The sun splashed warm light over the sleepy village in northern Siberia. Galya looked through the dirty window across the yard. It was a quiet Sunday morning, but her mind was far from quiet.
“Is there a God? Can He make Himself known?”
She reflected on her work as the administrator of a school: Is this all there is? What is the purpose of life? A prayer, forged on the anvil of skepticism and trial, rose once again from her heart: O God, if You exist, please make Yourself known to me.
Her tangled thoughts limped back over the weary roads of years past. Her husband had gone, leaving her alone to raise their daughter. Her trembling heart spoke: If there is a God, then I must know You today. She grappled with the decision that struggled in her mind: If there is no proof of God by the end of today, I will end my life.
Outside, a couple of strangers walked in the cool streets. To one home and then to another they gave the treasure they had brought. As people looked at it, they remembered, Not long ago it was a crime to hold just a page of this Bible. Some faces broke into smiles as they looked up and said, “Thank you.”
One of the strangers passed a woman in the yard outside the old, beaten-up apartment building. Galya was hanging up some clothes to dry. He was about to walk past; “I think she already got one.” He stopped: “Maybe I’d better check.”
He went toward her. The routine job of hanging clothes would never be the same again; Galya was about to hear the voice of God in the pages of a Book.
She looked over the clothesline at him. He smiled. She wondered, Where is he from?
He spoke in simple Russian with an accent: “Here is a gift.”
Her mind raced. A gift? in Russia? from a stranger who can actually smile in this bleak land? What is this?
She looked at the book. The words, “The Holy Bible,” seemed to strike from the page into her mind. Warm tears washed her eyes. Her lips trembled. She looked at him and tried to speak, but realized, He doesn’t seem to understand. She gestured with suddenly weak hands, “Come to my house.”
Together with the interpreter they spoke about the words of Jesus. He said, Enter in by the narrow gate, for the gate and the road are wide that lead to disaster, and many people are going that way. The gateway to real life is narrow and only a few ever find it (Matt. 7).
She knew where she stood. “I am on the wide road. I want to know how I can have my sins forgiven.”
“Galya, do you know why Jesus came to our world? We were bankrupt with disobedience, apathy and sin. He came to take the blame for our sin. That’s why He died. It wasn’t an accident. He commands us to repent and receive His words.”
They spoke together about this urgent business. She could hardly believe such news. She realized God had been watching her; He had heard her prayer. As she trusted the Savior she said, “This is the first time I have heard that sins could be forgiven. My burden is gone!”
I met her many months later in the dark and bitter cold Siberian winter. Her radiant face told that she was still enjoying real life and peace with God. She could smile, even in Siberia!