Gospel News · January - April 2016

17
Carelinks | Russia
Olga was an alcoholic from childhood, Anatoly
a drug addict. They met at a rehab centre.
Hearing the stories of their childhood and
earlier life, one wonders whether there can
ever really be healing for those with that
background. But they are an example of
victory, thanks to God’s operation in their
lives. Having tried every program, both of
them independently started to read the Bible-
online, using internet on their phones or
others’ phones, because they say they
frequently put their phones in the Lombard
[pawnbroker] for just a bottle of vodka. But
then Olga wanted to read more and more, and
came across our offer of a free Bible. She
described with tears of joy how she was told
by the rehab centre that a package was
waiting for her at the Post Office, and how she
went there and ripped open the package to
find the? NEV Bible, and showed it to everyone
in the line at the Post Office.
She became addicted instead to Bible reading,
and from there started the whole struggle for
interpretation... passing through JWs and
other groups, she was not satisfied with any of
them, and read through the entire commen-
tary in the? NEV Bible and then? Bible Basics.
Their clothes are from free giveaways and her
most prized item of clothing is a T-Shirt with
‘I did it’ written on it. She really has done it-
at least, done so much. Although she is fully
aware that the road ahead is still full of
temptation.
They live very simply, getting water from their
well, growing what they can, but they lack
meat or protein. Anatoly has walked far in
search of water where he could fish, but found
no rivers or lakes.
After attempts to construct a bath from
various cracked asbestos sheets lying around
near the house, the amount of asbestos dust
created was enough for Nikolai to offer to
drive in search of water, and we did eventually
find a fishing platform about 20 km away. The
~ continued ...