The Story of Vanya: A martyr for Christ

I first heard this story about Vanya when I was about fifteen years old. At that time I was trying to work out whether I could be a Christian and still be what I considered to be a 'real man'. My heroes were all macho guys who I sought to emulate.I believed Christ was manly and fearless but had my doubts about some Christians I'd come across: 'would they be prepared to die for Christ?' I thought.So when I heard this story I gave in and told the Lord I would do the best I could for Him - even to die for Him if it was required.It was probably more like a Peter declaration and I probably would have failed in the end. Nevertheless it was a importanrt mark in my life.Many young Russian Christians were also deeply affected by Vanya's life and death- giving them great courage during a time of great persecution in Russia.I look forward to meeting him one day. AK

For copyright reasons I can not publish the story here so please hit the link below to read this great testimony.
http://www.mcf-canada.ca/site/Stories_Archive/StrengthAngels.html