Letters about Persecutions in the USSR to the Argentine Magazine of Zub-Zolotarev from 1957

· Argentina, AUCECB, Persecution, KGB, Unregistered Pentecostals, On Emigration, Testimonies, USSR

A new wave of persecution against Christians arrived. By some miracle, news about the situation of believers came from behind the “Iron Curtain” to fellow believers abroad. In these letters, the suffering and pain captures the cruel time of that era. No commentary is simply needed when you read the simple letters of ordinary believers, who somehow “broke through” the vigilantly guarded state border of the USSR and were published in distant Argentina in the journal of I. S. Zub-Zolotarev, “Christian Herald.”

Letters from the USSR
Dear brothers, do whatever is in your power to stop the persecution of Pentecostals in our countries.
Your brothers in Christ… (Journal “Christian Herald” Buenos Aires No. 238–240, July–September 1957, p. 6)

Letter
We ask you, publish the message of our brothers addressed to Moscow, so that our brothers may know about the churches of Evangelical faith Christians in the USSR. The brothers Bishop Bidash and others have been arrested and are in prison.
Place all this in the journal “Christian Herald,” so that other congregations may know our life and pray for the cause of God…

Thousands of our brothers were exiled to Siberia and the Far East; some were sentenced to 25 years. Many could not endure these tortures, where they ended their lives. Brother Nikita from Kurgan was sentenced in 1948 to 20 years, where he died, and many other brothers with him. Life in western Ukraine is very hard: both materially and spiritually.

I went to Donbass, where there was a community of our believers. I stayed there for 7 months. They took 10 brothers there and each was sentenced to 25 years.

Out of 56 members in the community, only I remained of the brothers. I had to labor in God’s field day and night. After some time, several brothers came to us. In 1955, five of us were again sentenced; I received 10 years.

In connection with international circumstances, they themselves saw that they had acted unjustly, and a commission from Moscow began to travel to all the camps and review each case. Those of us who had been sentenced for the Word of God were released. In 1956 I gained freedom. I went to visit God’s people in various places in Ukraine… At the present time, they have again begun to persecute ministers. Bishops and presbyters went to the authorities in Moscow to ask permission to register their union, but it was not granted.

The authorities come to the meeting and threaten, they take down the names of members, but since our brothers were saying that in Moscow the question of permitting our union was being considered and would soon be granted, they did nothing. But now that the authorities have refused to register our union, persecution will begin again. Today the church throughout the whole country abides in fasting and prayer for the welfare of God’s people. On December 29, 30, 31, 1956, a fast was declared throughout the entire country.

One thing I can say: “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” and “It has been granted to us not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer.”

Dear sisters, here we have a great lack of literature. There are no Bibles, it’s hard to obtain them. If possible, I would request that you send some…

I ask you and the whole church that loves the Lord, pray for God’s people who are here in great sorrows.
(Journal “Christian Herald” Buenos Aires No. 238–240, July–September 1957, pp. 6–9)

They prayed for believers in the USSR around the world. Primarily – in the countries of the Slavic diaspora.

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