Ingrid Woodbridge: Lives Left Behind: 10 Ukrainian Women in War and Peace

Oksana’s faith testimony begins with her reflection of her dad attending the local Baptist church regularly. He was a deacon there, but her mom went very rarely to church. Oksana and her sister occasionally went to Sunday School with her dad. But as a teenager, Oksana considered church boring and stayed away. She did not really understand what church was all about. The impressions she had about church were that the church was small, the preachers were old, there was nothing appealing to a teenager, the sermons were long, and the messages were not understandable. Oksana did not know who God was. Initially, she thought that maybe the speaker in the pulpit was God! Her life revolved around going to discos for dancing, enjoying close girlfriends, and living a free life. Still, on holidays, she would try to go with her father to church, just to please him.

When she was eighteen years old and had just finished high school, the Baptist church in Pervomaisk started building a new auditorium for the congregation. The location of the new building was in the center of town, close to Oksana’s home. Her father, by this time already in retirement, built the church structure with his own hands, stone by stone. As the church moved into her neighborhood, Oksana went more often to church events. She listened more to the Word of God being shared at church, and slowly the Word of God convicted her. She began to understand what the church was all about, who God was, and who she was in relation to Him.

There was one sermon that really touched her heart. The preacher made the point that if there is a heaven, then there is also a hell. The preacher stated that God requires a decision for or against Him by every individual. Despite the fact that most people try to stay neutral or noncommittal, this is not an option with God. Oksana knew that she was trying to live in that neutral place, believing in God, but not having made a commitment to Him. This sermon was the turning point for her.

She repented and invited God to be her Lord and Savior. She was nineteen years old when she became a follower of Jesus in February 1997. To affirm her decision publicly, Oksana went forward at the end of the service and prayed with the pastor. After the service, her father greeted her, saying, “Welcome to the family of God!” Her dad was happy about Oksana’s decision, having prayed for her for a long time. Oksana followed her public faith declaration with believer’s baptism in July 1997. The happy continuation of this testimony is that Rita, her mom, accepted Christ six months later.

After her salvation, Oksana began to fellowship more intentionally with the youth group at church. [Youth Group in Ukraine is fifteen to thirty years old.] They sang and made music, had good fellowship, and got to know each other deeply. Oksana was initially just a consistent participant, but after several months, the pastor came to her and asked her to work in the church’s Sunday School program. Oksana thought she was not ready or prepared for such a task, but the pastor’s words were very affirming. He told her boldly, “You are ready to serve.” So, Oksana began to lead a Sunday School group, and these young children became like her own kids. Olya Kiyan, whose story is in chapter four, was one member of this Sunday School class.

Oksana, having finished medical college, worked as a nurse full time by 1998, but every moment of free time she spent preparing for the Sunday School lessons at church. She also started singing in the choir of the Baptist church, as she really enjoyed music. So, her life was filled and fulfilled with work and voluntary ministry opportunities.

Oksana sees the hand of God in this season of her life, because earlier she had wanted to live for herself and do only what she wanted to do. But from the time of her salvation, her desires changed and she wanted to serve God with all her heart. “God did a mighty work in my heart and mind, changing my desires, giving me strength and wisdom to do ministry and joy in serving others.” Oksana said that she learned then to trust God completely for her life, no matter what was coming. And what was coming was her future husband, Elisey Pronin.

Elisey arrived at the church about two months after Oksana started to attend regularly. Elisey had become a believer at the age of eighteen, and God had completely captured his heart. He was looking for a place to serve and minister. Oksana and Elisey met frequently and got acquainted at church events. Oksana liked a lot of things about Elisey: he had strong leadership skills, he was very personable and friendly, he had musical skills, and back then he even had hair! “Elisey is bald and handsome now!” she said. Elisey organized children’s and youth outings to the lake, to the sea, and to the forest. Together they served in the youth group and had many opportunities to get to know each other better and observe one another in ministry. During the hot months of 1998, Oksana and Elisey led summer camps together for all ages.

In December of 1998, Elisey proposed to Oksana. Interestingly enough, Oksana took two days to give Elisey her answer. Elisey told her if she said no, he would move to Irpin, near Kyiv, for some ministry position. But Oksana gave a joyful yes to Elisey’s proposal and they became engaged. They immediately planned the wedding for the following spring. But, as they did not really want to wait, they had the wedding just two months later, in January of 1999. The wedding festivities took place at the Baptist church in Pervomaisk. Life for believers in small towns like Pervomaisk centered around the local Baptist church.

Oksana jokes about her relationship to Elisey, saying that they did not have a long, romantic dating relationship; they just got married, and it has been romantic since then. Oksana and Elisey have been married now for over twenty years. The couple has two children. Their daughter Viola was born in 2000 (her story is in chapter three in Lives Left Behind ). Oksana explained that they chose the name Viola because they really liked it and it was an unusual name in Ukraine. With their son, David, they chose a biblical name because they liked the character of David in the Scripture. Raising the children, working, and doing ministry was the normal rhythm of their lives.

Oksana reflected back over a regular week back in Pervomaisk, when all was still calm and peaceful. She was busy with two little children. Viola was a young school girl when baby David joined the family, and, Oksana remembered with a smile, David needed a lot of attention. Part of their day was spent at the local Baptist church where Elisey had become pastor in 2007. There was always some ministry going on.

One interesting ministry Oksana took part in was inviting young mothers to church with their children. The church had a big back yard where the children could play and the moms could fellowship over tea and cookies. Oksana was also involved in the youth ministry, she hosted a home group, and sang in the choir. Since Elisey was the senior pastor, a lot was expected from Oksana as the pastor’s wife. Elisey would often invite people to their home, and Oksana would serve refreshments or meals for the guests. Life was enjoyable, comfortable and peaceful, but changes were coming.

The conflict in the East started with protests in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in November 2013. The Ukrainian president, Yanukovych, had halted EU association agreement negotiations under political pressure from Russia. In response, the Ukrainian people peacefully demonstrated in the streets of Kyiv. On November 30, 2013, the general prosecutor ordered the police to clear Maidan Nesalezhnosti [Independence Square] in Kyiv, where thousands of protesters had assembled. The government’s aggressive violence against their own people was shocking and captured on video for all to see.