Oxana Eliahu In her autobiographical novel uses the name Vita instead of Oxana, in memory of her grandmother and in honor of her family heritage.
The Kaminsky family lived under Communism and behind the iron curtain for generations. Vita and everyone she knew thought people who believed in God were ignorant and primitive. She hated being a Jew
and despised the idea of going to Israel. In the late 1980’s, when Perestroika allowed Jews to leave Russia, she had big dreams for success.
Looking for love and wealth, she left Russia for America, but nothing went as planned. Her life was a wild ride—and an amazing testimony to the incredible power and persistence of the loving God she refused to acknowledge. For years He let her live in the messes she made, each time rescuing her at the last minute, until she finally called out to Him.
Vita’s journey of transformation with dreams, wonders and miracles, dramatic relationships, divorce, and death ends with a divine love story that brings her to Peculiar, USA.
“Oxana's testimony is fabulous, the details within it, to take each step as she took it and being dragged forward into the way of Yeshua. God calls us to Him. Nobody can come to Him, except those who were drawn. Oxana's testimony shows the drawing of Yeshua to her constantly”
—Rabbi Dr. Richard Bristol
Oxana Eliahu’s unique voice, as she puts it, with an accent in every language drew me in from the first word and held me captive to the last. Compelling, and at times, heart- wrenching, THE DESTINATION takes the reader from Communist Russia to Eretz Israel with points in between and, finally, to the United States. It’s a journey this reader won’t soon forget. Baruch HaShem Adonai!
—Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, Author of Please Say Kaddish for Me, From Silt and Ashes, and As One Must, One Can
Everyone has a purpose and a destination that God has prepared and planned.This is a delightful story of a Russian woman and her fascinating journey. It shows us how we can all overcome the trials of life, find true love, our Savior, and fellowship of another human being. It’s a wonderful, interesting story of a family. It is more than heartwarming, a must read for all who want to see through the looking glass of someone else’s testimony, only to learn you are no different in your walk with your God.
—Susan K. Reidel
I really liked this book because it not only gives insight on the circumstances that lead someone to leave their coun- try, but the very real issues they encounter in the process of starting over...sometimes, multiple times. I love the fact that in spite of the many ups and downs that Vita went through, it was obvious that G-d was there, working in her life from the very beginning. This book reminds the reader that there is hope and restoration in every story, for those who open their heart and allow it. I appreciate the hon- esty and vulnerability of the writer as the reader is given a glimpse of her journey to a new life and relationships.
—Charla Huston
I have read the book and enjoyed it so much! I laughed and cried through Oxana's amazing journey. She illustrates for us how the Ruach HaKodesh (The Holy Spirit) pursues us until He catches us, even if He has to cross years and continents. Oxana and Boaz's love story demonstrates for us God's way of joining two people in arriage, rather than the world's way. I appreciate her willingness to be vulnerable and honest, that others may seek Him.
—Kelly Ferrari Mills Shepherd of the Door of Hope Community, Eaton, CO. Author of Keeping Watch Over Israel and Chronicles of a Kingdom Courtship Singer/Songwriter with three CDs: Comfort, Comfort My People, Covenant With Israel, and Simple Songs of Scripture
We have known Oxana since she and her family first came to Canada in the late 1980’s, so reading the story of Vita was like visiting an old friend. Oxana tells Vita’s story from her own personal experiences, intertwined with the relationships she made over the course of her life. One relationship stands apart in that it remains a constant throughout her story. As a young girl attending a pioneer camp, she was visited by a mysterious person who stood by her dormitory bed and touched her forehead with oil. Later in the story, as we are able to read Vita’s inner thoughts, this person is revealed as the "still small voice" of One who becomes Vita's trusted friend, companion and "travel guide". Vita eventually recognizes Him as Yeshua, her Messiah. This is a story about a journey of faith, one step at a time, in which the actual destination is not yet revealed. It is reminiscent of the Patriarch Abraham’s journey to the Promised Land.
—Neal and Betty-Lou Lowen
"From the very beginning, Oxana reminds the reader that life is ever-changing. With God, however, those changes have a purpose. While reading her work, I was constantly drawn in to the layers of characters and destinations, always wanting to know what came next."
—Berlin Merlyn
“This personal tale of one woman’s journey through her peculiar and interesting life kept me reading into the wee hours. Oxana’s detailed stories of decades of experiences in diverse cultures, languages, ideologies, and continents will enlighten, encourage, and entertain. Reading of the hand of God extended on behalf of one of His chosen ones—and His faithfulness revealed throughout her journey—was my most valued takeaway. Good stuff.”
—Suzanne Alongi
“I have read a terrific manuscript written by Oxana Eliahu. This was a fascinating read and an amazing story of destiny all wrapped up in a real-life adventure. This book is a must-read!”
—K.Bonham
It Wasn't My Idea To Write This Book.
Many times, after sharing my testimony in churches and congregations, people had asked me if I had the story of my life written in a book.
At first I didn’t pay attention to those questions about the book, but as people continued requesting, I prayed and asked God if this was His idea.
I am like Gideon, always trying to make sure that I hear the right voice. In my prayer I said, “God if this is your will, please give me another direct confirmation. Please let someone say these exact words to me, ‘Oxana, you need to write a book of your testimony.’”
A few weeks later, we did a revival service in Butler, Missouri. I had only forty-five minutes to share and sing, so I couldn’t even share my whole story, just a little part of it.
At the very end, when almost everybody had left, a woman approached me and without any greeting, with no “hello” or “shalom,” she said to me: “Oxana you need to write a book of your testimony.”
Wow! I had goose bumps. This surely was the confirma- tion. I knew I had to take it seriously now.
How in the world could I write a book? I even have an accent in every language that I speak. It just seemed to be a huge giant that I would never be able to fight.
Finally, I pulled myself together and wrote one page of the book. I felt very proud of myself and even showed my
first page to some friends. To my big surprise, they said they liked it, but I couldn’t go any further. It just was too hard for me. I felt like Jonah, who didn’t want to go to Nineveh.
One day after ministering in a Russian church in Oregon, one young lady came to talk to us. She wanted us to go together for dinner. At the restaurant she asked Boaz and me to share a story about how we met, and we gladly told her our love story.The next day she wrote me on Facebook that our story really touched her heart and also gave her hope and encouragement.
Well, I thought to myself, why should I write the whole story of my life, it’s so long and complicated? Why not to start with a shorter story?
I felt like I found a solution. I would just create a love story novel, which was also a great testimony and had a message by itself. I even had a catchy title for it, “How I Met My Boaz and Ended Up in Peculiar.”
I started writing, but still struggled. So I decided to take a writing course online. I also read a book called Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach and signed up for critique writing groups.
When I brought my writings to the critique group and read the first chapter of my love story, they said to me, “You can’t just start the story like that. You have to give us some background.”
I wrote three pages of my background and came to the writing group again.
I read my new pages with the condensed and compressed story of my life, hoping that now I would be done with the background and will be able to concentrate and continue with my love story again. They said, “Oh, this is much better, but we would like to hear more about what had hap- pened with you in Russia, Italy, Canada, and in Israel.”
Oh, no! I am not going to write the whole story. This is impos- sible. I decided I would just go to a different critique group. I couldn’t believe that at the other critique-writing group they also suggested that I write more about my past. Well, I felt convinced that it was God speaking to me through all those different people. I felt that I couldn’t escape anymore. I had to write the whole story of my life, because it is actu- ally His story and He is the real author of my life and of
this book.
Why I Used The Name Vita In My Story
My father always wanted to have a daughter named Vita. This was his mother’s name. My grandmother Vita died at a very young age when my dad was only fourteen years old.
In Jewish traditions, it’s a custom to call the children by the name of the close relatives who pass away, for the sake of continuation of the name and its memory.
My grandfather Oskar from my dad’s side was alive when my mom got pregnant with me. He was excited while expecting his first and only grandchild to be born, but unfortunately, he got very sick and died just two months before I was born.
After his death, both of my parents decided to use the name Oskar for the baby who was due to come.
When they realized that the newborn was a girl, they tried to find a Russian name with the letters O, S, K, A, and R, but there was no name like that in Russia. So they found a Ukrainian name, Oksana, that sounded similar.
So the name Vita was never used in our family again. It was gone and kind of forgotten. That’s why I decided to use the name Vita in my story, to give this name life again, especially since the meaning of Vita is life.