salvation
Saved by the Good Shepherd
Igor was only eight when his parents divorced and his father left home. By the time he turned 12, he barely knew his dad.
Igor’s father had never made much money, so Igor’s mother had to work hard to feed Igor and his younger brother and sister. Hard financial times drove Igor’s mom to begin a small business, an illegal business, making and selling homemade vodka from their small apartment.
"People would come in the morning, afternoon and even at night. People wanted to get some cheap vodka,” Igor said.
Igor was a bright child and soon realized he could use the situation to his advantage. He began to hang out with a gang because they valued Igor for what he could provide.
“I wanted to be the leader of my gang of friends,” Igor said. “My mother worked in a store and there I could steal packs of cigarettes.”
Igor also invited his friends to the house, where he served them homemade vodka and cigarettes. Most of his friends were only 12- years- old or younger.
Igor said, “I was trying to find warmth and acceptance with my friends. When I found it, I was really happy! Then I did everything I could to keep their respect.”
Ironically, even though Igor was trying to impress his friends, he was still a boy at heart. He loved watching TV, especially a cartoon program called "The Superbook Club.”
“This cartoon attracted me because of its simplicity, and when I was watching it, I began to believe that God exists,” Igor explained. “I remember an episode about a Good Shepherd told by Jesus. He told that when even a small sheep got lost, He would go and look for it. After this program I began to understand that God is able to save me and to help me in this world, like that small sheep.”
Igor never learned to pray, but somehow he knew that he needed to ‘talk to God' with his heart.
“I asked Him to be my Father. I remember those tears and feelings. I asked Him to hold me in His hands when I was in trouble, like that small sheep that had been lost. And He heard my prayers,” Igor said.
Finally Igor felt indescribable peace, but he still had no one to help him grow in his new faith. He begin to drift away from God, and by his late teens, he made a very foolish choice: he agreed to rob a bank with a friend.
Igor went to prison for his crime, and it did not take long to realize that what he had done was wrong. It didn’t take long for him to remember the image of the Good Shepherd holding the lost sheep.
“The prayer of my childhood appeared in my head: Lord, hold me like that small sheep! And I said, 'Lord, if You can, please, keep on carrying me,'” Igor said.
In the prison, Igor again prayed and cried out to a God. This time he surrendered control of his life to Jesus Christ.
When Igor was released from prison, he found a church to call home. As a Christian, he loves to share with others about the Good Shepherd who saved him, a message he heard thanks to the gifts of CBN Partners. He is especially passionate about teaching children about the love of God.
"I’m teaching them not to repeat my mistakes and to avoid my errors. We watch the cartoons I watched in my childhood, “Superbook!” These cartoons tell me again and again about the great love of God for me,” Igor said. "I'm happy that God has become my Father. I know that I am with Him and He is with me."
There are children just like Igor that need to know God loves them and has a plan for their life. You can reach them with a message of hope by becoming a CBN Partner. Your partnership will keep shows like Superbook on the air, as well as reach many who are in need by providing clean water wells, medical aid, disaster and humanitarian relief, and much more. You can make a difference. Please join with us today.
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