Dmitry* immigrated to the Middle East from Russia with his Jewish mother and brother when he was a teenager. In order to find peace and acceptance in this new country, his mother tried to observe the Law of Moses. She was also a single mom and a doctor who had little spare time for her sons.
Dmitry didn’t feel much at home in his new country and soon fell into a bad crowd. He experimented with drugs and alcohol, and, by the time he graduated from high school, he was a regular heroin user.
He kept his addiction hidden while he served in the army. After completing three years of service, his drug use and life spiraled out of control and he ended up on the streets.
Dmitry went in and out of detox centers … but nothing helped. Eventually, he met believers who invited him to a rehab center ran by East-West missionaries. There he had an encounter with Yeshua (Jesus), the Messiah.
Today, Dmitry and one of the missionaries study the Scriptures and pray together, and Dmitry is attending university to become a paramedic in hopes of modeling Christ to others as he is used to “bind up the broken hearted” (Isaiah 61:1).
*Name changed for security reasons.