Nine-year-old Antin grew up in an ordinary family, but the war changed everything. His father went to the frontline, and he was left with his mother and older sister.

Antin’s life came to a halt when the family learned of his father's death. He lost interest in everything. He thought, "Why bother, if Dad wouldn’t be there to give advice, to be happy that he had won a game, or to smile while listening to stories about playing with other boys?" 

When Antin’s mother was offered the opportunity to send him to a Christian camp, he refused. But then she told him the camp would be in the Carpathian mountains and he agreed since he had never been to the this area before.

At the camp, Antin became interested in what he was hearing and realized he wasn’t alone in his grief. Other kids had parents who had either died or were serving in the war. During conversations, he came to understand that many shared the same pain.

There was one question that interested him the most: death—what happens after it, where the soul goes, whether he would see his father again, and whether his father could see him now.

When they began to study God's Word, a new world began to open up for Antin—a world where there is a place for God, faith, and a future. Antin asked many questions during every lesson and was especially interested in the topics of eternal life and God’s forgiveness. He completed all the assignments attentively and easily. It was clear that Antin was sincerely accepting everything the Bible says about death and eternal life.

When his mom came to pick him up from the camp, she told the team leaders, “He has changed so much. That ice in his heart has melted. He smiles now, and he’s become a normal child again. Yes, he still misses his father terribly, but now he has interest in life and in learning. Thank you for giving him hope and the chance to live a normal life.”

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