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The history of the Pentecostal movement is reflected in the life of every serious Christian, and especially in outstanding personalities and ministers of the Church of Christ. One of them was Brother Alexander Konradi, who was born on April 21, 1938, in the city of Kislovodsk in the North Caucasus and passed away on February 12, 2011. Here is a brief account of his life from his perspective.
Bread and fried potatoes
From childhood on, I suffered under the authoritarian regime of the Soviet Union. After the war, my father was accused of treason and sentenced to ten years in prison and five years of exile. Our family was also deported to Siberia. This is how I, along with my mother, brother, sister, and grandmother, ended up in the Tomsk region, where we were under constant surveillance. My mother was forced to work in the taiga, processing timber. She was only allowed to go home once a month to see us children. We starved so badly that my grandmother and younger brother didn't survive.
One experience from that difficult time has stayed with me particularly well: One day, someone knocked on our door and brought us bread. The Russians no longer wanted this bread because the vehicle carrying it had been in an accident, so they distributed it among us. We were incredibly grateful for that. "Oh, Mama," I said, "if only we could have such delicious bread every day. Someday, when I have a lot of money, I'll help others with it."
I enjoyed going to the village school. Since my sister and I shared boots and jackets, we took turns going. We used dried birch bark for writing. I'll always remember my 15th birthday. Guess what my mother gave me? A pan of fried potatoes! Something you take for granted today, but for me back then it meant being truly full for the first time.
At that point, I had already left school two years prior and was working building log cabins, as my mother was no longer able to support the family on her own. I gave all the money I earned to my mother. Shortly afterward, I completed an apprenticeship as a mechanic. Around that time, I also saw my father for the very first time, whom I recognized with the help of pictures.
Alexander Konradi (1938 – 2011)
"Lord, save me"
My mother was Lutheran and told me about God from an early age. Before going to sleep, I always prayed the Lord's Prayer, which I had been taught. But personally, I did nothing more to draw closer to God. Then one day, God took the first step. I had a vision: I was in a thunderstorm. Lightning flashed and thunder roared tremendously. Black clouds chased me, I became terrified, and I started to run. But where to? I couldn't find a way out. In despair, I fell to my knees and cried out, "Lord, save me!" At that moment, the storm ceased. On a white cloud, I suddenly saw Jesus Christ, stretching out his arms and saying, "I will save you!"
Since then, I've never been able to shake the feeling of being lost. So I readily followed my mother when she suggested one day that I go with her to church. It was December 25, 1956. In that service, I converted, confessed my sins, and surrendered my life to God. And I meant it.
On May 20, 1957, I entered into the covenant with the Lord through water baptism. My deepest desire was to own my own Bible, even though this could have resulted in a 25-year prison sentence. So, together with other brothers, I traveled out to the villages to visit elderly people who still had Bibles dating back to the Tsarist era. They lovingly repaired their Bibles so that others could also use them.
The lot
Shortly thereafter, I met a girl named Frieda in Makinsk and married her. When I was 21, our congregation leader, Brother Vasily Shefchenko, died as a result of torture in Stalin's prison camps. The question then arose as to who would take over his position as pastor and congregation leader. It was agreed to let lots be drawn. The names of all the brothers who were eligible for the position were written on small slips of paper. The lot fell to me. In the summer of 1959, I was officially installed as pastor by the brothers of the congregation in Barnaul.
Around the same time, a major persecution of Christians began in the country. Police and KGB forces broke into church services and dispersed the worshippers. They banned the gatherings and recorded the names of all those present. These lists were also given to the employers of the believers so that each individual could be dealt with in the workplace. In my role as a pastor, I was frequently summoned for interrogations.
Conviction
Several brothers from the Barnaul congregation had already been arrested. On January 25, 1963, I too was summoned to the prosecutor's office. Despite a high fever and illness, I went. The superior officer of the Committee for State Security smiled cynically when he saw me. "Back in our prison, we'll successfully cure you of all your diseases," he sneered. Soon after, the public trial took place. Witnesses were called to testify against the accused. Two members of the congregation refused to testify against me and were punished with 15 days of hard labor.
I was sentenced by the judge to five years in prison and the confiscation of my property. So, at the age of 24, I went to prison while the bailiff carried out a house search. My wife was pregnant with our third child. God provided for my family during this time, so the goats, which were so vital to my wife's survival, were not confiscated.
God leads through
My imprisonment was difficult. In the penal camp, the KGB officers wouldn't leave me alone and often summoned me for interrogation. They considered me a naive young man whose will they wanted to break quickly. When they couldn't manage it with much pressure, they tried another method. They offered me immediate release if I renounced my faith. They promised me a place at the academy and a promotion to lieutenant colonel. Since I firmly refused even that, they wanted revenge and planned to transfer me to a prisoner-of-war camp in the taiga. But God did not allow this.
I served my full sentence, remaining true to my convictions and keeping my conscience clear. At the prison gate, I was greeted by my wife Frieda and my five-year-old daughter Larissa. Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight of my daughter, for Larissa had been born shortly after my incarceration. We, the small group of father, mother, and daughter, walked home.
The spy
That same evening, I attended church again. Together, we glorified God for His grace. Some time later, I had a dream in which I saw the boundless steppes of Kazakhstan. Through a prophecy, God confirmed that He wanted me to be there.
Twice a year, we met with all the church leaders and deacons of Central Asia to exchange ideas. We realized that our brothers and sisters were severely lacking in spiritual literature. With the help of some brothers, we opened a clandestine printing press. Despite the constant conflicts with the KGB, I was able to serve in God's ministry.
Another time, while I was traveling, the KGB planted a spy in my hotel room. I saw through my strange roommate and woke the brothers in the night to sneak out of the hotel. By the time the KGB noticed, we were already on the plane. The agents were tracking our flight path. However, due to bad weather, the planned landings were canceled. After a while, we ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing in Kustanay. Despite everything, I was able to take the train home without delay the next morning and arrive at work. Only a few hours later, the KGB called my boss to ask if I had shown up for work that day. After my boss confirmed that I had, the KGB agent couldn't hide his astonishment.
The iron curtain falls
When the government of the USSR changed at the end of the 1980s, the political climate in our country also changed. Germans received permission to leave Russia and return to their homeland. In 1988, the time had finally come, and we moved to Germany. I immediately set about winning over many brothers and sisters to my idea of founding a mission organization. Together, we sent packages of Christian literature to our brothers and sisters in Russia, because we knew how many millions of people were just waiting to hear the good news. For most people, it was a great joy to own the New Testament.
About two years later, in 1990, we officially registered the mission as an association. The Nehemiah Mission supported us with our first transport missions. That same year, together with the Stephanus Mission, we organized our own car transport to Kazakhstan. Aid transports to many other countries followed, including Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Armenia, Romania, Albania, and India. And I learned: If you cast your bread upon the water, as it says in Ecclesiastes 11:1, you will find it again with butter.
Written by Dorothea Gesswein
Municipality of Speyer