The Association has various people working in our departments. Each individual has his own life story, and his own experience… People are different, but the Lord gathered them all for mutual service. Since 2016, Steve Mizera has been serving as the editor of the English version of the Association's newsletters. He is a man who has gone through a lot since his childhood, went through a very harsh experience in life’s school, and came to the Lord the hard way. Svetlana Iotko had a brief interview with him.
S.I.: Greetings, Steve, please tell us a little about yourself.
S.M.: Greetings to all readers. I am the editor of the English versions of the newsletters that many of you receive every month. I am 83 years old, and I thank God every day for His mercy and love. Although I come from a background of being an orphan in a dysfunctional family of an American mother and a Russian immigrant, and went through many trials in life, God placed me into a Slavic church which became my family. In 2009 I was baptized at Grace Family Church, California.
S.I.: It's amazing that as an American you are a member of the Russian-speaking church. How did this happen, and how were you introduced into the ministry in Slavic society?
S.M.: In light of some difficult life’s circumstances, ever since I was a child, I was disappointed in the church in general, and particularly in people who called themselves Christians. My life was very difficult without God. I made many mistakes, for which I paid in full... In 1998, I met a Russian family, the Klimov family who became a true example of a Christian family for me. They actually led me to God.
When I saw the need of people to learn English, I sincerely wanted to help them. As a member of Grace Family Church, I have taught and continue to teach English to immigrants for several years. It all started because I saw their need and wanted to help them. While being there, I met Olga Avetisova, who is the head of the information ministry of the PCSBA. I saw how hard she works on the newsletters and the website. I just couldn't refuse to help her with the editing of the English versions. Since I could do it, then why not? Even from my younger years, I loved to write. I was even an editor of the city newspaper for several years, and wrote two autobiographical books… in general, this is my vocation.
S.I.: Tell us about your professional experience.
S.M.: I received two degrees: in journalism, and in law, but did not work directly in these fields. I applied myself more fully in the field of commerce, especially as an information analysis. At a certain point, I was the founder and editor of the newspaper in a small town. I do a lot of professional photography and travel a lot. Right now I am retired, and have the joy of serving at the PCSBA.
S.I.: What do you do as you interact with the Slavic people, and what do you like the most in your ministry?
S.M.: I like to fellowship with the Slavic people. I noticed that they are kind, friendly, honest, and respectful towards me. My students come to class with a great desire to learn, and I am pleased.
In editorial work, I just love being helpful. Our translator does a great job of translating newsletters from Russian into English, and my task is to correct if something does not sound quite "American".
S.I.: Do you speak Russian?
S.M.: A little. I read a number of classic literary works in Russian in my late teens. When I was in basic training at the Air Force, I had the opportunity to learn the basics of the Russian language.
S.I: Can you share an interesting story related to the Slavic people?
S.M.: Certainly. The first Slavic people I met were the Klimov family. At that time, they had been in America for less than a year. This was about twenty years ago. I lived in West Sacramento and learned that many Slavic immigrants received asylum here due to religious persecution in the former USSR. Some of them opened their businesses in the USA - grocery stores. I was curious to see what was being sold there, so I visited one of the Russian stores that was recommended to me. I noticed that the signs were bilingual, English and Russian, and I thought, "This is a good opportunity to resume learning Russian." I spoke to one of the customers and asked in English if she knew anyone who could teach me Russian. She screamed, "Kolya!" and her husband came over from the next aisle. We agreed to meet the next Monday and exchanged addresses.
On the appointed day, I knocked on the door of their apartment, but there was no answer. As I was about to leave, I noticed that I accidentally locked my car keys inside the car. This has never happened to me before, and I had to wait for a special service to come and open the car for me. They arrived only half an hour later. God probably allowed this to happen because the Klimov family were driving right behind them. It turns out that they went to my house while I was waiting for them at theirs. I then realized that they needed to learn English just as much as I needed to learn Russian (Laughs). So we "adopted" each other, and it's been an amazing friendship for twenty years now.
S.I. Thanks for that story. What do you see as the key to effective ministry?
S.M.: I believe that you need to have a pure heart in your relationship with God, and treat all people as children of God. I only look for good in people; I trust them, and ignore the negative. I can honestly say that I have never met a single Slavic person that I did not like.
S.I.: What is your favorite Bible verse?
S.M.: The Bible says a lot about God's love for us, but this verse is my favorite: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35). I wish you all more love!
S.I.: Thank you. Blessings to you.
More information about Steve Mizera's books can be found here: https://www.independentauthornetwork.com/steve-a-mizera.html
 Steve Mizera |
 Klimov's Family |
