Oleg’s Journey from Homeless Alcoholism to Saving Faith in Jesus Christ
By Nikolai Pilyak, 2nd-Year Student of HopeRussia Theological Seminary
Hello HopeRussia friends! My name is Nikolai Pilyak. I am pastor of the Evangelical Church of Taiga, a town in Siberia. I am am also a 2nd-year student in HopeRussia seminary because I want to become better-equipped to shepherd my flock and to reach this area for Christ. Let me tell you about the changed life of a man named Oleg who had been homeless and estranged from his wife, but now is a member of our church and a faithful family man.
HopeRussia Student Nikolai Pilyak
Oleg served in the military man and fought in Chechnya, Karabakh and other hot spots. After discharge from the army, he drank heavily, saying that his life had lost all meaning. Oleg’s drinking alienated him from his wife, Lena. One day after yet another quarrel, Oleg left home. He was drinking even more heavily, and staying with friends. Eventually his drinking so controlled his life that even his friends did not want to let him in. So he ended up on the street. When he came into contact with our church, he had been homeless for about three years.
Baptism of Oleg along with three other new believers. I am on the left, with my arm around Oleg.
Our church operates an addiction rehabilitation ministry. One of our church members is an ex-convict named Ravil, who had served four prison terms before going through rehabilitation with us. On trips to the grocery store, Ravil used to see Oleg quite often, sitting there on the sidewalk. One day he bought Oleg some food, walked up and offered him something to eat. Ravil told Oleg how he had found the Lord and that if Oleg wants he can also turn to God in the same way. Ravil told him about our rehabilitation center and invited him to the church.
When I arrived at the church building for the worship service, Oleg and Ravil were already standing out in front. As I approached, I noticed an overpowering odor. Oleg had been sleeping in basements of abandoned buildings, and sadly, his stench was simply unbearable. Oleg tried to leave, saying, “I’ll get cleaned up and then come back.” But instead I walked up and hugged him. He tried to pull away, but I just squeezed him tighter and told him that God loves him very much and wants to help him through us and that I wouldn't let him go anywhere. After a while, Oleg calmed down, stopped pushing me away, and then burst into tears and, sobbing on my shoulder, without raising his head, he asked: “Why? Why does God love me? I'm such a bad person, I've done so much evil...”
After church, we took him to the rehab center and scrubbed him thoroughly. He entered rehab and moved back in with his his friends who had kicked him out before. We helped Oleg restore his ID and other documents, enabling him to get a job. But now it was time for the hard part: patching things up with his family. First Oleg reached out to his son. His wife Lena noticed how Oleg’s life was changing, so she started allowing him to visit his son at home. Lena herself began to open up to Oleg, inviting him to return home as long as his life stayed on the same course.
A year later, Oleg joined the church by profession of faith and was baptized. Lena also began attending the church, but did not want to repent. During COVID, she fell ill and ended up in the hospital. It was very difficult for her to breathe, and there she tried to pray. After prayer, the next day, a woman in our church who also had COVID was placed in Lena’s hospital ward. Our church member began to share the gospel throughout the ward. Several women prayed to receive Christ one-by-one, including Lena! So she repented and placed her faith in Jesus Christ. Since discharge from the hospital, she has been faithfully involved in the church along with her husband. Today she is preparing to join the church and be baptized. A joyful Oleg and Lena host a Bible study group in their home. So now Oleg and Lena are an integral part of the church that once reached out to them!