IN 1985, at age 18, I was drafted for military service by the Soviet authorities. I was so troubled by the injustice and oppression in the military that I told myself: ‘I don’t want to become like them. I want to be different.’ Yet I felt that I could not always behave the way I wished to. I yearned for a change in my life.

After completing my military service, I came home. One night, after a party, I prayed to God, asking him to help me improve. The next day on my way to work, I visited my aunt, who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. When I entered her house, I found myself before a small group of Witnesses who had gathered for a meeting. They warmly welcomed me, so I decided to stay and listen.

I agreed to a Bible study, and six months later I was baptized. Jehovah helped me to become a better person, a change I could not have made on my own.