After a lifetime of searching, a Russian dentist finds the hope for which she had been searching.

Kristina's Hope

by Kristina Filippovich

My name is Kristina. I’m 25, and the brightest part of my life began when I turned 22, the day I heard God’s voice.

From the time I was a little girl I had the feeling that Someone was watching me, the One who always helped me through difficult times. I knew that people called Him “God.” I have no idea how I knew about Him; probably, my parents told me that once.

I was a quiet child, always trying to do everything right. I thought, “I have to be a good, nice person.” I remember feeling that I wanted to know a purpose for my life. Often, I would ask myself, “What happens after my life is over?” I couldn’t find the answer.

In 2002, I graduated from high school and had to choose a profession. As a child I dreamed of becoming a dentist, so I decided to follow my dream and attend a medical university. This required me to move to another city—a huge step for me and a serious change for my parents. When I was accepted to the university, I moved away from my hometown. That’s when my grown-up life started.

For me, it was a school of real life. I saw more violence, faced indifference from the people around me, and experienced lies and slyness. I had to survive among such people, and I began to be like the people around me. But inside of me there was a fight. Somehow I knew I was created for other things. I was always ready to help people, but there was no use for my help. No one cared. Often, I felt that I was turning into a different person whom I didn’t recognize. I didn’t feel free.

Sometimes I would go to an Orthodox church with my Mom, light a candle, and pray the “Holy Father” prayer. While I was in the church, I felt peace inside. But when I left the building, my peace would disappear and I would be the same girl. The world was luring me back to “normal” life. I was eager to change something, but I had no exact idea what I should change. I had wonderful, loving parents, a good education, and a great profession, but these things seemed to have no sense. My heart was empty inside. One day I said to myself, “That’s enough. I have to change my life!” But how? I slipped into a deep depression, staying at home most of the time or wandering the streets alone.

I lived in a dormitory on my university campus, and my roommate was a former classmate who had shared the same school desk. In high school our friendship fell apart, as happens with stubborn people. When I met her at the university, I noticed she had changed. She won my attention with her kindness and open heart. I remembered she had been just the opposite. I was astonished how much she had changed! I knew she went to church every Sunday. She always praised God when she spoke and kept saying that everything she had was because of Him. So, I asked her to take me to her church one day.

It was February 2007 when I went to Good News Baptist Church in Chelyabinsk. I felt peace and calmness. People smiled at me; they were interested in who I was. I had missed that feeling in my life. I felt I was visiting a whole different planet, where people have other views and treat one another differently. I saw the “sense of life” for which I was searching. When I heard the preacher for the first time and heard the beautiful songs of worship, my eyes filled with tears. I don’t remember what it was about—the sermon, the songs—but I do remember the call of God, the One who called me for so long. I felt as if I came broken into a thousand small pieces, and then all of them came together into a new person, a person free and pure. I accepted Jesus, and thanks to Him, I found myself. My eyes saw the world in a new light. I saw my past life, my sins, and I accepted Him with all of my heart and never want to let Him go.

I went to a Bible study group and a year later, on April 6, 2008, I was baptized. After that, I was invited to sing in a church worship group. All this time I am more and more thankful to Him for His love, His strength inside of me. He holds me in His hands, takes care of me, teaches me, and shows His Love. I’m so thankful to Him for the life He gave me, for the miracles He makes in my life, for the people around me, for His mercy on me. He gave me a chance to become one of His people. I’m His daughter, and He is my loving Father!

I always want my life to belong to Him. I pray to Him where I can. I want to serve Him here in the world with the talents He gave me. Now I know the answer to my lifetime question, “What happens when my life is over?”

"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Corinthians 5:1).
About a year ago, I heard about a Christian ship ministry called Logos Hope. I had an opportunity to meet with people from the ship and felt a desire to be a part of that ministry. For several months I prayed about it, knowing that everything is in God’s hands. And now I have an opportunity to join the mission on the ship as a volunteer dentist. I want to become a missionary, serving other people.

Editorial Note: Kristina met Christ through the ministry of Good News Baptist Church in Chelyabinsk, Russia. Free Will Baptist Missionaries Mike and Cathy Corley served within this congregation for many years and helped found the Chelyabinsk Bible Institute (read more).

Following graduation and internship, Kristina left Chelyabinsk to study at the I.P. Pavlov Medical Institute with specialization in general dentistry. She is leaving her job in a private clinic in St. Petersburg to serve on Logos Hope, a ship operated by OM, a ministry partner of Free Will Baptist International Missions.