Victor Ryasnoy (Konstantinovka, Ukraine)

Victor Ryasnoy was born in 1936 and describes himself as growing up in the world after the “Great Patriotic War” (the Ukrainians refer to our “World War 2” by this term). His father died in the war and he cannot recall knowing much about him. His mother was a medical doctor. He states that his grandparents took care of him and they were the ones that raised him from a child into manhood. He remembers that his grandparents believed in God and often talked about God to Victor. His grandfather had a copy of the Holy Bible and Victor says the first memories of a Bible that he holds in his heart are those of his grandfather sitting with a copy of the Bible. That Bible had been published during the Tsar’s reign and was very old. In later years Victor said that he recalled his grandfather hiding this Bible in a secret place because it was illegal for anyone to have a Bible. If a Bible had been discovered in their home then all would have gone to prison.

Victor’s grandfather would bring the Bible out of hiding from time to time whenever a trusted friend came to visit and wanted to read the Bible but he was very cautious because under communistic atheism anyone was urged to inform the State about those who were not compliant with the demanded atheistic positions—even the most trusted relations were viewed suspiciously. I asked Victor if he knew what became of this Bible and he shook his head and said in a matter of fact way, “It was the way of the times then. No one wanted to touch the Bible because of fears of being sent away to prison. I became a part of that feeling and so when I left to go to my own living I never saw that Bible again.” Victor left his grandparent’s home and never saw them again.

Victor became a miner and worked in the Lugask mines. Working in the mines was hard, unhealthy, and very dangerous. Victor decided that he must get out of the mines if he was to live. While he worked in the mines during the day hours he began attending school in the evening hours. He took courses that qualified him to become a journalist of the State. He graduated with the “Golden Medal” which is the mark of the highest student in the graduating class. He became a correspondent for the Lugansk Pravda and worked several years there. He said that during this time he was devoted to the State and forgot about God completely. His work was acceptable to the State so he was given more and more assignments that required the correspondent to parrot the philosophy of the State (and note the utter irony of all such communist newspapers called “Pravda” during this era because “Pravda” is the Russian word meaning “truth.” Basically the only “truth” was that which the State deemed acceptable and it felt it had the prerogative to change “truth” in order to suit the desired philosophy—this “personal interpretation” that spun truth to suit self was a precursor of today’s “plastic truth.” Today people believe they can bend truth to suit their own philosophies!).

As a trusted correspondent of the State’s philosophy Victor was given an assignment to accompany and report on how various foreign countries worked in the USSR. He was sent to the Ukrainian town of Severodonetsk in the 1970’s to cover a large construction project that was being manned by specialists from Japan, West Germany, Austria, and other nations. These were constructing large plants. Victor said the State had a timetable that was expected to be followed regardless of safety or basic construction concerns.

The State had decided these projects should be done at a specific time and would not accept anything less. The foreign specialists refused to follow the State’s timetable. Victor was the one that was to write reports blaming the foreign workers for the failures and showing that the State was being greatly wronged by the western slothfulness. Victor began interviewing the foreign specialists and discovered the real cause of the delays were not because of western sloth but because of communism’s corruption. Consequently his reporting began to be criticized by those in the State censorship.

Victor was given warnings and then threatened. His articles were not published. Articles were published under his “by-line” but he did not write them. At this time Victor began talking more freely with the foreign workers through their interpreters. He began to learn that things in the west were drastically different than what he had been told all of his life. His struggle was most severe and his perplexity about what to report, who to believe, and what to do with the information he was learning consumed his energy and emotions. It was a hard fact to accept that everything one has believed, written, and lived is all philosophical propaganda with no substance at all.

He did not have long to wait and wrestle because he was soon fired from his job and told to leave. He was instantly without a job, food, clothing, the status of being a trusted correspondent—everything for which he had striven in life was gone in a moment. He did not know what to do. He went back to the Lugansk Oblast and talked with a mine director and explained his situation and Victor was once again employed to work thousands of meters underground. He found himself in the very spot that he had worked so hard so many years ago to escape but now he was much older and his body much weaker, but he had no choice.

Victor says that it was one day while he was going down into the earth that he recalled his grandfather often telling him in a most urgent tone, “God is always present. Remember this. God is always present. God will be near you. You need to stay near to God.”

Everything else in his life had failed. All that he trusted had collapsed. Victor says that the words of his grandfather offered him hope because he recalled his grandfather’s trust in God and the peace that was present in his life. Victor decided that he would begin to investigate God. The only religious group about which he was aware, other than the Orthodox Church, was a Pentecostal-charismatic group. He did not trust the Orthodox Church because he knew from his position as a State correspondent the Orthodox Church and Communist Oppressors were hand-in-glove. So he began to attend the Pentecostal group. He was told by them that he could become a Christian but first God had to show him salvation by calling him through the touch of the Holy Spirit’s baptism. He was told that as soon as he began praying in tongues he was saved. But try as hard as he did, he could never “get the Spirit’s call.” About that time more and more tolerance was being permitted in the USSR and consequently Victor was given more opportunities to study with various other groups. But after each study he was dismayed saying they offered no intellectual education and explanation. His point was very plain—“If God is as intelligent as it is claimed then God would communicate His directions with intelligence.”

It was about that time that Victor met Vladimir Paziy (“Vlad”), Terry Harmon and other brethren. Victor says he was impressed with Vlad’s understanding and explanation of the Bible. Victor began visiting where Vlad preached and there met various Americans that came to teach in the Bear Valley Preacher School extension. Victor began to understand the Scriptures and he and his wife obeyed the gospel. He states that he now has found absolute Truth and will not allow it to leave his grasp. Victor is in the process of writing what he calls a “trilogy” that describes his path to conversion, the church that the Bible brings, and the third volume is a book of practical explanations. Victor has already had the first book printed, the second is ready for printing and the third is now in preparation.