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Alexey Efimov

Alexey Efimov was born in Lugansk, Ukraine in 1977. His family was like thousands of other families in the USSA: his father was a truck driver, his mother was a shop assistant. Alexey spent his childhood and youth in a small town called Khartsysk. Khartsysk is located not far from Donetsk – a big administrative and industrial center of Western Ukraine. It is a small town that was founded in 1869 as a place for prisoners to be exiled; there are several factories and a lot of coal mines in Khartsysk.

After his graduation from secondary school, Alexey entered technical school to become an electrician. In his second year, an accident happened that changed his life completely.

Alexey explains: “It happened in 1994, during the summer time. My friends and I often went to the lake to spend our free time. One day at the lake, I witnessed a horrible accident that resulted in the death of an 18-year-old girl.” The accident made Alexey think about his own mortality, his own humanness. “I thought about the fact that one day we all will die – whether we want it or not, whether we are young or old. I had never thought about that before. My life became a real nightmare. I lost my inner comfort and peace, I couldn’t sleep nights. I started to drink alcohol, hoping to find the lost peace and comfort – but it didn’t help. One day, I was sitting outside thinking how to spend the coming evening. Suddenly I saw a man who was joyful. It was my schoolmate. He was coming back home and he was rejoicing. I wanted to know the reason of his joy, so I asked him: ‘How can you be so happy?’ His answer struck me: ‘Jesus Christ forgave me and gave me the peace!!’ We talked till 2 a.m. He invited me to his church. On the 14th of August, 1994, I was born again. After my reconciliation with God, peace, joy, and hope became an integral part of my life”

Alexey went on to military service in the army. He got married and now has two wonderful children – a son and a daughter. At RACU, he is majoring is Business and Economics. “My goal is to glorify God through all circumstances of my life,” he says. “My goal is to be a professional and to glorify God through my work.”