Modern-day Good Samaritan shows
God’s love at work

RUSSIAN FEDERATION — Today, 26-year-old Paulina Makarova lives out the biblical story of the Good Samaritan in her own life, eager to show compassion for those around her through both her words and her actions. But, growing up during the Communist era in Novosibirsk, Siberia’s largest city, she had few people around her to guide her towards Christian faith.

“My grandmother belonged to the Orthodox Church and told me about God,” she recalls. “Indeed, she willingly shared her faith with her grandchildren. But she never really told me about Jesus as a person.

Words on the screen

“It wasn’t until I watched the Jesus film at the age of 15 that I became aware of him. I was deeply touched by his life and his actions and found out that he died for everybody’s sins. As the film ended, there was a challenge to pray the words that appeared on the screen. I did so, and in that way gave my life to God.
Photo: 26-year-old Paulina Makarova visits the home for disabled and seriously ill people in Novosibirsk with other members of the local Baptist congregation each Saturday. “We believe that it is important for us as Christians to give our testimony in practice as well as in words,” they say. Here she is helping Tatjana (65). Photo: UBS/Dag Smemo (RUS05DJ-21.JPG)
26-year-old Paulina Makarova visits the home for disabled and seriously ill people in Novosibirsk with other members of the local Baptist congregation each Saturday. “We believe that it is important for us as Christians to give our testimony in practice as well as in words,” they say. Here she is helping Tatjana (65). Photo: UBS/Dag Smemo (RUS05DJ-21.JPG)

“I have to say that my life didn’t really change much after that, however. I didn’t know any other young Christians and it didn’t occur me to talk to my grandmother about what had happened to me. So I carried on living as young girls do, although I felt guilty inside. I knew that something was wrong in my life and that I shouldn’t continue to live as I had been doing before.

“A few years later, some missionaries came from the United States and set up a congregation near our home. My grandmother joined, and later my mother did too. Indeed, my mother became a Christian and an active member of that church. I went with them to meetings, but it didn’t mean much to me. I mainly went to meet foreigners and to practise my English!

“When I was 19 and studying at university, some more Americans came. I became friendly with them and they let me borrow a Bible. But I didn’t really get anything from reading it. Then my brother was given an English/Russian New Testament at school. He didn’t want it, so he gave it to me. I read it quite a lot, largely to improve my English. Some time later I joined a Bible study group with my American friends.

Still felt empty

“In the group we learned that God speaks to people through the Bible, but I didn’t feel that he was speaking to me. My life still felt empty and I still went out with the same friends, smoking, drinking and going to night clubs. I kept wondering whether it was right to be living like that when at the same time I was attending Bible studies.

“I remember very clearly the first time God spoke to me through the Bible. I came home in the early hours of the morning after a long night with my friends and suddenly felt that I needed to spend some time listening to God and talking to him. I locked myself in my room, took out my Bible and turned the pages at random. But I don’t think it was random to God!

Be holy

“In 1 Peter 1:14-16 I read:‘As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy”’ (NIV).

“These words struck me right in my heart. It was as if God had said to me, ‘Paulina, you have lived in sin for 19 years but you know better than that. You need to turn to me and change. It is about time that you bore the consequences of your knowledge about Jesus, who died for your sins.’

Faith became reality

“From that moment on my faith became a reality in my life. It brought many problems, though. When I returned to university after the summer break I had changed completely. I had stopped smoking and I didn’t drink alcohol any more. My old friends didn’t recognise me and they started to tease me. That was the price I had to pay for being a Christian.”

Life improved

Gradually her life started to improve, however, and now, after studying for a while in Sweden, she has returned to her home town and established links with Operation Mobilisation. She also belongs to a Baptist church and goes each week with a group of around 10 other young people from different churches to visit a local home for disabled and seriously ill people (see also).

“Sometimes we have time to speak to the residents about Jesus and to read to them from the Bible,” she says. “But we also spend a lot of time doing practical things there. We believe that it is important for us as Christians to give our testimony in practice as well as in words.

Here for God

“I don’t think I’d ever be able to come to the home in my own strength, but I am here for God. He walks with me. I feel like he is the one that comes here, not me. I don’t actually want to come here — it costs me a lot. I feel very bad seeing all this misery and illness and knowing that these people should have a better life.” (WR 397/6 - 11.05) [3 photos]