Children of The Storm by Natasha Vins is a true story that takes place in the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 70s.

We could not make it through a single chapter without drawing multiple parallels between the Communist government in Eastern Europe just one generation ago and what is happening here in North America today. This was the most alarming part of Natasha’s humble, unpretentious autobiography.

On the other hand, Natasha’s testimony of how the Lord preserved her family through brutal restrictions, the imprisonment of her pastor father and their long separation from him, and how the Lord granted the grace to remain steadfast through trial in the face of hostile unbelief was encouraging, inspiring, and convicting.

Babushka, Natasha’s grandmother, was one of our favorite characters in the book. She outwitted the officials who sought to bring harm to her family many times, and exemplified boldness and courage by speaking the truth unwaveringly.

Babushka understood that compliance to unlawful judgments made by rulers who hate God and His people was not advantageous to the spread of the Gospel. In choosing courage over cowardice, often at high cost to herself, she was not only able to care for and encourage her son in prison, but she became a living testimony to the underground church of what it meant to rest in God’s Sovereignty, and was able to guide her grandchildren spiritually in their father’s absence.

I’d highly recommend Children of the Storm by Natasha Vins as a family read aloud, or to anyone ages 12 and up.

Like the book of Esther, it is a remarkable account of God’s kind and hard providence, with many lessons for navigating the environment we find ourselves in today.