{"id":23821,"date":"2025-10-17T22:04:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T19:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=23821"},"modified":"2025-10-19T07:43:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T04:43:56","slug":"childhood-in-the-soviet-union-to-serving-christ-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/childhood-in-the-soviet-union-to-serving-christ-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Childhood in the Soviet Union to Serving Christ in Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"331\" data-end=\"438\">Born in the Soviet Union where faith was forbidden, Christina\u2019s journey reveals how God\u2019s grace broke through the walls of communism and continues to shine through the darkness of war. In this moving episode of <em data-start=\"304\" data-end=\"330\">The Gospel Today Podcast<\/em>, Christina shares her childhood memories in the USSR, her family\u2019s discovery of the Bible, and how she now serves women and families in Odesa amid missile attacks and fear.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FChristina_s_Interview.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fchildhood-in-the-soviet-union-to-serving-christ-in-ukraine%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/Christina_s_Interview.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=23821-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/Christina_s_Interview.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"Christina_s_Interview.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 36:14 &#8212; 67.4MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('23821-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_23821-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_23821-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FChristina_s_Interview.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fchildhood-in-the-soviet-union-to-serving-christ-in-ukraine%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-2&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p><!--powerpress_player-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"331\" data-end=\"438\">Born in the Soviet Union where faith was forbidden, Christina\u2019s journey reveals how God\u2019s grace broke through the walls of communism and continues to shine through the darkness of war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,297,35],"tags":[10,77,338],"class_list":["post-23821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","hentry","category-ministry","category-podcast","category-video-updates","tag-evangelism","tag-ukraine","tag-ukraine-war","post_format-post-format-video"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3izZc-6cd","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9485,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/growing-up-in-the-soviet-union-season-4-episode-7\/","url_meta":{"origin":23821,"position":0},"title":"Growing up in the Soviet Union | Season 4 Episode 7","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"June 25, 2018","format":"audio","excerpt":"What was it like for a child to grow up in the USSR? In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I sit down with my wife Christina and she shares what life was like during Soviet rule in Ukraine. Here are a few things Christina talks about. Soviet school\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_8017.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_8017.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_8017.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_8017.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/IMG_8017.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13904,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/on-the-front-lines-of-the-ukraine-war-in-donbas-with-churches-who-wont-quit-preaching-the-gospel\/","url_meta":{"origin":23821,"position":1},"title":"On The Front Lines of The Ukraine War in Donbas With Churches Who Won\u2019t Quit Preaching The Gospel","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"February 22, 2022","format":"video","excerpt":"I spent the last 72 hours near the front lines of the war in Ukraine with churches who are continuing to minister and preach the gospel in very difficult times.\ufffcIn this video we visit some some points along the front lines near Donetsk. Despite the last eight years of fighting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ukraine&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ukraine","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ukraine-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4462,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/why-the-toppling-of-lenin-in-kharkiv-is-more-significant-than-you-might-think\/","url_meta":{"origin":23821,"position":2},"title":"Why the Toppling of Lenin in Kharkiv Is More Significant than You Might Think","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"September 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday in the center Of Ukraine's second largest city a pro-Ukraine crowd cut the legs from underneath Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and pulled his image to the ground! You may think, \"Big deal, it was just a statue!\" It was a big deal and let me tell you why! Lenin Was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ukraine&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ukraine","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ukraine-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Kharkiv_Lenin-e1411951644167-1940x1090.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Kharkiv_Lenin-e1411951644167-1940x1090.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Kharkiv_Lenin-e1411951644167-1940x1090.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6505,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/bombed-and-abandoned-buildings-in-slavyansk-ukraine-photos-video\/","url_meta":{"origin":23821,"position":3},"title":"Bombed and Abandoned Buildings in Slavyansk, Ukraine (Photos + Video)","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This is what war looks like even after the battles are over and the guns are gone. Artillery destroys in seconds what took years to build and what will take generations to heal! Recently I visited Slavyansk, Ukraine which for several months in 2013 served as headquarters for a quick-moving\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/new\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/DSC00648.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/DSC00648.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/DSC00648.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17589,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/2-years-after-russias-full-scale-invasion-of-ukraine\/","url_meta":{"origin":23821,"position":4},"title":"2 Years After Russia&#8217;s Full-scale Invasion of Ukraine","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"February 25, 2024","format":"video","excerpt":"We answer your questions about life in Ukraine and what's going on now here on the ground exactly 2 years after Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022. Below are some of the questions we answer in the video\/podcast. 1. What is your plan if Russia wins the war and perhaps\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sukofamily-december-2023-update-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sukofamily-december-2023-update-2.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sukofamily-december-2023-update-2.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sukofamily-december-2023-update-2.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Sukofamily-december-2023-update-2.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":868,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/abortion-prevention-counselor-training\/","url_meta":{"origin":23821,"position":5},"title":"Abortion Prevention Counselor Training","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"May 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Abortion was extremely common in Soviet times. \u00a0Today the rate is somewhat lower than it was 20 years ago, however, Ukraine, Moldova and Russian still have a higher rate of abortion than Western Europe and the US. It's a problem the church must face and offer a solution to. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Learning how to counsel girls who find themselves pregnant","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/DSC08856.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/DSC08856.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/69.89.31.195\/~sukofami\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/DSC08856.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23822,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23821\/revisions\/23822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}