Anna Gnatyshyna is a guest professor at a seminary and the Ministry Coordinator for OneHope in Ukraine.
When did you trust Christ?
I was raised in a Christian family. I considered myself a good Christian girl who had no mess in her life. Later, when I became a teenager, I struggled with allergies. I took different medications, but the situation got worse. I was told I had severe blood poisoning (sepsis) and that I would live no more than 6 months. It was only at that point that I realised I was not ready to die. Around that time, I met a Christian mentor at a youth camp who helped me realise that I needed Jesus. I accepted Christ and entrusted Him with my future. Everybody was praying for my health, and God healed me. He gave me another chance to serve Him; I will not waste it.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
Many factors impact my Christian life: people who invest in me and also ministry life. My theology studies, my father, and my ministry are the defining moments of my Christian walk. Still, I have to admit that even my understanding of God’s saving grace is changing. At the beginning of my walk with Christ, I only trusted His words about salvation because of His grace and my faith in Him. But recently, I’ve started to realise how deep and great His grace is and how fallen I am. The more I study the Bible, the more I’m amazed by how wonderful the work of Christ is.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I have gained new leadership skills and learned how to lead different ministry initiatives. ELF has been crucial in my leadership growth. This year, I hope to grow in a new area of theology as my ministry grows and we have more theological initiatives on writing specialised literature for the younger generation. Learning more about theology will also help me as I grow in my teaching abilities in seminary.
What is your ministry?
Currently, I teach at Kyiv Theological Seminary as a guest professor and conduct theological training events for students. I also work for OneHope and serve as a Ministry Coordinator in Eurasia. We develop evangelistic materials for children and teenagers, write books, and develop new strategies for evangelistic ministry.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
I've served in IFES (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students) for six years in the area of staff theology training and administration. That allowed me to meet people from CIS countries and serve them. In my church, I've been involved in Youth Ministry and created a Bible study curriculum while leading several Bible study groups. Also, I have spent time discipling younger girls.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I'm eager to learn, and I'm a quick study. Learning from other people is something important to me. I believe that we all can learn from each other because of our cultural and ministry differences.
