving God.
By Nataliya Schegliuk , «Frontlinehelp» Reporter from the town of Zalizne