Predchenko, Katia
I was born on October 1, 1939, in Belarus. I was one of the four children in our family.
Description
Tell about your childhood, school, family, etc.
Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. Soon after the war started my father was drafted into the army. My mother received a message saying that he ‘’was missing in action’’. Then she moved with us to Ukraine.
We lived in a mud hut in the forest. We, the kids, were constantly cold and hungry. Anything that could be chewed and swallowed was our food. Local landowners forced my mother to clear mines laid by the local guerillas. When my mother went into hiding trying to avoid doing this job, the village governor and policemen, installed by the Germans, would beat us, children. We would run across the frozen river to the other side, where some kind people hid us. Thank God, we survived.
Where did you work? Was your work good? Were you happy with your job?
After graduating from school, I entered the college of applied arts in Kyiv. It was true miracle. No-one from our village was able to get out and achieve any success in the big city. The Lord cleared all the hurdles on my path, and I was admitted into this college in spite of a very tough competition. Upon graduation, I worked as a decorator for a large children’s department store in downtown Kyiv. I liked my work.
Tell about your present life.
I am a pensioner now. I was married and learnt that it is better to be alone. I have a daughter Olga. She is a pensioner, too. We live together. She is kind and well-read. She likes to read books on history and religion.
Have you accepted Christ? How long have you been following the Lord?
I believe in Christ. I have always prayed and asked for His help, and He has helped me and saved me many times.
Tell about one thing your sponsor needs to know about you.
I remember an episode from my childhood. I was standing on a bridge without a railing. The spring water was at the level of the bridge. I stood there and picked up ice cubes (there were no other toys at that time). Suddenly, I slipped and fell into the water. The current carried me away until my dress caught on some sort of a a driftwood. Someone noticed me in the water and pulled me to the shore. It was truly God who saved me!