HOW did a young woman with a tragic childhood find real meaning in life? What moved a violent political rebel to become a peaceable minister of religion? Read these accounts to find the answers.
“I Was Desperate to Find Love and Warmth.”—INNA LEZHNINA
YEAR BORN: 1981
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: RUSSIA
HISTORY: TRAGIC CHILDHOOD
MY PAST: I was born deaf to deaf parents. The first six years of my life were pleasant. Then my parents divorced. Even though I was very young, I understood what divorce meant, and it hurt me deeply. After the divorce, my father and my older brother stayed in Troitsk, while my mother moved to Chelyabinsk and took me with her. In time, she remarried. My stepfather was an alcoholic, and he often beat my mother and me.
In 1993, my beloved older brother drowned. The accident came as a big shock to our family. My mother took to drinking, and she joined my stepfather in mistreating me. I began to search for a better life. I was desperate to find love and warmth. I started attending different churches, looking for comfort, but I found none.
HOW THE BIBLE CHANGED MY LIFE: When I was 13 years old, a classmate, who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, told me some stories from the Bible. I enjoyed learning about such Bible characters as Noah and Job, who served God despite difficult circumstances. Soon I was studying the Bible with the Witnesses and attending their meetings.
Studying the Bible opened my eyes to many beautiful truths. I was touched to learn that God has a name. (Psalm 83:18) I was impressed to see how accurately the Bible foretold conditions that would exist during “the last days.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) And I was thrilled to learn about the hope of the resurrection. Just think—I will see my brother again!—John 5:28, 29.
However, not everyone shared my newfound joy. My mother and my stepfather were hostile toward Jehovah’s Witnesses. They tried to pressure me into quitting my Bible study. But I loved what I was learning, and I wasn’t about to quit.
It was not easy to cope with the opposition from my family. Another blow came when my younger brother, who had accompanied me to meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses, also drowned. Yet, the Witnesses were always there for me. Among them, I found the love and warmth that I had longed for my whole life. I knew that this must be the true religion. In 1996, I was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
HOW I HAVE BENEFITED: For the past six years, I’ve been married to a wonderful man named Dmitry. Together we serve at the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in St. Petersburg. In time, my parents’ attitude toward my beliefs softened.
I am so thankful to know Jehovah! Serving him has given my life real meaning.
[Picture on page 20]
My husband and I enjoy sharing sign-language publications with the deaf
