Story of Mariia from Kaliningrad

Hello, my name is Mariia Kravtsova. I got baptized in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 1996. Nine years ago I was forced, for family reasons,  to move to Kaliningrad, where there is no church. That was a very difficult period for me: I was separated from my home church; went through a painful divorce; and had to rebuild my entire life. Plus, I was left alone to raise my two beautiful daughters.

At that time, I found myself in a totally unfamiliar place and in a situation that I never would have imagined. It seemed to me that God had thrown me away. It took me four years to restore peace and harmony with Him. During those times and to this day I have been learning and memorizing the same lesson: God is in control of everything happening in my life, and He can turn any situation for good.

Going through various circumstances where I needed someone's help and encouragement, but nobody was there for me, I cried out to God, “If only I had a husband!” The answer followed, “I am your Husband.” Or other times I cried, “If only there were disciples here, they would help me!”  The answer: “I will help you.”

Although we all know these truths, not everyone experiences them.

It took me several years to learn how to rely on God in every little thing--from flat renovation, to income, to my kid’s baptism. I learned that God had never left me. One day I started looking for a church to reconnect with, and I found out that the church in St. Petersburg was the one closest to me. Thank you to the disciples, my brothers and sisters, from the St. Petersburg Church of Christ. They picked me up, supported me and took care of me.  About a year ago I was restored to the church!

Despite the long distance, I feel close and connected to the church and I do not have to be alone anymore.

When my eldest daughter was almost 15 she said the following: “To get to know each other better before the wedding, you should live together for about 18 months.” My answer was, “This is sinful before God.”  But she replied, “I don't care.”

Obviously I was shocked, but realized one thing--I cannot make her love God. So I begged God from inside my heart, “Lord God, this is your child, your creature. You know her paths and only you know how long it will take her to start loving you and make Jesus her Lord.” I prepared myself mentally, you could say, for anything.

In the spring of 2019 there was a conference for young people in Moscow, and the church helped my eldest daughter to take part in it. She was, of course, touched by this. Later in August, when she went to the teen camp, she began studying the Bible. She studied through the whole autumn with the sisters online. And finally, on January 5, 2020, my Sasha got baptized! Praise God!

Going through the pandemic and self-isolation with the whole world, my daughters and I feel closer than ever with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ! As of now, there are four disciples in Kaliningrad. We often meet guests from different cities and we welcome them with all our hearts. We are certainly praying for disciples and married couples to relocate here so that the Kaliningrad church can grow and prosper.