Svetlana and Dima’s journey from Ukraine to Israel is nothing short of miraculous. It all began with a divine message that woke Svetlana up at 4:00 in the morning about two years ago when she heard the voice of God urging her to move to Israel. Despite initial hesitations, Svetlana’s unwavering faith in Jesus led her to convince her husband, Dima, to embark on this life-changing journey with her. Dima, a serious and respected engineer, was not a believer himself, but his love for his wife compelled him to follow her lead.
In a matter of weeks, the couple had sold their apartment in Ukraine, and at a higher price than expected, despite the state of the housing market in Ukraine. Once they arrived in Israel and settled in Ashdod, they phoned around to find a place of worship and came upon Beit Hallel Congregation. The couple soon started joining us for our services and prayer meetings. Dima, driven by love for his wife, diligently engaged in all aspects of faith in God – attending meetings, listening to the Word, and helping others, despite not yet having received Jesus himself.
However, despite numerous conversations with believers at Beit Hallel, and witnessing how people’s lives were being transformed by accepting Jesus, Dima remained steadfast in his Jewish ancestry and did not welcome Jesus into his heart. The turning point in Dima’s life came through a miraculous event involving Svetlana’s grandmother, whom they had been taking care of for over five years. This grandmother, who had joined them on their move to Israel, had been unresponsive and silent for many years due to the ravages of old age, but not long after having arrived in Israel, she experienced a remarkable transformation that left everyone in awe.
Through Svetlana’s unwavering prayers for her grandmother, as well as her fervent study of the Word and her life of worship, a divine intervention occurred in their home, with the glory of God coming down and touching her grandmother’s life one night. As a result of this divine visitation, slowly but surely, Svetlana’s grandmother started recovering from her vegetative state, and as she improved, her speech started returning, she was able to take care of her personal needs, and showed signs that she was able to clearly discern between reality and fiction.
Dima witnessed all that had taken place due to Svetlana’s faith and her life of dedication to Jesus, and a spark was ignited in his heart. He eagerly awaited their next home group meeting that he had reluctantly been attending up until then. When the time came for their next home group meeting, while everybody was worshipping and praising God, Dima’s heart seemed to catch fire, and a supernatural peace surrounded him, and he simply knew that the time had come for Him to receive the Jewish Messiah, Jesus, as his personal Lord and Savior.
Dima then turned to Svetlana and excitedly shared his desire to be saved with her, upon which he also shared his desire with the rest of the group. Everybody was ecstatic that Dima had finally arrived at the threshold which would determine the direction that the rest of his life would take, as well as his eternal destiny. Everybody gathered round and laid hands on Dima, as they joined together in collective prayer for Dima’s salvation.
Dima, touched by the Holy Spirit, raised his hands in prayer and embraced salvation by receiving Jesus. The joy that radiated from him due to his inner transformation at that very moment is a testament to the grace and power of God that is available to all who call upon Him. All glory to God for having led Dima by His hand, never letting go, and patiently waiting for him to respond to his Heavenly Father’s call. Hallelujah!
