
Nikita Kozachenko

Nikita Kozachenko's Personal Conversion

I was born in a Christian family, my father was a pastor and from the very beginning I was growing up in church. I heard the Gospel so many times in my childhood but didn’t get it seriously maybe thinking that just attending the church, believing parents could be my deliverance from Hell or I still have plenty of time. As it’s common in Christian families I knew all the Bible stories, helped my dad with his ministry but the Scripture didn’t concern me personally. Through the years I couldn’t find peace in my heart and a lot of things pulled me to the world. And as it is said that no prophet is accepted in his own country, sermons in my church didn’t touch me at all until one missionary from the U.S. came to our church. That missionary was Dr. Henry Benach. When he was sharing his testimony of his conversion to the Lord, the Holy Spirit touched my heart and I saw myself in that story. I realized my wickedness and sinfulness and that neither my parents nor just being in church could let me go to Heaven. On that day, October 18, 2015, at the age of 14 I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and got saved, praise the Lord! After that my life changed radically spiritually, and I started to think how it can be changed practically and what I can do for the Lord. In the 2017 my dad started a new church and I helped him with that. Same year I was baptized. After finishing my high school, I entered a Bible College and from that time I began to preach at our church planning to become a fulltime minister. While my family was on furlough, I was left behind to lead the church.
Dedication to Ministry
I was getting older and, in the beginning of 2020, I started to think more seriously what am I planning to do in the future and what my life going to look like. I was sure that I don’t want to waste my life for the world and that I want to live for the Lord. One evening I was praying and I promised to God that I’m dedicating my life to Him and will serve Him anywhere He wants me to no matter what. I didn’t know what ministry He wants from me specifically, where and how I can serve Him right now, so I started to pray about it. And the answer wasn’t long coming. After few weeks of praying I met two Armenian friends on the Web and started witnessing to them. While I was witnessing I heard a lot of things about Armenia and its people and I saw a huge need in the Gospel there. God put a big burden on my heart so I started to pray specifically about Armenia. After four months on praying I received it as God’s will for me and got peace about it. From that time on I only firmed in my understanding of the will of God. I have gone on a survey trip to Armenia already in September 2021.
Actual Ministry
On February 24, 2022, the war in Ukraine began, which halted everything. The borders were closed and leaving the country became impossible. Under constant threat of mobilization to the front the Lord led and showed how I could serve Him in these circumstances. For three years of war I have been actively involved in the ministry to the refugees - constant distribution of humanitarian aid and evangelistic meetings. Also, heavily involved in a street evangelism with the distribution of tracts. I graduated from a Bible College and was ordained to the Gospel ministry in August 2023 and after one year of co-pastoring, in March 2024, I became an official pastor of Menorah Baptist Church, which my father Eugene Kozachenko planted in 2017. Despite the events happening around and all the obstacles God gives a clear understanding of how He can be glorified and served during this time. Praise the Lord! I’m eagerly looking forward to what ministry God may have for me in the future and happy in His will where I am right now!