Generation after generation, lives are impacted by family. Whether good or bad, we are greatly influenced in our early years of life. It is in these early years where seeds of faith are planted in Christian homes. Even though these seeds may not take root from the very beginning, there is great opportunity for the seeds to be watered and tended to in later years.

This is what happened in the story below. Seeds were planted in Marin’s heart early on by the faithfulness of his family; however, it was much later in his life when the seeds—now being rich in soil—finally took off and began to grow. That “richness of soil” came through the watering and feeding of God’s Word. “He didn’t want to talk to people—just to hear the Word.”

God’s Word became the sunlight that Marin needed for his life to blossom, and today others see that beauty as he serves faithfully in his church. Praise God that He heard the prayers of a mother and accomplished the work of salvation in Marin’s life. Please continue to pray for SGA-supported missionary pastors who faithfully preach God’s truth to all who walk through the doors of their churches. 

Today I want to encourage you with the true story of Marinfrom Moldova.

Marin is the third generation of Baptist believersin his family. His grandparents were some of the first Baptists in Moldova. They came from Chernivtsi, Ukraine, thinking they would return—but they stayed in Moldova for life. They had 10 children, and the grandfather was a preacher. When the grandmother died, the family had 53 grandchildren and 73 great-grandchildren, now living in Germany, Russia, Italy, America, and more.

Marin grew up going to church, but only because his family told him to. There was no Sunday school, and children had to sit quietly—it felt boring. As a teenager, he went to church out of duty, but did not know God personally. He made friends with the wrong people and started selling cars, many with problems. Angry customers began to appear. One day, a man who bought a car asked Marin, “Aren’t you afraid to walk alone on the road?”

At 26 years old, Marin left the church. For 15 years, his life felt like a deep hole. He worked in construction abroad and made many bad choices. He knew about God, and his heart felt guilty. The Holy Spirit was speaking to him. He also knew that coming back to God meant leaving his business and changing his life completely—this was hard. But one person never gave up on him—his mother. Every time they met, she said, “Marin, you must repent!” He would answer, “It’s hard to get out of this life.”

As time passed, life got harder. Marin felt more and more lost. But the desire to return to church was growing. In 2011, during a money crisis due to no buyers at the car market, Marin prayed. “God, if I sell this car, I’ll go to church tomorrow.” That day, he sold the car—but on Sunday, he went back to the market. God is good—He helped Marin sell a car for two more Saturdays. After the third time, Marin finally went to church.

He sat in the last row, listened to the preaching, and left before prayer time. He didn’t want to talk to people—just to hear the Word. He went to every service. One Sunday, his neighbor asked for a ride somewhere. Marin said, “I can’t. I’m going to church.” The man was surprised. For two months, God spoke to him every Sunday. Marin said that life without God felt like falling into a bigger and bigger hole. But God pulled him out and gave him a new life.  Now Marin follows Jesus with a thankful heart. His story started with faith from his grandparents and shows that God still saves today.

He brought me out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm (Psalm 40:2).