ary Kowalski* was born in Russia during World War II. Her Jewish parents and two older siblings had fled there from Poland several years before
she was born. Although they had been able to escape the concentration camps, her brother, who was only 10 months old at the time, died a short time later from an illness he had contracted during their escape. Mary remembers growing up in poverty and moving around frequently to escape Hitler’s regime. Her family eventually moved to Israel. They began to set down some roots and started a business. In 1976, Mary decided to make another big step in her life
and moved to America. She didn’t like the idea of bringing money into the country, so her family bought a diamond ring for her to use as an investment. She put it away in
PAYING FORWARD
again. She continued to grow in her Christian walk, and she fell further in love with the Lord. Mary became a Sabbath-keeping Christian, much to the
disappointment of her family, yet she could no longer ignore the prompting of the Holy Spirit. She even began to see how the Lord had been taking care of her family, from their days in Russia during the war to her current life in the states.
Acting on Her Faith Three years ago, Mary became ill and came to the conclusion
various safety deposit boxes and someday hoped to give it to her children.
A New Faith While living in Los Angeles, Mary was invited to a church
that was conducting a satellite evangelistic series. For the first time, she learned of Christ. Mary soon had a satellite dish installed in her home and began to watch programs with a speaker named Doug Batchelor. She appreciated the clear truths that were brought to light by Amazing Facts programming. She learned more teachings from the New Testament, and her eyes and ears were opened up to the love of Christ and His death on the cross for our salvation. Mary returned to the church the next week … and again … and
that if she were to die, she didn’t want to die with her worldly possessions still in her home. She feared they might become a stumbling block to her children, so she began to liquidate all of her jewelry and antiques. Because Mary appreciated the Amazing Facts programs,
she decided to donate her diamond ring, since appraised at $20,000, to the ministry to benefit the work of evangelism. She knew that the satellite programs were the reason she was now in the church and that they were a powerful tool for the Lord. Fortunately, Mary recovered from her illness and says she is
getting healthier and stronger each day. She feels like a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders after giving up everything she felt she didn’t need, including her ring. Her life is full of peace because of her assurance that the Lord is guiding her life.