I shouted: "What do you want?" And He answered...

God arranged that in the open spaces of the USSR my parents met and got married. My mother, Olga Alekseevna, then lived in Kazakhstan, and my father, Sergey Dmitrievich, in Moldova. They are both servicemen, lived for some time after the wedding in Germany, where I was born in the city of Potsdam. Then we came to Ukraine to the city of Nikolaev, where I went to the first class.

After school, she studied at the Nikolaevsky National Agrarian University at the agronomical faculty, then entered the Shevchenko Kiev National University at the Department of Microbiology. He graduated in 2012, now working as a microbiologist. At the scientific institute I am engaged in research of resistance of microorganisms to heavy metals, biofilms and the possibility of their use in biotechnology.

I always admire how God brings man to Himself. Since 2000, my mother began to search for God, to search for a church, to which she would go. She attended various confessions, always took me with her to the services, but remained unsatisfied with what she heard. In 2002, she met with women from the SDA church. They often invited her to the ministry, but her mother refused all the time. Once we still went. Not all at once and not everyone understood. Went to the ministry rarely, there was always some urgent business. I didn’t want to attend church. But God had His plan how to reach our hearts, and He miraculously left us in His church. Every time on Friday, I asked my mom: “Tomorrow, let's go to church?”, Hoping to hear that no. Mom replied: "Of course, let's go." I thought to myself: “Again, a whole day off,” but I didn’t want to grieve my mother, therefore, reeling my teeth, I walked. Gradually, we saw the light of God, His answers to our prayers, His personal attitude towards everyone. We understood where the truth is, where our family is, that in the Seventh Day Adventist Church they adhere to what is in conformity with Bible truth. We didn’t want to go to any other church, we were calm: we are at home. Mom was baptized in 2003, and after her in 2004 I was baptized.

Many years later, my mother said that she also really did not want to attend the service on Saturdays. But since I asked every time if we would go to church, she thought I wanted it, and went for my sake. This is how God used our mercy to one another to bring both of them to Himself. Our father very negatively accepted our choice, but then he began to search for God himself, only in the Orthodox Church. He visited our services several times with us. We pray for him and believe that God has a plan for his life.

I was ten years old when I wrote in a school essay on the topic “Who I want to be” that I want to become a scientist. 15 years have passed, and I became a microbiologist, a research scientist at the Institute of Microbiology and Virology, an associate professor at the Department of Biology at Kiev University. I can’t say what exactly the little girl attracted to science then, but I firmly know what to do, the little that is now, and God can help me expect more. I have always admired how the Lord loves to make our dreams come true, as He does not pity anything for us. This incredible generosity and interest in a person’s personality conquers.

I remember one episode when I had a choice of where to go. She was so confused that she could not make a decision, and it was depressing. I wanted to be sure that I choose the path that pleases God, but did not have enough faith to look into the future. She prayed, did not hear the answer, prayed again, and panicked all the more. Having exhausted myself completely, I began to pray and explain to God why I could enroll in this or that institution. At the end of the monologue, she shouted: "What do you want?". And I heard one of the most vivid answers to my prayers, the gentle wind of the wind: “What do you want?” It was so amazing that until now, remembering, I feel “creeps” over my body. God did not give me specific instructions on where to go, did not drop clear instructions from the sky on how to proceed, and did not assure that there would be no difficulties along the way. Did not do anything that was waiting for. He did much more — His intimacy and “realness” for me was the answer. I understood that we are friends, all questions that life puts before me are important for Him

I am often asked how I work in a scientific environment, where, it would seem, the theory of evolution "rules the ball." However, oddly enough, it is extremely rare to encounter any contradictions or difficulties regarding this issue. Among scientists there are many adherents of creationism. It is in bacteriology, where mutational variability is one of the driving mechanisms, is microevolution not a problem for creationists. On the scale of microbiology, both views peacefully coexist with each other. You can be, also because in the academic environment everyone is immersed in their subject matter and does not prevent others from pursuing their own interests.

At work, of course, everyone knows that I am a believer. A scientist is not from nine to 17.00, it is a style of life and way of thinking. Most of my colleagues lack the standard eight working hours, and we happen to spend extra time in laboratories in the evenings and on weekends when an experiment requires it. Therefore, the question naturally arose why I do not work on Saturdays and where I go. For a long time my boss could not understand why I could not just pray for an hour and a half or two and continue to work normally on Saturday. I asked God to put the heart of my boss, explained that for me the observance of the Sabbath is a matter of principle, he accepted it. I am grateful to God for the opportunity to pray for my colleagues and for the answers to these prayers. Many of my colleagues recognize God's providence in their lives. One girl works with me. She had problems. I invited her to pray together. We prayed for her problem, everything was successfully resolved.

My job

I see God’s support and personal participation in my life every day. I am very grateful to him that my dreams are important to him, and he does not feel sorry for their fulfillment. For example, I always dreamed of traveling. And God made it so that for the third year in a job I travel to different countries - Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, I have been training in America. I understand that this is only His mercy and generosity, and not some of my merits. In a miraculous way, God gave me a husband, Ivan. We are with him from the same church. Not so long ago we got married. My ministry is a youth leader, a deacon husband and helps me in working with young people.

Everyone in life has difficult moments, troubles, when you want to be left alone with God. But this is not so bad as not wanting to be alone with Him. Then you fill your days with a surrogate of work, deeds, people, unnecessary relationships and anxiety. I am very grateful to God that He saves me from my most implacable enemy — myself, my sinful inclinations, character flaws. He pulls out of the pit, comforts, inspires further work and ministry, and continues to believe in me.

God, who creates new galaxies, who invented the water molecule and the spectral position of the light, who controls everything, and everything is subordinate to Him, sensitively looks after the girl who wanted and became a scientist. There is a children's song: In the palm of God's hand, the bird is not afraid of evil ... ”Since then, I have not ceased to feel myself as this bird.

With husband Ivan

Do you have any questions? Ask them our pastor

ask a question