Among the experiences of the missionary ministry of the church in Lutsk, there is one that stands out in particular. It reminds us that God Himself finds a person in his moment of greatest need and touches his heart, using various means, including the Bible School.
This is the story of Victoria Markovskaya, a native of Lutsk, who now lives in Lebanon. Thanks to God's providence and the fact that she learned about the Bible School through the Nadiya TV channel, Victoria took a step towards God and found support, comfort, and hope in Him.
Here is how she tells about her journey: “During a very difficult period in my life, with tears and prayer on my knees, I turned to God: “Why am I unhappy if You want us to be happy?” I always believed in God, but because of the feeling of my sinfulness, I was afraid to get close to Him. It was then that my mother became seriously ill, with stage four cancer. A long journey of struggle began: endless consultations, difficult procedures, exhausting courses of chemotherapy, periods of hope and disappointment, waiting for results, and later a serious operation. Every day was a separate battle, but we sincerely called out to God, asking Him to intervene and support. And when the doctors finally said that my mother was on the mend, I understood: it was God’s mercy.”
During a trip to Ukraine to visit her mother, Victoria suddenly felt that something was wrong with her own health. The examination revealed a diagnosis of stage three cancer with metastases. Upon hearing this, she only said: "Lord, You saved my mother. Now we will save me."
A few days after this prayer, she accidentally met an old acquaintance whom she had not seen for over fifteen years. He sent her several videos from the Nadiya TV channel, which she immediately started watching. It was there that Victoria first heard about the Bible School.
“Without a doubt, it was God’s call,” she recalls. Victoria called the TV channel’s hotline, and the operator promised to find her a Bible teacher. At the time, she was traveling to Lutsk and really wanted to get to a service. While looking for a meeting schedule, she accidentally found the contact information of an Adventist church pastor. When she told him about her call to the hotline, he confirmed that he had received a request for a Bible study on her behalf. Thus began her online study with Pastor Oleksandr Slobodsky.
"Studying the Bible was a turning point in my life. It brought peace, hope, and a deep sense of God's love."
At the same time, Victoria was undergoing a complex treatment. The chemotherapy courses exhausted her physically and emotionally: there were days when she didn’t have enough strength to get out of bed, and moments when it seemed that pain filled her whole life. But along with this, she saw something else: relief came faster than expected. Doctors were amazed at how well her body responded to the treatment, and noted that recovery was happening much faster than they had predicted. For Victoria, every step forward was a quiet but convincing sign of God’s presence.
While living in Lebanon, she took two Bible courses with a pastor from Lutsk over the course of a year. The changes in her thinking and life became evident. Victoria asked to be added to the Lutsk community chat because she wanted to be a part of the church, even though she was thousands of kilometers away. She regularly sent donations, supported church projects, and was genuinely interested in the life of the community.
“I wanted to thank God for His care, love, and miracles of healing,” she says. It was this desire that led her to an important decision: to take a vacation, return to her native Lutsk, attend the Gospel Program, and take the most important step in her life—to be baptized.
On September 26, 2025, before God and the church, Victoria testified to her faith. It was a moment of quiet joy and great awe, a moment in which all her prayers, experiences, struggles, God's answers, and His tender presence beside her came together.
Thank God that He finds people anywhere in the world and leads them on the path of salvation to His Heavenly Kingdom!
