I often think of the words of Lee Greenwood's song "God Bless the USA" in which he .
states: "And I"m proud to be an American where at least I know I"m free." I wholeheartedly .
agree. My heart fills with gratitude to God and this wonderful land where, regardless of who I am, where I came from, or what my goals are, I have that priceless gift of freedom. Freedom to .
pursue my dreams. Freedom to worship. Freedom to get an education. These freedoms, however, .
did not come without a price. .
My story begins in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. My parents had graduated from college and gotten married. In 1985 my oldest brother Paul was born, and one year later Victor, my twin brother, and I were born. Olga, the youngest, was born three years later.
Life was arduous for everyone in the Communist Soviet Union. It was especially difficult for Christians. Christians, both young and old, were mocked, slandered, and persecuted. Young Christian students were given bad grades by the teachers. Through all this the young people trusted God and kept their faith as they got older. My parents were like this.
My parents were faced with raising four young children in a country that was harsh to .
Christians. Even finding a job was a difficult task. My father tried to obtain employment that .
corresponded to his skills. That was not to be, though. When he met with prospective employers, .
one of the first questions asked was if he was part of the Komsomol, the Communist party. When my father answered that he was not they would ask why. After he explained that he was a .
Christian, they would deny him the job. .
One time it seemed that my father had finally found a job. He was hired as a mechanic and immediately went to work. He had worked for several hours on some cars when the owner came by. He told my father that he could not work there because he was a Christian.
Through all this my parents trusted in God's providence and guidance.