Sometimes we have the chance to talk to followers of Christ who tell us stories about life under communism before 1991. It was not always good. If you were a Baptist, you could not attend university and many Baptists were sent to prison or labor camps because of their faith in Jesus.
The other day we were at a friend’s home and he told me that he was a 5th generation, underground Baptist. When he was a child, he was the only one who was not a member of the Pioneers (communist organization for young people). Teachers would point at him and tell the class that he believed in God. The reaction? Laughter and mocking.
He vividly remembers that word came to his father that the KGB were coming to look for religious materials. It just so happened that the KGB were coming to the right place. These underground Baptists were printing the Gospel of John in blue ink. The entire family had people remove books and papers from the home but time ran out. My friend remembers hiding literature under a pile of flowers and putting sheets of paper on the wall. When the KGB arrived, they looked everywhere but did find anything, despite looking directly at the papers on the wall. Religious material was in plain sight for the KGB to discover, but they did not. My friend said that God protected many times from certain danger.
Today, despite the persecution, including imprisonment for some members, the entire family are vibrant, followers of Jesus.
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