On October 8, 2015, (exactly one month before his baptism), I messaged Ruslan on one of the social media networks to see how he was doing. He replied "everything is ok, but not yet 'excellent.'" I asked him what was missing for things not to be "excellent"? And Ruslan replied, "I need to die and be reborn and be ready to sacrifice for the eternal life in Christ."
Ruslan's spiritual path started a long time before this. The first time he went to church was in 2000, thanks to his mom and uncle who were coming to the service at that time. He was still a child and used to participate in Kids Kingdom on the regular basis. Ruslan says that during this time the seed of faith had been planted in his heart. However, shortly thereafter he moved home with his mom in Karaganda. There he started going to another church; however, he wasn't living a life of a Christian.
During his visits in Ekaterinburg, he would visit the church services with his mom. Ruslan admits that his mom played a huge role in the process of his formation as a follower of Christ. He used to run away from God often, and his mom would lead him back to church during times of trouble.
In 2013 Ruslan stopped living with his uncle and moved in with a girl who he began to build a relationship with. His aunt told Ruslan that if he was going to leave, there would be no way back. They dated for a year and in June 2015 Ruslan realized that the relationship had become a disappointment. He felt that his feelings were not being reciprocated and that his girlfriend had been dishonest. They broke up, but Ruslan thought that soon enough he would enter into a new relationship. However, he remembered his mom and aunt's words. He thought, "Maybe it's a sign? And maybe it is time to start thinking seriously about a spiritual life?"
He had always admired a married couple in the church, his friends Inna and Roma. Once Ruslan met with Roma and shared some struggles with him. Afterwards, Ruslan was able to continue with the Bible studies he started in 2012. He was seeing changes in his life and started living by the Bible. He realized that he needed to put God first.
Ruslan has always been inspired by the relationships of married couples in the church. They all had ups and downs, but no matter what, they stayed together. He was also impacted by how disciples in the church treated each other. They were like a big family, who could share not only the happy moments, but also difficulties and struggles.
Ruslan got baptized on November 8, 2015. This date is so special for him, because on the same day, two years ago Inna and Roma's daughter Liza was born.Shared from icocnews.ru