But what led me, a former Communist, to adopt the faith of a religious group deemed to be an enemy of the State? And how did Jehovah’s love and training help me to improve my personality during years of forced labor and exile?

 I was born in 1930, in Tabani, a poor village in northern Moldova. My parents worked very hard on a collective farm in order to feed their six children. We did not have much to live on. My mother belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church, and my father was a Catholic. They often had heated arguments about the shocking behavior of the priests.

 When I graduated from school at age 18, I joined the Komsomol, a youth organization that spread Communist teachings. Its aim was to prepare future members of the Communist Party. I was soon elected as secretary of the local group. Values such as fraternity, equality, and justice appealed to me, but when I saw the injustice and corruption that permeated society, I felt empty.

 As an active member of the Komsomol, I had no choice but to support the decrees issued by the government of the Soviet Union a when they were closing churches and dissolving religious groups. There were some of Jehovah’s Witnesses in our village. Even though I had noticed their honest and peaceful behavior, I considered them to be fanatics. Little did I know that I would soon find answers to many of my questions through one of them.

 My uncle Dimitriy, who lived in my village, was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. One day in the spring of 1952, he asked me, “Georgiy, what are you going to do with your life?” He was the only one who cared enough about me to ask me such a question. The truth is, I had a lot of unanswered questions on my mind. For example, I kept asking myself, ‘If God exists, why does he allow so much suffering?’ For the following eight days, Dimitriy answered my questions using the Bible. Sometimes we talked about God until three o’clock in the morning!

 After these discussions, I decided to study the Bible seriously. I began to realize that I had a heavenly Father who truly loved me. (Psalm 27:10) Although I had very little Bible knowledge, my love for Jehovah was strong enough to help me take decisive action. I left the Communist Party despite threats from the local chairman. Only four months after I began studying the Bible, in September 1952, I dedicated myself to Jehovah and got baptized.

 Back then, the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses were under ban. However, I wanted to express my love for Jehovah through action, so I volunteered to deliver Bible literature to fellow Witnesses living in villages. This was risky because suspicious villagers could easily report a stranger to the authorities. In fact, even some Witnesses were wary of me, fearing that I could be one of the many undercover secret police agents who infiltrated the congregation. But soon it became clear that I was not a spy. Only two months after my baptism, I was arrested and convicted for delivering forbidden literature.

 While held in pretrial detention, which lasted for nearly a year, I was subjected to interrogations during which the officers tried to break my integrity. But I had already developed a deep love for Jehovah God. Eventually, a public court hearing was arranged in the city of Odessa, Ukraine. My parents and siblings, who were not Jehovah’s Witnesses at the time, were summoned to court.

 I was put on trial as someone who had been deceived into joining a dangerous sect. The authorities wanted my parents and siblings to believe that I had lost my mind. My parents were intimidated. They cried and asked me to repent. But I stayed calm. I told my mother: “Do not worry. I am not lost. I have found what I have been looking for all my life, and I will never part with it.” (Proverbs 23:23) I did not have much knowledge of the Bible, still I knew enough about Jehovah to cling to him. About six years later, my parents came to appreciate my beliefs better, and they too became Jehovah’s Witnesses.

 I was sentenced to 15 years of forced labor and sent by train to the Kolyma region, which was at the heart of a large network of forced-labor camps in Siberia. To have complete control of the prisoners, guards and officers beat us and starved us. At first, I wondered how I would survive.

 Soon after my arrival, some of the 34 Witnesses already imprisoned in the camp cautiously asked me: “Are there any Jonadabs in your group?” Immediately I knew that they were my spiritual brothers. They were the only ones who would use such a Biblical term! These experienced brothers not only taught me how to apply Bible principles in trying situations but also helped me to develop spiritual qualities such as discernment.

 I worked as a machinist in the camp. One day, a workmate named Matphey boasted that he knew the names of 50 saints by heart. When I made an offensive remark about the so-called saints, Matphey tried to punch me, but I ran away. Later, I felt upset when I saw the brothers laughing. I exclaimed: “Why are you laughing? I wanted to preach!” They kindly reminded me that our goal is to share good news, not to offend people. (1 Peter 3:15) Matphey was a political dissident, yet he was impressed by the respect the Witnesses showed toward the guards and the authorities. He eventually showed interest in the Bible’s message. I will always remember the night when he was secretly baptized in a barrel of cold water.

 Soon after our arrival in the camp, two young brothers and I were invited to attend political theory classes. At first, we refused to attend such meetings. We thought that taking part in them would be a violation of our Christian neutrality. (John 17:16) As a result, we were put in a dark punishment cell for two weeks. When we were released, caring brothers explained to us that we would not necessarily have broken our neutrality by simply being present at such meetings. On the contrary, we could view them as an opportunity to give a fine witness. These loving brothers kindly helped us to grow wiser and more flexible.

 Their patient training was clear evidence of Jehovah’s loving care for me. For example, a prisoner who was a priest had been appointed as chief accountant. Every time our paths crossed at mealtimes, he would greet me, saying, “Hello, son of the Devil!” Another inmate told me that I should sarcastically respond, “Hello Dad!” Sadly, I took his advice, and as a result, I was badly beaten. When the brothers learned what had happened to me, they helped me understand that my behavior had not been appropriate. (Proverbs 29:11) I eventually apologized to the priest.

 Before being sent to the labor camp, I used to attend Christian meetings secretly at night or early in the morning. But in the camp, there was nowhere to hide. Therefore, every day we brothers would stand together in a circle, in full view of the guards, to discuss some scriptures we had written beforehand on small pieces of paper. Our objective was to memorize as many scriptures as possible and to recall them regularly. When an officer interrupted our meetings, we would quickly swallow our notes.

 After being released from the camp in 1959, I was deported to the region of Karaganda in Kazakhstan. Though I was still on probation, I asked for a 20-day leave of absence from the authorities to get married. I traveled to the Tomsk region in Russia, where I knew a faithful and lovely sister named Maria. As I usually did, I came straight to the point. I told her: “Maria, I do not have time for dating. Marry me!” She agreed, and we had a small wedding. Maria valued the fact that I had endured so many trials, and she wanted to help me continue serving Jehovah.—Proverbs 19:14.

 Back in the 1960’s, we could not openly go from house to house, but we seized any opportunity to share our beliefs informally. When we were invited somewhere as guests or while we were on vacation, we often shared our hope of living forever on earth. We also created opportunities to talk to others. For example, we visited houses that were for sale and tried to engage the owners in conversations about spiritual topics. Using this approach, Maria and I started Bible studies with six individuals who became Jehovah’s Witnesses.

 Sometimes we could give a witness during election time. One day, secret police officers came to the factory where a few brothers and I were working. In front of about 1,000 of our fellow workers, they asked us why Jehovah’s Witnesses do not participate in politics. The chief engineer and several other workers stood up for us. They told the officers that we were responsible and diligent workers. Their reaction gave us the strength to explain our stand, quoting scriptures from memory. As a result of our bold witness, four workers showed interest in Bible truth and got baptized in less than a year.

 In the early 1970’s, many honesthearted people became Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kazakhstan, so we felt the need to organize our first assembly. But how could we do that without arousing the suspicion of the authorities? We decided to hold a one-day assembly in conjunction with a wedding in a village near the city of Almaty. Our gathering was both an actual wedding and a Christian assembly, with over 300 guests joining the bride and groom! My wife and a few sisters worked very hard to decorate the venue and prepare delicious food. The guests especially appreciated the fine Bible teaching given by about a dozen speakers. That day, for the first time in my life, I gave a Bible talk in front of a large audience.

 My beloved wife, Maria, remained a faithful helper throughout her life. She was mild-tempered and submissive, always putting Kingdom interests first. Although she had been a physically strong woman, she suddenly developed a severe form of osteoporosis that caused her to be bedridden for almost 16 years. With the assistance of our compassionate daughter, Lyudmila, we took good care of her until her death in 2014.

 When my dear Maria was suffering, I felt powerless. However, until her last day, we read the Bible and encouraging articles together. We often talked about the new world. At times, I cried silently at her side. But each time we read about Jehovah’s wonderful promises, we calmed down and gained strength to carry on.—Psalm 37:18; 41:⁠3.

 Since the day I first sensed Jehovah’s love, I have always felt his support and care. (Psalm 34:19) As an inexperienced young man, I felt his love through those who patiently helped me improve my personality. When I experienced hardships in the labor camp and in exile, I felt that Jehovah supported me through his Word. And he gave me the strength I needed to take care of my dear wife, Maria, until her death. Today, I can truly say that my love for Jehovah has sustained me throughout my life.