I was born in Leningrad, Russia. I now live in St. Petersburg. Growing up, my parents had secular beliefs. No one ever talked to me about God; my only knowledge came from books or pictures I had seen in museums. From these sources, I learned that in previous generations there were people who believed there was a God. However, I thought civilization had advanced beyond such foolishness. I thought these generations were comprised of narrow-minded people who had never studied evolution and had never read any books apart from the Bible.

I hated being Jewish and I hated Israel. I didn't understand my identity. I was quite a sinner and was discontent and restless inside.
For years I rejected my creator and lived in the messes I made. I broke all ten commandments, but I thought I was a righteous person. This was before I knew and understood God's commandments.  

In 1989 I left the Soviet Union to find love and financial success. I wanted to come to America, the country of success, but nothing went according to my plans. I sojourned through Austria, Italy, Canada, and Israel. At one point, while I lived in Italy as a refugee, I experienced a significant amount of hardship. During that time God spoke to me in a unique way through His true believers and a mighty prophetic dream that shook me to the core and changed my thinking, but I still wasn't convinced and didn't believe it. As I continued my newfound journey, I met many wonderful believers in Jesus in Canada. They provoked me to jealousy, and as a result, I chose to go back and forth between God and the world. I wanted to be godly, yet I was still not ready to give all aspects of my life to Adonai.
 
In Israel, my Jewish friends told me that I was crazy to believe in Jesus. They said that if I believed in Jesus, I was not Jewish anymore. I didn't understand and was very confused because I finally wanted to be Jewish since I was in Israel. 

I am so thankful to Adonai because He gave me a passion for the truth. I was determined to find the true Messiah of Israel. I began investigating more about Yeshua (Jesus). I wondered if He was the true prophesied Messiah spoken of in the Tanakh (Old Covenant). After fighting and hesitating about Yeshua for over six years, I finally accepted Him as my Lord and my precious Savior, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Only Way to the Father!  

God, in His sovereignty, revealed His unfailing love for me. I received the fire of God directly into my heart, and since that moment, His Spirit still burns within me! God brought me from being an atheist in Communist Russia and being hateful of my own Jewishness and my country, Israel, to completely surrendering to Him and His will. And this was an incredible journey with wonders and miracles.  I am a changed person, a new creation, and it is nothing about me but all about Him!
 
I would be delighted to share my testimony with your congregation. Please reach out to me at OxanaEliahu@gmail.com