“I grew up in the former Soviet Union, and Christianity and the Gospel were not allowed.”
A Ukrainian-born physician who grew up under the Soviet Union’s rule over the country is now rebuilding Ukraine’s healthcare system by offering a training program to medical professionals that exposes them to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“I grew up in the former Soviet Union, and Christianity and the Gospel were not allowed,” Rostyslav Semikov told The Christian Post.
The USSR had a long history of state atheism, and the government took various steps to reduce the prevalence of religion by persecuting believers and controlling religious ceremonies and education.
Semikov recalled discreetly attending Sunday school as a child in the 1980s amid the harsh crackdown on religious instruction. The Bible studies were usually held at night or on the rooftop of someone’s house, and Semikov recalled feeling inspired by the stories of biblical heroes.
The same year the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Ukraine declared its independence. Soon after, American missionaries, including doctors from St. Louis, Missouri, visited the area, and a 12-year-old Semikov first came to know Jesus.
“It was fascinating for me to see that Christians can be great medical professionals,” he said of their work and witness.
While the physician had grown up in a Christian family, he appreciated the church camps the American missionaries built for the children they witnessed to. At the church camps, Semikov and other children sang Christian songs and learned more about Jesus.
Semikov obtained his medical degree in 2005 from Zaporizhzhia State Medical University in Ukraine. He also attended the University of Oxford from 2007 to 2008, where he pursued a Master of Science degree in global health.
In 2016, Semikov founded the Peace and Development Foundation, an organization that brings Ukrainian healthcare professionals to the U.S. for two- to three-week training. He first formed the foundation in Kyiv in 2016 and subsequently established a branch in Houston, Texas, in 2021 after relocating.
The doctor facilitates the program in collaboration with the Ukraine Ministry of Health and colleagues he met through the Christian Medical Association when he was involved with the organization from 2006 to 2011.
Through the foundation, Ukrainian doctors can receive training at some of the top medical and educational institutions in the U.S., including Johns Hopkins. During the program, Semikov has the participants interact with Christian medical professionals and educators so they can help spread the Gospel in Ukraine.
“On a weekend, we take them to the church, and during the week we may also arrange meetings with outstanding Christian professionals who speak about their faith,” Semikov said.
